Dr. Davide Bianchi (Institut für Klassische Archäologie, Wien)

H A U S K O L L O Q U I U M

Dienstag, 21. November 2017 um 18 Uhr c.t.

Institut für Klassische Archäologie
1190 Wien, Franz-Klein-Gasse 1, 1. Stock, Seminarraum 12

The monastery of Moses on Mt. Nebo is an emblematic case within the framework of similar complexes linked to the memory and devotion to the biblical figures widespread in the Holy Land. The coenobium of Mt. Nebo was one of the biggest developed so far in Byzantine Transjordan showing a sophisticated balance between monastic daily life, pilgrimage economy and hegemonic role over the colony of monks who dwelled in the surrounding valleys.
Recent archaeological excavations in the nave of the church, directed by the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum of Jerusalem, allowed us to identify an intact and empty burial-shrine cut in the highest point of the mountain. The tomb probably served as a cenotaph to commemorate the prophet "beloved by God and people, Moses of blessed memory" (Sir. 45:1), who, according to the Bible, died there. This discovery and the reassessment of previously published data suggest a revised interpretation of the phases of construction carried out over the centuries.