17 November 2024
Due to the Discovery Channel series Expedition Unknown and news media, people around the world are now much more aware of the archaeological work at tomb 62C, in front of the iconic Treasury in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan. Because television and news stories do not supply citations, and may miss or overlook important details, we take this opportunity to clarify and provide source material.
The 2003 discovery, and excavation during 2005, by Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, led by Dr. Suleiman Farajat and Sami Nawafleh, inspired the 2024 continuation of work at tomb 62c. In 2003, this tomb was discovered but not excavated; though adjacent tombs discovered at that time were excavated (see Farajat and Nawafleh 2005). The 2005 season found the remains of at least 11 individuals, mapped the tomb, and saw several objects moved to display at the Petra Museum (see Farajat 2007), but remains unpublished. The 2024 season was conducted in two parts, including initial remote sensing (see Bala’awi et al. 2024) and further excavation. The 2024 work was a collaboration among Jordan’s Department of Antiquities (DoA), the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA), the Petra National Trust (PNT), and the American Center of Research (ACOR). The 2024 excavation discovered more individuals in the tomb, saw the collection of scientific samples for analyses (e.g., radiocarbon, OSL, DNA, ceramics), and new remote sensing that suggests additional features may be found even deeper under the courtyard. Future analyses of all data and finds are needed and ongoing.
Here, please find some of the many resources available about the topics featured in “The Hunt for Petra’s Lost Tombs,” (original airing October 9, 2024), and “Petra’s Secrets Revealed” (October 16, 2024). If you would like to learn more, click on the links, many of which lead to webpages where an article/work can be found. Others may be requested through your library.
The discovery of tomb 62C, and others, in front of the Treasury, and previous excavations:
Farajat, Suleiman and Sami Nawafleh. 2005. “Report on the al-Khazna Courtyard Excavation at Petra (2003 Season).” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 49: 373–393. (link)
Farajat. Suleiman. 25 May 2007. Oral presentation titled ‘Results of Recent Excavations at the al-Khazneh, Petra.’ Abstract in print. 10th International Conference on the History and Archaeology of Jordan. Organized by the Department of Antiquities and ACOR, Washington D.C.
Remote sensing in Petra:
Angelini, A., M. Cozzolino, R. Gabrielli, V. Gentile, and P. Mauriello. 2023. “Geophysical and Geometric Methods for the Knowledge, Conservation, and Management of Jordanian Cultural Heritage.” Geosciences 13.11, 349: https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13110349.
Bala’awi, Fadi, C. Richard Bates, Faris Braizat, Matthew Vincent, and Pearce Paul Creasman. 2024. “Remote Sensing at the Treasury in Petra.” ACOR Newsletter 36.1 (September): 1–3. (link)
Conyers, Lawrence B., Eileen G. Ernenwein, and Leigh-Ann Bedal. 2002. “Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Mapping as a Method for Planning Excavation Strategies, Petra, Jordan.” Society for American Archaeology e-tiquity 2002 (1): 1–44. (link)
Liritzis, I., F. M. Al-Otaibi, B. Castro, and A. Drivaliari. 2015. “Nabataean Tombs Orientation by Remote Sensing: Provisional Results.” Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 15.3: 289–299. (link)
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating:
