# New Excavations in the Qasr al-Bint Area at Petra

Christian Augé, François Renel, Laurent Borel, Chrystelle March

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Christian Augé, François Renel, Laurent Borel, Chrystelle March. New Excavations in the Qasr al-Bint Area at Petra. Ḩawliyyaṭ dā iraṭ al-ātār al-’āmmaṭ = Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, 2002, 46, pp.309-313. hal-03325484

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NEW EXCAVATIONS IN THE QAȘR AL-BINT AREA AT PETRA

Christian Augé, François Renel, Laurent Borel and Chrystelle March

The New Project

Since 1999, a French mission has been carrying
out new excavations at Petra, in the sacred precinct
(the temenos) of the well-known Nabataean temple
called “Qașr al-Bint” ( قصر البت ). The temple prop-
er had been in the 1970s and 80s the subject of par-
tial excavations, studies and restorations by the De-
partment of Antiquities, helped by architect
François Larché, then of the French Institute of Ar-
chaeology in the Near East (IFAPO). The scientific
publication of their results is currently in press in
Paris: this book written by Fawzi Zayadine,
François Larché and Jacqueline Dentzer-Feydy
contains an updated study of the architecture and
decoration of the Qașr and of its cults (Zayadine et
al., in press).

Little was known about the surrounding build-
ings, which had attracted the attention of the early
19th century travellers and of German archaeolo-
gists in the early 20th century (especially Wiegand,
in Bachmann et al. 1921). The excavations of Peter
J. Parr and G.R.H. Wright, and later on of Fawzi
Zayadine, had been limited in this area to the south-
ernmost part of the paved court, between the altar
and the great stairway of the temple, and to the
steps themselves (Parr et al. 1968; Zayadine 1981;
1982: 374-376, pl. 124-127).

In order to set the temple back in its architectu-
ral and archaeological context and to secure more
precise chronology, a new project initiated by the
Department of Antiquities¹ and IFAPO started in
1999, thanks to the IFAPO directors, Jean-Marie
Dentzer and Jean-Louis Huot, and to Jean-Pierre
Braun, then in charge of the ‘Ammān branch. Since
2001, these researches became part of a regional
programme, “From Petra to Wadi Ramm”, directed

by Christian Augé (CNRS, Paris-Nanterre) and
subsidized by the French Ministry of Foreign Af-
fairs, with the efficient help of the French Embassy
at ‘Ammān, of IFAPO and of several donors.²

Five seasons of fieldwork, led by François Renel (Associate Researcher to the CNRS team at Nanterre) were already carried out in the Qașr al-Bint area, the last of which was carried out from 23rd March to 15th May 2002. The team first investigated the main altar erected in the axis of the Qașr and the exedra built on the western wall of the court, as well as an extensive Nabataean building, located close to the temple on the east. The programme of the mission includes the study of all the western part of the temple complex, that long paved courtyard entered through a monumental gate at the end of the main axis of the ancient town, the architecture and decoration of which are obviously linked to those of the whole temenos. In the year 2000, after the cutting off and diversion of the service driveway that crossed the area, the ancient pavement of the court was cleared out, setting off the high temple walls and the adjacent structures. Near the modern bridge across Wādī Mūsā first investigation of the northwestern corner of the precinct was performed in April-May 2002. At the same time, in the area formerly excavated by P. J. Parr and by Fawzi Zayadine, part of the steps of the Qașr was unearthed, establishing a visible link between the temple and the courtyard (Fig. 1).

In order to inform visitors about the work in
progress, three provisional notice boards in French,
Arabic and English were recently set up near the
work area, and a leaflet was prepared in both
French and English. Until more elaborate reports
are published,³ the following report aim only to

1. We express our warmest thanks to the directors and officials of the Department, Drs Ghazi Bisheh, Fawwaz al-Khraysheh and Fawzi Zayadine, and to the officials and staff of the Antiquities Office and Museum at Petra, especially Mr Sulayman Farajat and Mr Muhamad ‘Abd al-Aziz.

