Illustration
This sculpture of Gemini was part of the temple's facade. The temple was designed according to classical fashion. It contains major constitutional elements of the classical architectural order, but its decoration was not classical at all. The temple stood up to 15 meters high and was built in the Nabataean village of Khiribt Adh-Dharish, around 100 CE.
The frieze above the architrave had figures of the Zodiac alternating with winged Victories, who crowned these Zodiac figures. The discovered Zodiac figures were Taurus, Gemini (also known as Dioscuri), Cancer, Libra, and a fragment of a cuirassed Saggitarius; the others were very badly damaged or missing.
Is the Zodiac depicted here a sign of an astral Nabataean cult, or does it represent the local adoption of the zodiacal calendar that was known in several contemporary cultures? (The Jordan Museum, Amman, Jordan).
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Amin, O. S. M. (2019, February 15). Gemini from the Adh-Dharish Temple Facade. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/10092/gemini-from-the-adh-dharish-temple-facade/
Chicago Style
Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Gemini from the Adh-Dharish Temple Facade." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified February 15, 2019. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/10092/gemini-from-the-adh-dharish-temple-facade/.
MLA Style
Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Gemini from the Adh-Dharish Temple Facade." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 15 Feb 2019. Web. 04 Mar 2025.