Al Khasawneh, Sahar, Nizar Abu-Jaber, Catreena Hamarneh, and Andrew Murray. 2022. “Age Determination of Runoff Terrace Systems in Petra, Jordan, Using Rock Surface Luminescence Dating.” Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 14. (link)
Beckers, Brian, Brigitta Schütt, Sumiko Tsukamoto, and Manfred Frechen. 2013. “Age Determination of Petra’s Engineered Landscape—Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and Radiocarbon Ages of Runoff Terrace Systems in the Eastern Highlands of Jordan.” Journal of Archaeological Science 40.1: 333–348. (link)
Roberts, Richard G., Zenobia Jacobs, Bo Li, Nathan Jankowski, and Alastair C. Cunningham. 2015. “Optical Dating in Archaeology: Thirty Years in Retrospect and Grand Challenges for the Future.” Journal of Archaeological Science 56: 41–60. (link)
Human remains from Petra and ethical considerations regarding human remains in archaeological research:
American Association of Biological Anthropologists. “AABA Task Force for the Ethical Study of Human Remains.” (link)
American Anthropological Association. “The Commission for the Ethical Treatment of Human Remains (TCETHER).” (link)
Perry, M. A., M. Provan, R. H. Tykot, L. M. Appleton, and A. J. Lieurance. 2020. “Using Dental Enamel to Uncover the Impact of Childhood Diet on Mortality in Petra, Jordan.” Journal of Archaeological Science Reports 29: 102181 (link)
Society for American Archaeology. “SAA Statement Concerning the Treatment of Human Remains (2021).” (link)
The Nabonidus Inscription at Sela:
Da Riva, Rocío. 2020. “The Nabonidus Inscription in Sela (Jordan): Epigraphic Study and Historical Meaning.” Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie 110.2: 176–195. (link)
The site of Sela:
Corbett, Glenn J. 2024 (2012). “The Edomite Stronghold of Sela.” Biblical Archaeology Society, Bible History Daily. (link)
Crowell, Bradley, L. 2007. “Nabonidus, as-Silaʿ, and the Beginning of the End of Edom.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 348: 75–88. (link)
Crowell, Bradley. 2021. Edom at the Edge of Empire: A Social and Political History. Archaeology and Biblical Studies 29. Atlanta: SBL Press. (link)
Da Riva, Rocío, Francisco Javier Santos Arévalo, and Marisol Madrid i Fernández. 2021. “The Mortars from Rock-Cut Hydraulic Structures of as-Sila (Sela) in Southern Jordan: Mineralogical Characterization and Radiocarbon Dating.” Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 21.2: 37–37. (link)
Lindner, Manfred, Ulrich Hübner and Elisabeth Gunsam. 2001. “Es-Sela—2500 Jahre Fliehburg und Bergfestung in Edom, Südjordanien.” Das Altertum 46: 243–278. (link)
Nabataean tombs, burials, and funerary practices in Petra
Bikai, Patricia Maynor and Megan A. Perry. 2001. “Petra North Ridge Tombs 1 and 2: Preliminary Report.” Bulletin of ASOR 386: 59–78. (link)
Duchesne, Sylvie, Lucy Wadeson, Stephan G. Schmid, and André Barmasse. 2008. “New Insights into Nabataean Funerary Practices.” In Proceedings of the 5th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Madrid, April 3–8 2006, edited by Joaquín M. Córdoba, Miquel Molist, M. Carmen Pérez, Isabel Rubio, and Sergio Martínez, vol. 3, 135–160. Madrid: Centro Superior de Estudios sobre el Oriente Próximo y Egipto. (link)
Perry, Megan. 2016. “New Light on Nabataean Mortuary Rituals in Petra.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 12: 385–398. (link)
Perry, Megan A. 2017. “Sensing the Dead: Mortuary Ritual and Tomb Visitation at Nabataean Petra.” Syria: archéologie, art, et histoire 94: 99–106. (link)
Perry, Megan and Anna J. Osterholtz. 2020. “Mingled Bones, Mingled Bodies: Diversity in the Poetics of Death at Nabataean Petra, Jordan.” In The Poetics of Processing: Memory Formation, Identity, and the Handling of the Dead, edited by Anna J. Osterholtz, 166–185. Louisville, Col.: University Press of Colorado. (link)
