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Renaissance Tomb in Petra
The so-called Renaissance Tomb, located in the Wadi Farasa in Petra (Jordan), has an elegant façade evoking elements of Italian Renaissance architecture, hence its name. The tomb façade consists of a triangular pediment resting on an entablature supported by two pilasters. It is topped by a carved urn and an unusual arch above its doorway also carrying three urns. The interior contains 14 rock-carved loculi (pit graves). The tomb may be dated to the late 1st century or early 2nd century CE.
Questions & Answers
Who built Petra?
- The sandstone city of Petra was built in the 3rd century BCE by the Nabataeans, an Arab Bedouin tribe indigenous to the region who established it as a trading post and accumulated significant wealth.
When did the Romans rule Petra?
- The Roman Empire expanded eastward and took over Petra in 106 CE during the reign of Emperor Trajan (r. 98-117 CE). The city became part of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea and became its capital.
What did Petra look like in ancient times?
- At its peak, 2,000 years ago, Petra was home to as many as 30,000 people, full of temples, theatres, lush gardens, tombs, luxurious Roman-style villas, and busy marketplaces brimming with exotic goods from India, Arabia, and Egypt.
When was Petra discovered?
- Petra had remained hidden from Western eyes for centuries until it was rediscovered on 22 August 1812 by Swiss traveller and orientalist Johannes Ludwig Burckhardt. His entry to Petra, in the disguise of an Arab traveller, was recorded in a vivid and detailed account, describing exactly where he went and what he saw.
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License & Copyright
This image was first published on Flickr.
Original image by Carole Raddato. Uploaded by Carole Raddato, published on 18 April 2024. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
