The Formation Of Nabataean Art

Unlike the common practice both in the Greco-Roman West and in the Parthian East, to accord the gods a human form, the Nabateans represented their gods in the form of stelae. A systematic survey of Nabatean art indicates that the negation of figurative representation is also evident in all other domains of their creativity, such as rock-carved facades of tombs, painted pottery, oil lamps, coins and jewellery. The archaeological artefacts, inscriptions and literary sources described and discussed in this book reveal a fascinating cultural and religious phenomenon unique within the surrounding milieu and surprisingly in its persistence and durability. This phenomenon should interest not only the student of Nabatean culture as its implications transcends the boundaries of the time and space in which it appeared and are valid for the study of both ancient religions and history of art.

Unlike the common practice both in the Greco-Roman West and in the Parthian East, to accord the gods a human form, the Nabateans represented their gods in the form of stelae. A systematic survey of Nabatean art indicates that the negation of figurative representation is also evident in all other domains of their creativity, such as rock-carved facades of tombs, painted pottery, oil lamps, coins and jewellery. The archaeological artifacts, inscriptions and literary sources described and discussed in this book reveal a fascinating cultural and religious phenomenon unique within the surrounding milieu and surprising in its persistence and durability.

The Adventure of the Illustrious Scholar: Papers Presented to Oscar White Muscarella, edited by Elizabeth Simpson, celebrates the career of one of the foremost archaeologists of the ancient Near East. Forty-seven major scholars contribute to this unusual and important volume.

The World between Empires presents a new perspective on the art and culture of the Middle East in the years 100 B.C.–A.D. 250, a time marked by the struggle for control by the Roman and Parthian Empires. For the first time, this book weaves together the cultural histories of the cities along the great incense and silk routes that connected southwestern Arabia, Nabataea, Judaea, Syria, and Mesopotamia. It captures the intricate web of influence and religious diversity that emerged in the Middle East through the exchange of goods and ideas. And for our current age, when several of the archaeological sites featured here—including Palmyra, Dura- Europos, and Hatra—have been subject to deliberate destruction and looting, it addresses the crucial subject of preserving what has been lost and contextualizes the significance of these works on a local and global scale. This essential volume features 186 objects of exceptional importance from Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. Readers are taken on a fascinating journey that explores sites of intense political and religious struggles against Roman rule as well as important religious centers and military bulwarks of the Parthian Empire. Reaching across two millennia, The World between Empires brings vividly to life how individuals and cities in ancient times defined themselves, and how these factors continue to resonate today. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Verdana}

In 2002, Neil Whitehead published Dark Shamans: Kanaimà and the Poetics of Violent Death, in which he applied the concept of poetics to the study of violence and observed the power of violence in the creation and expression of identity and social relationships. The Poetics of Processing applies Whitehead’s theory on violence to mortuary and skeletal assemblages in the Andes, Mexico, the US Southwest, Jordan, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Turkey, examining the complex cultural meanings of the manipulation of remains after death. The contributors interpret postmortem treatment of the physical body through a poetics lens, examining body processing as a mechanism for the re-creation of cosmological events and processing’s role in the creation of social memory. They analyze methods of processing and the ways in which the living use the physical body to stratify society and gain power, as evidenced in rituals of body preparation and burial around the world, objects buried with the dead and the hierarchies of tomb occupancy, the dissection of cadavers by medical students, the appropriation of living spaces once occupied by the dead, and the varying treatments of the remains of social outsiders, prisoners of war, and executed persons. The Poetics of Processing combines social theory and bioarchaeology to examine how the living manipulate the bodies of the dead for social purposes. These case studies—ranging from prehistoric to historic and modern and from around the globe—explore this complex material relationship that does not cease with physical death. This volume will be of interest to mortuary archaeologists, bioarchaeologists, and cultural anthropologists. Contributors: Dil Singh Basanti, Roselyn Campbell, Carlina de la Cova, Eric Haanstad, Scott Haddow, Christina Hodge, Christopher Knusel, Kristin Kuckelman, Clark Spencer Larsen, Debra Martin, Kenneth Nystrom, Adrianne Offenbecker, Megan Perry, Marin Pilloud, Beth K. Scaffidi, Mehmet Somel, Kyle D. Waller

An archaeological and art-historical study of the images and monuments of Roman 'client' kings in the Near East from the Taurus to Edom during the transitional period between 100 BC and AD 100. Kropp treats images and monuments as historical documents and aims at uncovering royal identities and ideological aspirations.

Petra in modern southern Jordan is universally known as one of the most frequented touristic sites in the Near East, inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list. Modern visitors are attracted by the romantic aspect of the rock-cut tomb façades, heavily contrasting in their baroque stile with the desert like surrounding of the rocky and arid landscape. These monuments were the result of the long time presence of the Arab tribe of the Nabataeans who made Petra their capital when they became, at least partially, sedentarised during the Hellenistic period, i.e between the late 4th to late 1st centuries BCE. How exactly this process of sedentarisation happened, how the site of Petra changed from a temporary dwelling place of a small Bedouin tribe to one of the blinking capitals of the ancient Near East that attracted - as it is the case today - visitors from all over the world, was the subject of a three years research program, jointly sponsored by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) and the German Research Foundation (DFG). At the end of the program, an international conference, held in Berlin in December 2011, brought together several dozen of scholars from all over the world in order to pinpoint the state of research on the Formation of the Nabataean capital. The contributions of the present volume focus on questions related to the natural environment of the site, on the geology and geography as well as on architecture, small finds and social dynamics, probably the clue for a better understanding of the functioning of the Nabataean kingdom and its capital Petra.

Long before Muhammed preached the religion of Islam, the inhabitants of his native Arabia had played an important role in world history as both merchants and warriors Arabia and the Arabs provides the only up-to-date, one-volume survey of the region and its peoples, from prehistory to the coming of Islam Using a wide range of sources - inscriptions, poetry, histories, and archaeological evidence - Robert Hoyland explores the main cultural areas of Arabia, from ancient Sheba in the south, to the deserts and oases of the north. He then examines the major themes of *the economy *society *religion *art, architecture and artefacts *language and literature *Arabhood and Arabisation The volume is illustrated with more than 50 photographs, drawings and maps.