2. The project includes two other operations in the same region: epigraphical and archaeological researches by Laïla Nehmé, CNRS Paris (including the excavation of the “Obo-das Chapel” in Wādī Numayr at Petra, epigraphical surveys and further studies linked to the publication of her *Archaeological Atlas of Petra*), and the archaeological survey and mapping of Jabal ash-Sharāh by Laurent Tholbecq, Asso-

ciate Researcher to CNRS (Nanterre and Brussels). The Jor-
danian-French Mission in Wādī Ramm (Fawzi Zayadine
and Saba Farès-Drappeau), with the participation of Saudi
archaeologists and epigraphists, forms another part of the
same regional programme

3. Already published articles: Dentzer and Renel 2000: 61; Renel 2001: 29-30. Several articles are in press or in preparation, among which are a preliminary report by F. Renel et al. for ADAJ; F. Renel, C. Augé, J. Dentzer-Feydy et al., Travaux récents dans le sanctuaire du Qasr à Pétra, to be published in *Syria*; and Zayadine, forthcoming.
<figure><img src="image_1.png" /><figcaption>1. General view of the excavated area (by L. Borel).</figcaption></figure>

give a brief summary of the results of the work, and to make an updated plan of the area available to any person concerned with the topography of central Petra.<fnref n="4" />

## The First Results

The great sacrificial altar was investigated and restored in 2000 (Fig. 2), owing to a donation of the firm Radisson SAS, implemented through the UNESCO agency at ‘Ammān. This formerly Nabataean building went through several transformations in Roman times, to which it is still difficult to ascribe precise dates. Remains of its marble cladding and decorative mouldings can still be seen. The cavity opened at the top of the altar was connected with an intricate system of channels and drains hollowed out on and under the pavement of the courtyard, the understanding of which is one of our main points of interest.

A monumental exedra was built on the western enclosure wall of the temenos (Fig. 3), in connec-

tion with a second altar — the north altar — which is almost square in shape and carefully clad with polychrome marble. The curved exedra is comprised of a high central platform flanked by projecting columns. It was adorned with statues, some of them larger than life and probably intended to honour the imperial family, as indicated by inscriptions naming Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, co-rulers in AD 161-169, that were found in the excavation (to be published by Zayadine, forthcoming). A number of fragments of marble and sandstone sculpture were found in the destruction layers of the monument, mixed with pieces from the Qaşr itself, thus providing rich study material to Jacqueline Dentzer-Feydy (CNRS Paris-Nanterre), who is in charge of the study of architectural decoration for both buildings. After the destruction and leveling down of the exedra in later Roman times, a dwelling was built upon its remains, and subsequently destroyed in the fifth century AD.

On the eastern side of the Qaşr, the team under-

<footnote n="4">4. Especially in connection with the important Petra Mapping Project by ACOR and the Hashemite University, and the Pe-</footnote>

<footnote>tra Documentation Center of ACOR. For their presentation, see Kanellopoulos and Akasheh 2001.</footnote>
ALTAR OF THE QASR AL-BINT

Recording by L. Borel, E. Laroze and Ch. March

Computerization by L. Borel and Ch. March (2000)

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>2. West, east and north elevations of the main altar, by L. Borel, E. Laroze and C. March.</figcaption></figure>
<figure><img src="image_5.png" /><figcaption>3. New plan of the western part of the temenos (February 2002) by L. Borel (IFAPO 'Ammān) and C. March, from recordings of the French Mission and the restored plan of the Qaşr al-Bint by F. Larché.</figcaption></figure>

took the excavation of an extensive Nabataean
building, located behind the temenos enclosure and
opening onto the sacred court through a monumen-

tal gate, notable for its huge monolithic threshold.
Its large entrance hall and a row of rooms were
partly excavated, showing the remains of a Late
Roman reoccupation. In the next campaigns, the mission intends to focus on the excavation and study of this building, in order to get more accurate information about its plan, its function — it was perhaps devoted to some official use in the Nabataean period — and about its precise chronology.

