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Mosaics Excavated at Byzantine Church in Petra
Better known as a major Nabatean center from about 50 B.C. to 100 A.D.,a Petra, in Jordan, also features remains from the Byzantine period (324–640 A.D.). During last year’s excavation of a major basilica church at the site, archaeologists uncovered two relatively well-preserved mosaics. The discovery of these mosaics, each measuring nearly 650 square feet, provides important clues to the history of Christianity at Petra.
The excavations, led by the American Center of Oriental Research, have revealed that the church underwent several modifications and then burned and collapsed, most likely as the result of an earth-quake. Column drums, finely carved capitals, marble decorations and other impressive architectural elements were found among the ruins. Other finds included a reused stone bearing a Nabatean inscription that mentions King Aretas IV (9 B.C.–40 A.D.).
The mosaics, rendered in great detail, decorate the church’s two side aisles. In the northern aisle, the mosaic depicts objects (such as vases, a jewel box and a bird cage), figures (including a camel driver and a flute player) and animals (numerous birds, an elephant and a giraffe, among others). The mosaic in the southern aisle features figures, named in inscriptions, that personify wisdom, the earth, the sea and the seasons of the year. The similarity of these mosaics to mosaics from the sixth century indicates that the church was most likely built about that time. Scholars had thought that Christianity remained strong at Petra only through the fourth century. The dating of the mosaics, however, suggests that Christianity remained strong there into the fifth and possibly the sixth centuries.
The Fall of the First Empire
The Akkadian Empire, led by Sargon of Akkad, flourished along the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia from 2300–2200 B.C. The prosperous Akkadians controlled an 800-mile expanse that ran from the Persian Gulf to the headwaters of the Euphrates in modern-day Turkey. They established extensive systems of trade and government—and then they suddenly collapsed.
For decades, scholars have studied the fall of this first empire, trying to figure out the cause of its demise. Now, archaeologist Harvey Weiss of Yale University and his colleagues believe they have solved the mystery: The Akkadians simply dried up, Weiss claims in the August 20, 1993, issue of Science. Weiss uses archaeological and climatic data to support his argument that around 2200 B.C. an abrupt climatic change—a drought—caused massive migrations to the south and the fall of the empire. Working at Tell Leilan in northern Mesopotamia, Weiss found evidence that around 2200 B.C. the local climate became much drier (perhaps because of a volcano or a massive warming of ocean currents) and remained this way for 300 years—the same period during which the region was uninhabited.
Other archaeologists, however, argue that, before a definite evaluation can be made, a more exhaustive study of the region must be conducted to analyze the soil at other sites.
Oldest Known Textile Found
A 9,000-year-old textile—500 to 1,000 years older than any cloth fragment previously found—has been discovered by researchers from the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and Istanbul University. Dated by radiocarbon to 7000 B.C., the fragment of white cloth, measuring 3 by 1.5 inches, pushes back the supposed date of the invention of textiles, according to textile authority Gilliam Vogelsand-Eastwood, who worked on the find.
Archaeologists at Cayonu, near the upper Tigris River in southeastern Turkey, found the cloth clinging to the handle of a tool, suggesting that a worker once used the scrap of fabric to get a better grip. Calcium in the tool’s handle preserved the cloth, causing it to fossilize partially. Botanists working at the site also discovered flaxseed, the source of linen, and scholars speculate that the cloth is linen, woven on a simple frame loom.
Recovered Notebooks Unlock Mysteries of Medinet Habu’s 5,000 Artifacts
Once given up for lost, the excavation notebooks of the University of Chicago’s 1927–1933 dig at Medinet Habu, Egypt, have been returned to the university’s Oriental Institute. The discovery has excited scholars, who finally have the information they need to interpret the 5,000 artifacts—including clay figurines, tools, jewelry, weapons, glazed plaques and various erotica and religious symbols—that the dig uncovered.
Located at ancient Thebes (modern Luxor), Medinet Habu is the site of one of the largest and best-preserved mortuary temples in ancient Egypt. Built by Pharaoh Ramesses III (1182–1151 B.C.), the temple is best known for its reliefs depicting Ramesses III’s victory over the Sea Peoples.
The notebooks had been awaiting publication in Berlin at the outbreak of World War II. They were presumed destroyed until officials of the Bode Museum in former East Berlin contacted the Oriental Institute two years ago. Dr. Emily Teeter, assistant curator of the institute, brought the notebooks back from Berlin last summer, an event she called, “a wonderful dividend of the end of the cold war.”
In excellent condition, the ten volumes of notebooks provide the details of the locations where the artifacts were found, which often allows scholars to date the artifacts and reasonably surmise their function. The notes concerning the votive beds and fertility figures especially interest scholars, who long have wondered whether these objects served in the temple or home. “Now that we are sure that the votive beds are a reflection of an ancient fertility cult enacted in private homes, the material is an intriguing reflection of the cares of women and their families in ancient Egypt,” Dr. Teeter commented.
The notebooks are expected to stimulate research into the lives of the common people in ancient Egypt.
Before Persepolis: Anshan in Highland Iran
University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Pennsylvania
33rd and Spruce Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 898-4000
Iran’s Kur River Valley, the legendary birthplace of Cyrus the Great, the Persian king who allowed Israelites to return from the Babylonian exile in 538 B.C., is the focus of a new exhibit that will be on view through August 1994.
Through 50 artifacts, maps, drawings and photographs, this exhibit traces the development of civilization in the Kur River Valley from the time of its first village societies in 4500 B.C. to Alexander the Great’s arrival in 323 B.C. The exhibit highlights the period between 3000 and 1000 B.C. when the Elamites, a major ancient people of the region, used the city of Anshan as their highland capital.
Developed from the university’s archaeological work at the site in the 1970s, the exhibit interprets how artifacts reveal the organization of a civilization.