Explore one or more of the four themes below, which correspond to the key concepts and which represent possible tours through the exhibition. Each directs you and your students to specific artifacts and/or media elements that explore the theme. (Locations are indicated in italicized text.) You can ask your students the sample questions in order to guide their interaction with the exhibition. Some questions draw on observation alone, while others require reading the labels. Archaeologists infer meaning from artifacts, and this section asks students to engage in the same process.

Archaeology and Ancient Civilizations

Key Concept

Archaeologists ask and answer questions about people who lived long ago. This is important at Petra because there are few well-preserved Nabataean writings.

Bearded male head (The People of Petra)
Carved from limestone, this head evokes a Persian style that dates back roughly 2,600 years. Its carving style identifies it as Nabataean.

• Why do archaeologists think this man is a priest?
• What does this sculpture have in common with the terracotta Figurine of male priest in the Icons of the Gods section?
• Find other religious artifacts in the exhibition. What do they tell you about the Nabataeans' religious practices?

Decorated incense altar (Caravans and Commerce)
The Nabataeans grew rich by controlling the trade in frankincense and myrrh from southern Arabia that was burned on altars like this one.

• How might we know that incense was burned on this object?
• Find the Stand for incense altar. Where did the Nabataeans burn incense? Why do you think they chose those places?

Papyrus scroll fragment (The Byzantine Era)
This will of a wealthy Christian Nabataean, written five centuries after Petra's peak, was found in one of the city's Byzantine churches.

• How were archaeologists able to figure out what the papyri say?
• Why were archaeologists surprised by what the scroll documents?

Continuity and Change in Culture

Key Concept

While absorbing ideas and styles from many contemporary societies— Greece, Rome, Egypt, and as far-flung as India—Petra's art and culture retained a unique Nabataean character.

Look closely at these three Egyptian statuettes:

1. Egyptian statuette with Osiris (Caravans and Commerce)
   This statue, which depicts a priest holding Osiris, the Egyptian God of the Dead, comes from Egypt. It dates from the sixth century B.C.
2. Fragmentary statuette of Isis (Icons of the Gods)
   Details of this figure's clothing identify her as the Egyptian goddess Isis, carved from alabaster in the first century A.D.
3. Figurine of mourning Isis (Icons of the Gods)
   This Nabataean terracotta figurine from the second century A.D. shows Isis grieving for her dead husband, Osiris.
   • What do these three statues have in common? How and where are they different?
   • What do their ages tell you about the way symbols and beliefs traveled through this part of the ancient world?

Stele with baetyl (Icons of the Gods)
The Nabataeans worshipped their gods in the form of standing stones called baetyls, or god-blocks, which marked the actual presence of the deity.

• Look for other god-blocks on display. How do they resemble this very stylized human face? What other culture influenced the way this goddess looks?

Plaque inscribed in Greek and Nabataean (Under Roman Rule)
This marble plaque reflects the deep roots that Greek culture and language established in the Near East, due to the travels of Alexander the Great.

• Think of examples in our culture where different languages coexist as they did in ancient Petra? Why do you think this happens?
• Explore other areas of the exhibition. What other examples of Greek influence on Petran art and architecture can you find?

People, Places, and Environment

Key Concept

Settled at the crossing of two ancient caravan routes, Petra sheltered desert traders (for a fee) and played an important role in the economy of the ancient world. Soft bedrock provided a splendid medium in which the citizens displayed their wealth and artistry, venerated their gods, and honored their dead.

Video wall (City of Stone)
Many of these structures are sculpture on a very large scale, made by hollowing out the bedrock. Grand tombs honored the dead within.

• How do you think it would feel to walk up to these massive structures? Why do you think the Nabataeans made them that way?

Camel relief (Caravans and Commerce)
This photograph shows a camel caravan carved in the entrance to the city. Each animal bore a heavy load of incense, spices, perfumes, and textiles.

• Why would the Nabataeans choose to carve this scene into rock? What made camels ideal for desert trade?

Handle with female figure (Caravans and Commerce)
Nearly everything that was traded in Petra was perishable. This handle is the only surviving evidence of the Nabataeans' lucrative trade in Indian ivory. It was probably carved in the area that is now known as Pakistan.

• Which Petran trade goods could survive best over time? What role might climate and storage conditions play in the survival of artifacts?
• Find the Column capital with elephant heads (Caravans and Commerce) What does it have in common with the pin handle? What did elephants symbolize to the Nabataeans?

Science, Technology, and Society

Key Concept

Superb architects and engineers, the Nabataeans constructed more than a thousand rock-cut tombs and altars in addition to dwellings, aqueducts, and freestanding monuments. A sophisticated water network sustained a city of nearly 20,000 at Petra's height, around 50 A.D.

Crossroads of the Ancient World (Video Theater) and Rock-hewn Petra (City of Stone)
Most of the grand architecture in Petra consists of tombs chiseled into the sandstone cliffs.

• Explore the steps involved in creating these magnificent structures. Why do you think the masons and stonecutters worked in this sequence? What techniques are surprising? Which tools are used today?
• Petra once looked very different, not just because its structures were intact, but because they were also covered with stucco and painted brilliant colors. Imagine the city at its height. How do you think its original visual effect compares to that of today's grand ruins?

Interlocking water pipes (City of Stone)
These ceramic pipes were part of an extensive waterworks system for irrigation, public works, and flood control. Ancient Petran dams and terraces are being reinstated by archaeological teams to prevent water damage to the site.

• Engineers built and maintained a large pool and garden complex in the city center. What does this suggest about Nabataean priorities?