Washing the masses, washing the self: An architectural study of the Central Bathhouse in Gerasa

Abstract – Located at the intersection of the cardo and the south decumanus, the Central Bathhouse is the seventh bathhouse identified in Gerasa. From 2002 to 2010, the bathhouse was extensively excavated documenting a prolonged use from the 4th to the 8th cent. through five main architectural phases. The development reflects a changing attitude from communal bathing in large basins to washing in individual basins. This study examines the architectural development of the Central bathhouse, discusses its relationship with its immediate urban surroundings and touch upon some of the quotidian activities involved in a visit to the bathhouse. An addendum discusses the entrance to the bathhouse, a latrine and the cold-water basins discovered in 2009.Résumé – Situé à l’intersection du cardo et du decumanus sud, le bain du centre-ville est le septième édifice thermal identifié à Jérash. Des fouilles extensives ont démontré, entre 2002 et 2010, que son usage s’est maintenu du ive au viiie s., à travers cinq principales phases architecturales. Cette évolution démontre un changement dans les usages, la pratique collective du bain cédant progressivement la place à une conception plus individuelle du bain de propreté. Cet article présente l’évolution architecturale du bain du centre-ville, étudie son fonctionnement ainsi que sa relation à l’environnement urbain immédiat. Un addendum présente en fin d’article le dispositif d’entrée des bains, les latrines et les bassins froids mis au jour en 2009.تقععلىتقاطعالcardoوالdecumanusالجنوبي،ح ّماماتوسطالمدينةهيسابعح ّمامتمالتعرفإليها حتىالآنفيمدينةجرش.تمتوثيقخمسفتراتتم ّتدمنالقرنالرابعحتىالقرنالثامنميلاديمنخلالحفرياتمكثفةبين سنة٢٠٠٢و٢٠١٠.تتميزاحدثالتحولاتفيالمبنىإتباعتصميماكثرفرديللاستحمام.وتق ّدمهذهالدراسةمراحلالتطور المعماريلحماماتوسطالمدينةوالىدراسةعلاقةالمبنىمعالمحيطالمدني. ُتحللهذهالمقالةآخرالعناصرالمكتشفةوهي: مدخل الحم ّامات، المراحيض والأحواض الباردة التي تم ّ إكتشافها بين سنة ٢٠٠٩

Trois latrines publiques dans la Jérash de l’Antiquité tardive (Jordanie)

Cette étude présente trois latrines publiques fouillées à Jérash. Elle examine leur emplacement dans la ville, leur plan ainsi que les systèmes d’adduction et d’évacuation des eaux. Des comparaisons avec des installations trouvées dans d’autres régions du Proche-Orient permettent d’évaluer le nombre d’utilisateurs. L’article met l’accent sur des latrines qui ont été fouillées entre 2008 et 2010 dans le cadre du projet jordano-danois Islamic Jerash Project. Intégrées dans les bains centraux de Jérash, les latrines ont été fréquentées du ive à la fin du viie siècle. Elles ont été construites pour l’usage des clients de l’établissement balnéaire, mais pouvaient aussi être utilisées par des non-baigneurs, qui accédaient alors gratuitement à cette installation. Le mobilier retrouvé dans le comblement de l’égout offre non seulement un aperçu rare des activités ayant lieu dans les bains publics, mais donne aussi une idée de la manière dont l’élimination des déchets pouvait avoir été organisée dans le centre-ville de Jérash.This study describes three public latrines excavated in Jerash. It examines their location in the city, their layout and also their water supply and drainage systems. Comparisons with facilities found in other parts of the Near East, allow to estimate how many people could have used them. The focus of this study is a latrine that was excavated between 2008 and 2010 as a part of the Danish-Jordanian Islamic Jerash Project. Integrated in the layout of Jerash’s Central Bathhouse, the latrine was in use from the 4th to the late 7th century. The latrine was constructed for the use of patrons of the Central Bathhouse, but could also be used by non-bathers, who could access the facilities without paying the fee to enter the bathhouse. The material retrieved from the latrine sewer not only offers a rare insight into activities taking place within the bathhouse, but also gives an insight into how waste disposal could be organised in the centre of the city

Down the drain:Reconstructing social practice from the content of two sewers in a late antique bathhouse in Jerash, Jordan