Ramsay, Jennifer and Megan Perry. 2022. “Funerary Dining or Offerings for the Dead? An Archaeobotanical Analysis of Remains from Shaft Tombs in Petra, Jordan.” Levant 54.1: 50–64. (link)
Sachet, Isabelle. 2010. “Feasting with the Dead: Funerary Marzeah in Petra.” In Death and Burial in Arabia and Beyond: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, edited by Lloyd Weeks, 249–262. Society for Arabian Studies Monographs 10. Oxford: BAR Publishing. (link)
Tholbecq, Laurent. 2018. “Les ‘stibadia’ rupestres de Pétra (Jordanie).” Revue archéologique 1: 7-45. (link)
Wadeson, Lucy. 2011. “Nabataean Tomb Complexes at Petra: New Insights in Light of Recent Fieldwork.” Proceedings of the Australasian Society for Classical Studies 32: 1–24. (link)
Wadeson, Lucy. 2013. “The Development of Funerary Architecture at Petra: The Case of the Façade Tombs.” In Men on the Rocks: The Formation of Nabataean Petra. Proceedings of a Conference Held in Berlin 2–4 December 2011, edited by M. Mouton and S. G. Schmid, 167–188. Berlin: Logos. (link)
Wadeson Lucy. 2013. “Nabataean Façade Tombs: A New Chronology.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 11: 507–528. (link)
Wadeson, Lucy. 2013. “Petra: Behind the Monumental Facades.” Current World Archaeology 57.1: 18–24. (link)
Wenning, Robert and Laurent Gorgerat. 2012. “The International Aslah Project, Petra: New Research and New Questions.” In The Nabataeans in Focus: Current Archaeological Research at Petra: Papers from the Special Session of the Seminar for Arabian Studies held on 29 July 2011, edited by Laila Nehmé and Lucy Wadeson, 127–145. Supplement to the Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 42. Oxford: Archaeopress. (link)
Al-Khazneh (The Treasury)
Bala’wi, Fadi, Yahya Alshawabkeh, Firas Alawneh, and Eyed al Masri. 2011. “Damage Assessment and Digital 2D-3D Documentation of Petra Treasury.” Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 12.2: 21–41. (link)
JICA/PDTRA. 2020. The Petra Museum Guidebook, pgs. 84-85.
Zeyadine, F. 2005. “Al-Khazna, the Treasury Re-visited: A forgotten document of Leon de Laborde.” 2005. Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 49: 395-401. (link)
First Known European visitor in Petra:
Burckhardt, John Lewis. 1822. Travels in Syria and the Holy Land. London: John Murray. [Project Gutenberg, 2005, 2021.] (link)
University of Cambridge. 2012. “The Man Who Discovered a ‘Lost’ Wonder of the World.” University of Cambridge, Research, News, 22 August 2012. (link)
Nabataean trade:
Erickson-Gini, Tali and Yigal Israel. 2013. “Excavating the Nabataean Incense Road.” Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies 1.1: 24–53. (link)
Wenning, Robert. 2007. “The Social-Cultural Impact of Trade Relations: The Case of the Nabateans.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 9: 299–305. (link)
Nabataean ceramics:
ʻAmr, Khairieh. 1987. The Pottery from Petra : A Neutron Activation Analysis Study. BAR International Series 324. Oxford: BAR. (link)
Amr, Khairieh. 2022. “The Nabataean Period.” In The Pottery of Jordan: A Manual, edited by Jehad Haron and Douglas R. Clark, 73–77. Amman: The American Center of Research and Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project. (link)
Schmid, Stephan G. 1995. “Nabataean Fine Ware from Petra.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 5: 637–647. (link)
Nabataean coins:
Barkay, Rachael. 2011. “The Earliest Nabataean Coinage.” Numismatic Chronicle 171: 67–73. (link)
Barkay, Rachael. 2019. Coinage of the Nabataeans. Qedem 58. Jerusalem: The Institute of Archaeology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. (link)
