Use the timeline and map insert (pdf 877k) to contextualize your study of Petra: when the city flourished, and where. What other civilizations emerged or declined during this time, and why? Ask students what they'd like to know about life in Petra. What might have attracted people to this particular place? What resources would be needed to support an emerging city in this rocky valley?

Initiate a discussion about the nature of trade. What gives trade goods value? How do the goods travel? What kind of infrastructure is necessary to sustain and profit from trade? What do students trade among themselves, and why?

Learn to analyze artifacts. Bring in an object from home—ideally something that may be unfamiliar to students—and ask students to do the same. In groups of three or four, invite students to describe and draw the physical characteristics of one of the objects, and discuss the possible function and meaning of the object.

Discuss why archaeology is important. What do archaeologists do? How does this discipline teach us about the past, especially in the absence of written records? What kinds of things can we learn about our own and other cultures from earlier civilizations? Reflect on how new tools or differing points of view might influence interpretations of the past.

Consider your own community as a potential archaeological site. Identify different structures as public or private, commercial or recreational, decorative or part of the hidden infrastructure that supports urban life. How did you make these distinctions? What objects or structures would survive over time, and what kinds of clues about their function and value might they offer to future investigators?

Map a classroom or schoolyard. In pairs, students should use markers, rulers, and paper to draw a detailed plan. Students should measure and record all features, and include a key. Ask students to exchange maps and evaluate their accuracy.