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Kingdom of Nabatea
The Nabatean Kingdom was a powerful political entity which flourished in the region of modern-day Jordan between the 4th century BCE and c. 106 CE and is best known today for the ruins of its capital city of Petra. Although it is clear that...
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Head of Marcus Aurelius from Petra
Marble portrait of the Roman Emperor who reigned from 161 to 180 CE. His statues were raised in cities across the Roman Empire; this head was found in the exedra of Qasr al-Bint Temple at Petra. An inscription reveals that it was set there...
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Orthi Petra Necropolis at Eleutherna, Crete
View of the Orthi Petra necropolis located on the west slope of Prines hill in the ancient city of Eleutherna in Crete. The cemetery was used from the late Protogeometric period until the early Archaic period (870/850 - 600 BCE). A variety...
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Theatre of Petra
Carved into the side of the mountain at the foot of the High Place of Sacrifice, the theatre of Petra consists of three rows of seats separated by passageways. Seven stairways ascended the cavea (seating section) which accommodated 4000 spectators...
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The Treasury of Petra From Above
The so-called Treasury (Khazneh) in Petra, Jordan. The Treasury’s rock-cut, two storied façade is 24.9 m wide and almost 40 m high and strongly embodies the Hellenistic style and reflects the influence of Alexandria. Both stories are embellished...
Definition
Ancient Jordan
Jordan is a country in the Near East bordered by Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia which was part of the Land of Canaan in ancient times. The country is named for the River Jordan which flows between modern-day Jordan and Israel and whose...
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Byzantine Church Pulpit from Petra
This pulpit was found broken into pieces at its original location in the "Blue Chapel", on the northern ridge of the Petra city center. Petra was a "Bishopric See" during the Byzantine period. The pulpit was hexagonal in form, supported by...
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Nabataean Inscription from Petra
This sandstone block was a tombstone and was inscribed with Nabataean text, which records the death of a man "Sullay"who lived in Petra. It is not obvious when Sullay died, but the inscription says that he had an interesting occupation...
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Melpomene from Raqmu-Petra
Melpomene was one of the nine Greek muses and patron of tragedy. She is depicted here holding a mask of Pan or a satyr, instead of the tragic mask usually associated with her. This relief is one of a group of architectural sculptures that...
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Qasr al-Bint, Petra
Qasr al-Bint, one of the main temples in the Nabataean city of Petra (Jordan). It is located to the northwest of the Great Temple and is one of the best-preserved ancient structures surviving in Petra today. It was probably the cult centre...