Barkay, Rachael. 2020. “Addendum to ‘Coinage of the Nabataeans.'” Israel Numismatic Research 15: 127–145 + 7 plates. (link)
Hendin, David and Martin Huth. 2020. “Early Nabataean Coinage until the Monetary System of Malichus I.” In Dinars and Dirhams: Festschrift in Honor of Michael L. Bates, edited by Touraj Daryaee, Judith A. Lerner, and Virginie C. Rey, 119–138. Ancient Iran Series 11. Leiden: Brill. (link)
Meshorer, Y. 1975. “Nabataean Coins.” Qedem 3: 1–112. (link)
Negev, Avraham. 1982. “Numismatics and Nabataean Chronology.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 114.2: 119–128. (link)
Petroglyphs in Wadi Rum:
Corbett, Glenn J. 2012. “Desert Traces: Tracking the Nabataeans in Jordan’s Wādī Ramm.” Near Eastern Archaeology 75.4: 208–219. (link)
Tebes, Juan M. 2017. “Iconographies of the Sacred and Power of the Desert Nomads: A Reappraisal of the Desert Rock Art of the Late Bronze/Iron Age Southern Levant and Northwestern Arabia.” Die Welt des Orients 47.11: 4–24. (link)
The early history of the Nabataeans at Petra:
Renel, F., M. Mouton, C. Augé, C. Gauthier, C. Hatté, J-F. Saliège, and A. Zazzo. 2012. “Dating the Early Phases under the Temenos of the Qaṣr al-Bint at Petra.” In The Nabataeans in Focus: Current Archaeological Research at Petra: Papers from the Special Session of the Seminar for Arabian Studies Held on 29 July 2011, edited by Laila Nehmé and Lucy Wadeson, 39–54. Supplement to the Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 42. Oxford: Archaeopress. (link)
Wenning, Robert. 2013. “Towards ‘Early Petra’: An Overview of the Early History of the Nabataeans in Its Context.” In Men on the Rocks: The Formation of Nabataean Petra. Proceedings of a Conference Held in Berlin 2–4 December 2011, edited by M. Mouton and S. G. Schmid, 7–22. Berlin: Logos. (link)
Nabataean history:
Freeman, Philip. 2008. “The Roman Period.” In Jordan: An Archaeological Reader, edited by Russell B. Adams, 413–441. London: Equinox. (link)
Graf, D. 2013. “Petra and the Nabataeans in the Early Hellenistic Period: The Literary and Archaeological Evidence.” In Men on the Rocks: The Formation of Nabataean Petra, edited by S. G. Schmid and M. Mouton, 35–56. Berlin: Logos.
Schmid, Stephan. 2008. “The Hellenistic Period and the Nabataeans.” In Jordan: An Archaeological Reader, edited by Russell B. Adams, 353–411. London: Equinox. (link)
Schmid, S. G. and M. Mouton (eds.). 2013. Men on the Rocks: The Formation of Nabataean Petra. Berlin: Logos.
The Petra theater:
Tholbecq, Laurent. 2024. “Petra: Main Theater.” Archaeology in Jordan 4: 136–137. (link)
Water management and gardens in ancient Petra:
Akasheh, T. S. 2002. “Ancient and Modern Watershed Management in Petra.” Near Eastern Archaeology 65.4: 220–224. (link)
Al-Muheisen Zeidoun. 2007. “Water Engineering and Irrigation System of the Nabataeans: A Regional Vision.” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 51: 471–486. (link)
Al-Muheisen Zeidoun. 2009. The Water Engineering and Irrigation of the Nabataeans. Irbid: Yarmouk University. (link)
Bedal, L.-A. 2002. “Desert Oasis: Water Consumption and Display in the Nabataean Capital.” Near Eastern Archaeology 65.4: 225–234. (link)
Bouchaud, C., C. Jacquat, and D. Martinoli. 2017. “Landscape Use and Fruit Cultivation in Petra (Jordan) from Early Nabataean to Byzantine Times (2nd Century BC–5th Century AD).” Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 26.2: 223–244. (link)
Hamarneh, Catreena. 2023. “To Whom Does the Water Flow? A New Aqueduct Branch of Ayn Braq in Petra, Jordan.” Levant 55.2: 183–194. (link)
