The Excavation of the North Church at Hesban, Jordan: a Preliminary Report

The existence of a Byzantine church north of Tell Hesbh was confirmed by a sounding done in 1976 as part of the Andrews University Expedition. As a follow-up to that, Baptist Bible College of Pennsylvania sponsored a four-week expedition' to the site for the purpose of expanding the excavation of the church. The probe of 1976 had established the existence of three strata at the site: an AyyilbidlMamlfik cemetery, an Umayyad complex, and the Byzantine church. While the church was the primary focus of attention, the extent of the AyyCbid/Mamliik cemetery and the nature of the Umayyad complex were secondary matters for investigation.