A Structural Geological Study of the Tombs of Nabataean Petra

Summary

Many studies have discussed the first century BC to first century AD Nabataean rock-cut monuments in the Nabataean city of Petra, Jordan. These surveys provide information about proposed chronologies for the façade tombs and limited data about burial customs of the Nabataeans themselves. One neglected topic is the Nabataean tomb placement in relation to the structural geology of the Petra region. During the 2014 field season of the BYU Ad-Deir Monument and Plateau project, it was discovered that the Ad-Deir Monument was built between geologic faults and fractures, suggesting that the Nabataeans used these features to carve the façade. In order to study the Nabataean knowledge of geology and the landscape used in the placement of their tombs, I have been working on a survey of the Petra façade tombs, with an emphasis on their relationship to the local and regional faults and fractures. This poster will showcase some of my findings.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21762