Hamarneh, Catreena, Nizar Abu-Jaber, Safa’ Joude, Abdullah Al-Rawabdeh, Qasem Abdelal, and Khaldoon Al Qudah. 2022. “The Nabatean Flood Control System of Wadi Hremiyyeh, Petra: Restoring and Learning from the Past.” Near Eastern Archaeology 85.3: 220–227. (link)
Oleson, John P. 2007. “Nabataean Water Supply Systems: Appropriateness, Design, and Evolution.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 9: 164–174. (link)
Oleson, John P. 2008. “Social and Technological Strategies for the Design of Nabataean Water-Supply Systems in Hyper-Arid Environments.” In L’eau comme patrimoine; de la Méditerranée à l’Amerique du Nord, edited by E. Hermon, 301–314. Québec: Les Presses de L’Université Laval. (link)
Oleson, John Peter. 2010. “Chapter 7: Reconstruction of the Water-Supply System.” In Humayma Excavation Project, 1: Resources, History, and the Water-supply System, by John Peter Oleson, 363–416. American Schools of Oriental Research Archeological Reports 15. Boston: American Schools of Oriental Research. (link)
Oleson, John Peter. 2010. “Chapter 8: The Hawara Water-Supply System in the Context of the Ancient Near East.” In Humayma Excavation Project, 1: Resources, History, and the Water-supply System, by John Peter Oleson, 417–492. American Schools of Oriental Research Archeological Reports 15. Boston: American Schools of Oriental Research. (link)
Ortloff, Charles R. 2005. “The Water Supply and Distribution System of the Nabataean City of Petra (Jordan), 300 BC–AD 300.” Cambridge Archaeological Journal 15.1: 93–109. (link)
Ortloff, Charles R. 2020. “Hydraulic Engineering at 100 BC-AD 300 Nabataean Petra (Jordan).” Water 12, 3498. (link)
Plekhof, Daniel. 2020. “The Social Dimensions of Water Management at Petra, Jordan.” Levant 52: 321–336. (link)
Ramsay, Jennifer and Leigh-Ann Bedal. 2015. “Garden Variety Seeds? Botanical Remains from the Petra Garden and Pool Complex.” Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 24: 621–634. (link)
Ruben, Isabelle (ed.). 2003. The Petra Siq: Nabataean Hydrology Uncovered. Amman: Petra National Trust. (link)
Inscriptions in Petra:
Macdonald, M. C. A. 2003. “Languages, Scripts, and the Uses of Writing among the Nabataeans.” In Petra Rediscovered: Lost City of the Nabataeans, edited by Glenn Markoe, 36–56. New York: Henry N. Abrams. (link)
Petra’s Great Temple:
Brown University. 1999. Brown University Petra The Great Temple Excavation. (link)
Joukowsky, Martha Sharp. 2007. Great Temple Excavation Database. Open Context. (link)
Joukowsky, Martha Sharp. 2018. “The Role of the Petra Great Temple in the Context of Nabataean Archaeology.” In The Adventure of the Illustrious Scholar: Papers Presented to Oscar White Muscarella, edited by Elizabeth Simpson, 304–350. Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 94. Leiden: Brill. (link)
Joukowsky, Martha Sharp et al. 1998–2007. Petra Great Temple (3 vols.). Providence: Brown University Press. (link)
Other pre-Christian monuments and architecture in general in Petra:
Bedal, Leigh-Ann. 2013. The Petra Pool-Complex: A Hellenistic Paradeisos in the Nabataean Capital. Results from the Petra “Lower Market” Survey and Excavation, 1998. Gorgias Studies in Classical and Late Antiquity. Piscataway, N.J.: De Gruyter. (link)
Creasman, Pearce Paul, Noreen Doyle and China Shelton (eds). 2024. The Temple of the Winged Lions volume 1: The Site, Project History, and Architecture. Amman: ACOR. (link)
Creasman, Pearce Paul, Noreen Doyle and China Shelton (eds). 2024. The Temple of the Winged Lions volume 2: The Finds and Community Engagement. Amman: ACOR. (link)
Cincinnati Art Museum. 2021. Seeing History Anew: The Ancient Middle East & the 21st Century Museum. Cincinnati.