This contribution examines social practices in the Central Bathhouse in Jerash in Late Antiquity based on the ceramic assemblage, vessel glass, faunal remains, and small finds retrieved from two sections of the bathhouse's sewer. We argue that although the bathhouse underwent significant architectural alterations from its construction in the 4th c. CE to its abandonment in the late 7th, the activities taking place inside the building remained largely the same. Our study shows that even towards the end of the bathhouse's lifespan, bodily grooming remained integral to the bathing experience, while food and drink were consumed on the premises even though the bathing facilities had been reduced to a bare minimum. The faunal remains indicate the type of food consumed, while the small finds illustrate a lively environment where gaming and gambling took place in a social space frequented by men, women, and children

Impacts of meso-to submeso-scale features on the ocean circulation in the Coral Sea

International audienceAs part of the South Pacific subtropical gyre, the encounter of the South Equatorial Current (SEC)with the complex bottom topography and numerous islands of the southwest tropical Pacific resultsinto a series of zonal jets, flowing mainly westward off the tip of archipelagos. Moreover, themesoscale activity at basin scale is dominated by westward-propagating nonlinear eddies, with astrong impact on the ocean circulation, the mixing of water masses and tracers' distribution. Eddy-jet interactions are studied here with the data collected in September 2012 during theBIFURCATION cruise in the Coral Sea, under the auspices of SPICE (Southwest PacIfic OceanCirculation and Climate Experiment). We analyze and explain in situ data with the help of satellite-based remote sensing data (altimetry, SSS, SST, ocean color), and we estimate the mass transportbudget within the Coral Sea. We show that the mesoscale activity is a significant contributor to the0-600m transport estimates (5-10 Sv) and is essential for the interpretation of hydrologicalobservations. A specific mesoscale eddy is identified as responsible for the connection between theNorth Vanuatu Jet (NVJ) and the North Caledonian Jet (NCJ). By using a Lagrangian technique, weare able to confirm the long-term connection between the NVJ and the NCJ through mesoscaleactivity. At a smaller scale, our analysis shows that surface temperature and salinity gradients can beassociated with hydrodynamical submesoscale features depicted by Finite Size LyapunovExponents (FSLE). These structures can also be linked to the presence of diazotroph species, incontrast with the general oligotrophy of the area. This study offers interesting outlooks for the useof FSLE to study the distribution of biogeochemical elements

In Support of a Patient-Driven Initiative and Petition to Lower the High Price of Cancer Drugs

Comment in Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs--III. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs--I. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs--IV. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] In Reply--Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] US oncologists call for government regulation to curb drug price rises. [BMJ. 2015

Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection are often non-specific, and there is no definitive test for the accurate diagnosis of infection. The 'omics' approaches to identifying biomarkers from the host-response to bacterial infection are promising. In this study, lipidomic analysis was carried out with plasma samples obtained from febrile children with confirmed bacterial infection (n = 20) and confirmed viral infection (n = 20). We show for the first time that bacterial and viral infection produces distinct profile in the host lipidome. Some species of glycerophosphoinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine and cholesterol sulfate were higher in the confirmed virus infected group, while some species of fatty acids, glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoserine, lactosylceramide and bilirubin were lower in the confirmed virus infected group when compared with confirmed bacterial infected group. A combination of three lipids achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.911 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.98). This pilot study demonstrates the potential of metabolic biomarkers to assist clinicians in distinguishing bacterial from viral infection in febrile children, to facilitate effective clinical management and to the limit inappropriate use of antibiotics

Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection are often non-specific, and there is no definitive test for the accurate diagnosis of infection. The 'omics' approaches to identifying biomarkers from the host-response to bacterial infection are promising. In this study, lipidomic analysis was carried out with plasma samples obtained from febrile children with confirmed bacterial infection (n = 20) and confirmed viral infection (n = 20). We show for the first time that bacterial and viral infection produces distinct profile in the host lipidome. Some species of glycerophosphoinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine and cholesterol sulfate were higher in the confirmed virus infected group, while some species of fatty acids, glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoserine, lactosylceramide and bilirubin were lower in the confirmed virus infected group when compared with confirmed bacterial infected group. A combination of three lipids achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.911 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.98). This pilot study demonstrates the potential of metabolic biomarkers to assist clinicians in distinguishing bacterial from viral infection in febrile children, to facilitate effective clinical management and to the limit inappropriate use of antibiotics