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Relief sculpture of eagle
on thunderbolt.
Petra: Lost
City of Stone, the most comprehensive exhibition ever presented
on the ancient city of Petra, and its creators, the Nabataeans, opened
at the American Museum of Natural History on Saturday, October 18, 2003. Presented under the patronage of Her Majesty
Queen Rania of Jordan, Petra is the
first major cultural collaboration between Jordan and the United
States. This groundbreaking
exhibition, on view in New York City through , offers North American
audiences the opportunity to learn about the ancient metropolis of Petra, which was
literally carved from the red sandstone in the harsh desert cliffs of southern Jordan. From the second century b.c. to the second century a.d., Petra stood at a nexus of international silk
and spice trade routes linking China, India, and Southern Arabia with the markets of Greece,
Rome, Egypt, and Syria, and was governed by the Nabataeans who were renowned for their
great skills in trade, agriculture, engineering, and architecture.
“With its complex intermingling of nature and culture,” said President
Futter, “the fascinating story of Petra mirrors the very work and mission of the
Museum. For more than 130 years, our curators
have studied relationships between nature and humanity.
Understanding how the underpinnings of other cultures flourish, and how they grow,
and spread has perhaps never been more relevant than it is today, as we embrace the
challenges and opportunities of living in a truly global community.”
“Petra is a story not only of the Nabataeans
but also of the unique collaboration between Jordan and the United States,” said Director Rub. “In a time of turmoil, the United States and Jordan have formed a unique cultural
collaboration. Just as Petra was a center of global commerce in
ancient times, we are bridging cultural divides in our global society through the
exhibition Petra.”
Petra: Lost City of
Stone features approximately 200 exceptional objects on loan from
collections in Jordan, and Europe, many on view for the first time in the United
States, and from collections in the United States. Stone
sculptures and reliefs, ceramics, metalwork, stuccowork, ancient inscriptions, and a
selection of some 25 19th-century paintings, drawings, and prints will be
displayed alongside architectural sections from several of Petra’s
famous monuments. Among the highlights of
the exhibition are several pieces recently discovered by archaeologists working in Jordan
such as an elephant-headed capital from Petra and a monumental frieze from a Nabataean
temple at Khirbet Dharih, and on public display for the first time. The extraordinary objects coupled with the
immersive exhibition design will showcase the Nabataeans’ spectacular accomplishments
in a uniquely challenging geographic setting, revealing their technological and artistic
virtuosity which enabled Petra to prosper for centuries as the epicenter of the ancient
world’s thriving commerce.
Inscribed sandstone
eye-idol (stele).
Among the highlights will be several important architectural pieces, such as a
sculpted garland frieze from a major temple at Petra, a sculpted window frame from a
private villa, a portion of a monumental temple façade featuring figures from the zodiac,
and a limestone pulpit from a Byzantine church (sixth century a.d.). Key
masterworks will include a monumental limestone head of a Nabataean male deity, a seated
sandstone cult statue of a storm god, a life-size cast bronze statue of the goddess
Artemis, and a marble head of a Roman emperor. The
theme of European rediscovery of the ancient site will be explored through paintings,
drawings, and prints by David Roberts, William Bartlett, Edward Lear, and Frederic Church,
including Church’s large-scale oil painting of the famous Treasury (1874). Other themes will be explored through grouped
displays of small-scale luxury items, including a selection of fine-painted ceramics and
delicate interior stucco work. The scale and
grandeur of Petra’s rock-cut tombs will be conveyed by means of panoramic images
projected onto large screens.
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First conceived by the Cincinnati Art Museum in 1994, Petra: Lost City of Stone has been organized by
the American Museum of Natural History and the Cincinnati Art
Museum. The American Museum of
Natural History has been renowned for more than 130 years as a leader in
archaeological fieldwork and research, and has a long tradition of presenting
comprehensive and compelling exhibitions that illuminate complex cultural and scientific
issues. The Cincinnati Art
Museum (CAM), one of the oldest and most important visual arts institutions in
the United States, has an extraordinarily rich permanent collection representing many
cultures and historical periods, including the most extensive and important collection of
Nabataean art works outside Jordan. CAM’s
Nabataean collection was excavated in 1937 at the site of Khirbet Tannur and was
originally divided between American and Jordanian authorities. Petra will reunite the two
collections, which contain some of the most important works of Nabataean art extant. The Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and the
Department of Antiquities, as well as the American Center for Oriental Research
in Amman, have assisted with the development of this project. After its premiere at the American Museum of
Natural History, Petra will travel to the Houston; Calgary; Cincinnati
Art Museum in September 2004 and subsequently to several other venues in the United States;
and Canada.
“Petra
is the story of the remarkable transformation of the Nabataeans, who evolved from
nomads to city dwellers in a relatively short period of time, and who built—literally
carved from the rock—one of the great urban complexes of the ancient world,”
said Glenn Markoe, Curator of Classical and Near Eastern Art and Art of Africa and the
Americas, Cincinnati Art Museum. “It is
also a story of the rediscovery of this lost civilization through physical exploration in
the early 19th century, and then through scientific, archaeological and
ecological research, which makes it possible to relate the history of the Nabataeans in
exhibition format.”
“Petra
is one of the world’s most spectacular archaeological sites, combining an
extraordinary natural landscape and monumental buildings,” said Craig Morris, Senior
Vice President, Dean of Science, and Curator, Division of Anthropology, American Museum of
Natural History. The exhibition re-creates
many aspects of this impressive natural and human setting using artworks, photographs, and
actual architectural elements to tell the fascinating story of life in this ancient city
using the eloquent beauty of the work of its people” |
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Architectural relief with
veiled female bust. Petra
Petra and the Nabataeans
Located in the Jordan Rift Valley at the crossroads of international trade routes, Petra
was one of the most influential and prosperous commercial centers in antiquity. The forbidding desert was transformed by the
Nabataeans into a bustling metropolis with monumental tombs carved directly into the red
sandstone hills, and hundreds of other structures including burial chambers, funerary
banquet halls, residences, theaters, bath complexes, arched gates, and a complex system of
water channels and reservoirs. The
Nabataeans were skilled engineers and developed and maintained an elaborate system of
damming, terracing, and irrigation that allowed them to maximize the agricultural
potential of the surrounding Petra plateau. The
development of Nabataean writing coincided with and facilitated urbanization, and the rich
cultural life of the city reflected a confluence of Eastern and Western styles and
traditions. From the second century b.c. through the third century a.d., Petra prospered. A massive earthquake in a.d. 363 destroyed much of the city, and, although
partially revived after that, Petra was no longer the economic powerhouse it had been. Much of the technological infrastructure that had
made life in Petra possible fell into disuse, and political and religious changes in the
ancient world led to the eventual abandonment of the city in the seventh century a.d.
From its rediscovery by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig
Burckhardt in 1812, Petra, with its savage beauty, desolate setting, the mystery and
splendor of its rock-carved architectural ruins, and the variegated color of its cliff
faces has been a source of deep fascination for Westerners.
It became a major pilgrimage site for 19th century European and American
artists and other travelers and it continues to enthrall.
It was even used as a location for the popular 1989 feature film Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade.
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Space
for this 4 mile fun run, which begins at Pier 84 (44th St.) and ends at Battery Park,
is very limited. Applications for this race are available by contacting the New York
Sports Commission at +1 212.487.7120
