Petra: An Urban Oasis in the Arabian Desert
Sponsored by Cleveland Archaeological Society
AIA Society Event: Cleveland
Wednesday, February 13, 2013 - 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Location:
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
1 Wade Oval
Cleveland, OH 44106
United States
Lecture by Dr. Leigh-Ann Bedal (Pennsylvania State University, Erie) in the Murch Auditorium of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (1 Wade Oval, Cleveland, OH 44106), at 7:30 pm. Lecture is free and open to the public. Reception follows lecture
Abstract:
During the 1st century BCE, a small settlement of Arab pastoralists located in a remote valley on the edge of the Arabian Desert, was transformed into one of the great ceremonial and economic centers of the ancient Near East. Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom and hub of the caravan routes that supplied the Mediterranean World with incense and exotic goods. Known for the many magnificent rock-cut tombs and temple facades etched into the encircling rose red sandstone cliffs, Petra's true wonder may be the infrastructure that allowed this desert metropolis to flourish. Masters of hydraulics, Nabataean engineers constructed a network of channels, dams, cisterns and tunnels to transport and store water for practical uses as well as recreation and ornamental display. This presentation explores technological achievements of the Nabataeans and some of the recent discoveries that reveal Petra's splendor.
Website: http://www.case.edu/artsci/clsc/casmain.html
Contact:
Dr. John R. Spencer
spencer@jcu.edu
