Statue of Victory
holding celestial disk
with head of Tyche |
|
|
|
PETRA AND THE NABATAEANS
From the first century B.C. to the third century A.D., Petra was one of
the most influential and prosperous commercial centres in antiquity. This
metropolis was literally carved from the red sandstone cliffs in the harsh
desert of southern Jordan, yet amazingly, the city of 3,000 temples, tombs
and dwellings was lost to Western knowledge for almost 600 years.
For much of its history, the city was governed by the Nabataeans, renowned
for their great skills in trade, agriculture, engineering and architectural
stone-carving. At its height, Petra was the centre of the Nabataeans’
commercial empire, which covers the lands of modern-day Jordan, Israel,
Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
|
|