With Dr. Stephen Phillips

What do Moses, Aaron, Trajan, and Indiana Jones all have in common?
Answer: Petra.
Nestled in a rugged mountainous basin in southwest Jordan lies the magnificent ruins of the ancient city of Petra, named in 2007 as one of the “New Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.”
2,000 years ago, Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, an Arab people you will meet, who at the time dominated the incense and spice trade routes crisscrossing the Arabian Peninsula.
Petra is famous for its more than 800 hand hewn monuments, carved into the pink sandstone cliffs, some soaring up to 150 feet, an inspiration for works by modern artists, poets, and even movie directors. A rock-cut theater could seat about 8500 people, the remains of Petra’s commercial center litter the hillsides, and evidence of sophisticated water hydrology impresses even today.
5/20, Part 1: first orients you to Jordan and Petra itself, both ancient and modern. You also will experience a first-hand virtual tour of Petra’s major monuments.
5/27, Part 2: covers the Nabataeans, the indigenous people who built an empire in the Arabian Peninsula and thrived at Petra for centuries.
6/3, Part 3: Dr. Steve takes you behind the scenes on an actual archaeological excavation at Petra’s “Temple of the Winged Lions,” where he served as an Area Supervisor for the 1992 summer season, his first excavation experience ever.
6/10, Part 4: Dr. Steve takes you on a tour of the area around Petra to little-known, “off the beaten track,” archaeological sites that few ever get to visit, and to close, visit the Bedouin village where we lived for two months.
The Penn Museum Tour will be the morning of 6/24, separate registration required.
Come, join us on this amazing adventure in Jordan! Is archaeology anything at all like Indiana Jones? There is a tie in!