Fridays – Petra, Jordan: “The Rose-Red City Half as Old as Time”

10/9 & 10/16 @ 11:00 AM/CH

Instructor: Stephen “Dr. Steve” Phillips, Ph.D.

What do Moses, Aaron, Trajan, and Indiana Jones all have in common?

Answer: Petra. Nestled in a rugged mountainous basin in southwest Jordan lies the magnificent ruins of the ancient city of Petra, named in 2007 as one of the “New Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.”

2,000 years ago, Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, an Arab people you will meet, who at the time dominated the incense and spice trade routes crisscrossing the Arabian Peninsula.

Petra is famous for its more than 800 hand-hewn monuments, carved into the pink sandstone cliffs, some soaring up to 150 feet, an inspiration for works by modern artists, poets, and even movie directors. A rock-cut theater could seat about 8500 people, the remains of Petra’s commercial center litter the hillsides, and evidence of sophisticated water hydrology impresses even today. Damage from periodic earthquakes between 350 CE and 750 CE led to Petra’s eventual abandonment; the city was not “rediscovered” until 1812. Archaeological investigations only began in the mid-20th century. As you will see, many mysteries still lie buried beneath Jordan’s ancient sands.

Dr. Steve taught this multi-part, lifelong learning course as part of the Penn Museum’s “Deep Dig” public lecture series.

Part 1 – first orients you to Jordan and Petra itself, both ancient and modern. You also will experience a first-hand virtual tour of Petra’s major monuments. Part II – covers the world of the Nabataeans, the indigenous people who built an empire in the Arabian Peninsula and thrived at Petra for centuries.