Petra

Archaeological
Site
Wadi Mousa, Jordan / By: Carston Morrell
Why Petra?
Unique architecture

The Treasury of Petra

Place of mystery

Fascinated and wanted to learn more about Petra

Only 15% of Petra has been discovered

Brief History of Petra
Built by the Nabataean Empire around the 4th century B.C.

Originally named Ar Rakeem or cut in rock

Trade center and capital of Nabataean Empire from 400 B.C. and A.D. 106

Conquered by the Roman Empire in 106 A.D.

Renamed in Greek as Petra (Rock)

Lost to civilization for centuries

Rediscovery of Petra
Rediscovered by John Lewis Burckhardt in 1812

Petra was guarded by the locals because of theft

Snuck into Petra and wrote information in his journal

Described where he went, dimensions of buildings

Also described the carvings on the buildings and the state of preservation

Visited the treasury, the theatre, and the Palace of the Pharaohs daughter

Cut visit short out of fear

Dating & Mapping Petra
Rock-cut faade tombs lack absolute dating evidence

The chronology has been based upon typology

Larger and more complex non-classical facades are chronologically older

(Double Pylon and Hegr Tombs)

Simple and less complex newer

(Single Pylon and Step)

Nabataean and Roman

Die Provincia Arabia

1920s survey and mapping of site by R.E. Brnnow and A. Von Domaszewski
Culture of Petra
Nabataean traditions and ideology is limited
Left Very few written documents

Area was known for wealthy spice traders

Worshiped the sun among other deities

Astronomical events were of importance

Aligned important buildings to have sun shine on

them during significant events

Most structures were tombs, monuments, or

religious structures
Artifacts of Petra
Very few individual artifacts have been found

Theft and earthquakes are to blame for the

loss
It is possible that more artifacts can be found
85% of Petra still is unknown

The structures that stand can still tell us a lot

about Petra
The Treasury
Most likely tomb for King Aretas
III Philhellene (the Greek-lover)
Brought in architects from the
Mediterranean
Hellenistic style and reflects the
influence of Alexandria
Very complex tomb with many
Greek gods
Recessed basin inside indicates
ritual washings
The Theater
Monument was carved in the
mountainside during the reign
of King Aretas IV (4BC-AD27)
Nabataeans and Romans linked
to this before the Nabataeans
were annexed
Could accommodate 8500
spectators.
Romans refurbished in 106 AD
Byzantine Church
Constructed around 450 AD
Rebuilt in 500-550 AD
153 papyrus scrolls uncovered
Carbonized due to 7th century fire

Scrolls belong to extended

family
Inside look to life in Petra
between 528 and 582 AD
Documents include will of
property
New Monument
No known parallels to any other
structure in Petra
Public area for ceremonial
purposes
Not excavated yet
Stratigraphy of Petra

Believed that several earthquakes led to the

evacuation of Petra
Mountains south of Petra made from igneous rock
during the Precambrian era
Worked and excavated rock showing decay
tourists
Gorges formed from desert flashfloods
Preservation
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985

Named one of the new seven wonders of the world in 2007

Is now a Archaeological Park with visitor income to help preserve the site
Citations
Mapping Petra

https://www.penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/42-
2/Mapping.pdf
https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/mapping-petra/

History of Petra

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/lost-city-
petra/
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-africa/magnificent-ancient-city-petra-
jordan-00214
https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/Petra/excavations/history.ht
ml
Citations
Excavation of Petra

http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/september-2012/article/excavations-uncover-
common-life-in-ancient-petra
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/reconstructing-petra-155444564/

http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/the-man-who-discovered-a-
%E2%80%98lost%E2%80%99-wonder-of-the-world
Finding of Petra

http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/discovery-petra

Geology of Petra

https://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2014/04/petra-the-rose-red-wonder
Citations
Culture of Petra
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140317-petra-jordan-nabatean-
sun-civilization-ancient-culture/
https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/blog/petra-city-in-stone-culture-in-motion-
dispatch-15-from-extraordinary-cultures-180950597/
https://www.roughguides.com/destinations/middle-east/jordan/petra/ancient-
city/treasury/
Dating Petra
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/326/
New Monument
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/space-archaeology-satellite-petra-
ancient-city-discovery-jordan-monument/
Citations
General Information
https://www.wmf.org/project/petra-archaeological-site
https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/petra/petra-rediscovered
Dating
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1179/175638010X12634804459805?needA
ccess=true
Artifacts
https://www.acorjordan.org/2015/04/22/petra-visitors-center/
http://www.visitpetra.jo/DetailsPage/VisitPetra/LocationsInPetraDetailsEn.aspx?PID=8
https://tourismlandscapes.blogspot.com/2015/03/byzantine-church-petra-church-
ancient.html
Citations
Pictures

http://www.tourplanisrael.com/?CategoryID=171&ArticleID=689

https://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2014/04/petra-the-rose-red-wonder

https://alchetron.com/Johann-Ludwig-Burckhardt-1111783-W

https://tourismlandscapes.blogspot.com/2015/03/byzantine-church-petra-church-
ancient.html
https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g318895-d2149159-
i166442113-Petra_Mu
seum-Petra_Wadi_Musa_Ma_in_Governorate.html

http://www.soniahalliday.com/category-view3.php?pri=J63-4-90JT.jpg