McKenzie, J. 1990. The Architecture of Petra. British Academy Monographs in Archaeology 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (link)
Nabataean religions:
Al-Nasarat, M. 2018. “From Paganism to Christianity: General Remarks on the Religious Changes in Petra (1st–6th Cent. AD).” Studia Ceranea 8.8: 209–236. (link)
Alpass, P. 2013. The Religious Life of Nabataea. Religions in the Graeco-Roman World 175. Leiden: Brill. (link)
Erickson-Gini. 2015. “Piecing Together the Religion of the Nabataeans.” Religion Compass 9.10: 309–326. (link)
Healey, J. F. 2001. The Religion of the Nabataeans: A Conspectus. Religions in the Graeco-Roman Worlds 136. Leiden: Brill. (link)
Wenning, Robert. 2019. “Approaches to Nabataean Religion—Sculpture and Religion.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 13: 553–563. (link)
The Petra Papyri:
Arjava, Antti, Matias Buchholz, and Traianos Gagos (eds.). 2007. The Petra Papyri III. Amman: American Center of Oriental Research. (link)
Arjava, Antti, Matias Buchholz, Traianos Gagos, and Maarit Kaimio (eds.). 2011. The Petra Papyri IV. Amman: American Center of Oriental Research. (link)
Arjava, Antti, Jaakko Frösén, and Jorma Kaimio (eds.). 2018. The Petra Papyri V. Amman: American Center of Oriental Research. (link)
Frösén, Jaakko, Antti Arjava, and Marjo Lehtinen (eds.). 2002. The Petra Papyri I. Amman: American Center of Oriental Research. (link)
Koenen, Ludwig, Jorma Kaimio, Maarit Kaimio, and Robert W. Daniel (eds.). 2013. The Petra Papyri II. Amman: American Center of Oriental Research. (link)
X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and tomography (for revealing ancient texts):
Perino, Michela, Lucilla Pronti, Candida Moffa, Michela Rosellini, and Anna Candida Felici. 2024. “New Frontiers in the Digital Restoration of Hidden Texts in Manuscripts: A Review of the Technical Approaches.” Heritage 7.2: 683–696. (link)
The Bedouin of Petra:
Voegelin, Andreas F. 2012. al Bdul: Beduinen von Petra. Basel. (link)
Wadeson L. 2013. “The Bdūl and Petra: Life on the Rocks.” Bulletin of the Council for British Research in the Levant 8: 35–42. (link)
Petra Church:
Fiema, Zbigniew, T. Chrysanthos Kanellopoulos, Tomasz Waliszewski, and Robert Schick (eds.). 2001. The Petra Church. Amman: American Center of Oriental Research. (link)
Petra North Ridge:
Bikai, P. M., M. A. Perry, and C. Kanellopoulos. 2020. Petra: The North Ridge. Amman: American Center of Oriental Research. (link)
Hegra, Saudi Arabia:
Alsuhaibani, A. and L. Nehmé. 2024. Al Ula: Wonder of Arabia. Skira. (link)
Bouchaud, C., I. Sachet, P. Dal Prà, N. Delhopital, R. Daouaud, and M. Leguilloux. 2015. “New Discoveries in a Nabataean Tomb: Burial Practices and ‘Plant Jewellery’ in Ancient Hegra (Madâ’in Sâlih, Saudi Arabia).” Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 26: 28–42. (link)
Nehmé, Laïla. 2022. Guide to Hegra: Archaeology in the Land of the Nabataeans of Arabia. Skira. Also available in French 2019.
Content originally drafted 20 October, revised through 14 November 2024, with input form numerous scholars and trustees.
