You are standing in front of the so called Star window. This piece of decoration used to stand on the roof of the palace. Unfortunately it fell down during a devastating earthquake in the year 747. It was shattered in many pieces. In the 1930s it was restored by Palestine masons and engineers. Today, as you have noticed, the Star window has been placed in the centre of the courtyard.
One of the tasks of an archaeologist is to study discovered objects very precisely, to describe them and to imagine how the object has been used in the past. Archaeologists call such objects ‘artefacts’. Sometimes archaeologists use an artefact card to describe the most important artefacts.
1. Now it is your turn! Fill in the exercise paper to describe the Star Window of Hisham’s Palace. But remember you are not allowed to touch the Star Window!
When archaeologists encountered the Star Window in the 1930s, it was not in a good condition. Archaeologists regularly find parts of artefacts or architectural structures and have to imagine how they would have looked in the past. In an archaeological park or museum cultural heritage is often presented to the public in a reconstructed way. The Star Window has been reconstructed in the past. Here you see pictures of the Star Window in four different stages.
2A. Look at the four pictures and describe all features you see on each picture (you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them).
2B. What is the right chronological order of the pictures? Start with the oldest picture and end with the newest picture.
2C. Explain why you have chosen this chronological order.