The five campaigns carried out up till now yielded a considerable amount of material, especially beautiful pieces of sculpture illustrating the imperial adaptation of this sacred area during the second century AD. From ceramics, coins and various artefacts, rich documentation has been gathered on the Late Roman phases of occupation and reoccupation around the former temple. At first sight, the results confirm the general conclusions reached by the American and Swiss missions in neighbouring areas: this part of the ancient town seems to have outlived the famous earthquake of AD 363. Further excavation, study and analysis should provide us with more precise information about the Nabataean period, especially on the planning of the whole sanctuary in Nabataean times, on the chronological sequence of the structures, and on the insertion of the temple in a comprehensive architectural programme.

## A Plan of the Area

One of the first achievements of the mission is the ground plan of the whole area, due to its architects, Laurent Borel (IFAPO ‘Ammān) and Chrysytelle March. This plan is published here for the first time (Fig. 3).<fnref n="5" /> It results from the architectural recordings of the different structures, the altar, the exedra and the Nabataean building, that were drawn by several members of the Mission since 1999: C.-É. Bertrand, L. Borel, E. Laroze, C. March, H. Morel-Renel, M. Perrin, F. Renel and E. Ronza. Those plans, together with the restored plan of the Qaşr al-Bint by F. Larché, were assembled, checked and rectified with complements by L. Borel and C. March.

This new plan reflects the progress of fieldwork after the fourth campaign of the Mission, in spring 2001, and now gives a reliable picture of the western part of the temenos. New features appeared in the fifth campaign (spring 2002), such as the pavement around the main altar and between the altar and the steps of the Qaşr, and newly excavated rooms in the Nabataean building, but time was too short after the last season to get the drawings ready for publication. They will appear in future reports.

C. Augé
CNRS, UMR 7041,

Archéologies et sciences de l'Antiquité, Proche-Orient hellénistique et romain

**Nanterre - France**

L. Borel
Architect, IFAPO ‘Ammān

C. March
Architect, ‘Ammān

F. Renel
Archaeologist,
Associate researcher to the CNRS team

**Nanterre - France**

Mission Pétra-Qasr al-Bint
Bureau 263G, Maison René Ginouvès
21 allée de l'Université,
F-92023 Nanterre Cedex, France
E-mail: auge@mae.u-paris10.fr

## Bibliography

Bachmann, W., Watzinger, T. and Wiegand, T.

1921 *Petra* (Wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen des Deutsch-Türkischen Denkmalschutz-Kommandos, 3). Berlin, Leipzig.

Dentzer, J.-M. and Renel, F.

2000 Qasr al-Bint. *Le Monde de la Bible* 127 (May-June): 61 (French).

Kanellopoulos, C. and Akasheh, T.S.

2001 The Petra Map. *BASOR* 324 (November): 5-7.

Parr, P.J., Wright, G.R.H., Starcky, J. and Bennett, C.-M.

1968 Découvertes récentes au sanctuaire du Qasr à Pétra. I. Compte rendu des dernières fouilles (P.J. Parr, II. Quelques aspects de l'architecture et de la sculpture (G.R.H. Wright), III. Les inscriptions du téménos (J. Starcky and C.-M. Bennett). *Syria* 45: 5-24, pl. 1-3; 25-40, pl. 4-7; 41-66, pl. 8-10.

Renel, F.

2001 A Preliminary Report on the Qasr al-Bint Excavations at Petra. *Majalat Athar* 4: 29-30 (Arabic, translated by A. Badran).

Zayadine, F.

1981 Recent Excavations and Restorations of the Department of Antiquities (1979-80), II. Petra, 4. The Qasr el Bint Temple. *ADAJ* 25: 354-355, pl. 102.

1982 Recent Excavations at Petra (1979-81), II. Qasr el Bint Excavations. *ADAJ* 26: 374-380, pl. 123-129.

Forth. L'exèdre du téménos du Qasr al-Bint à Pétra.

Zayadine, F., Larché, F. and Dentzer-Feydy, J.

in press *Le Qasr al-Bint de Pétra. L'architecture, le décor, la chronologie et les dieux*. Editions Recherche sur les Civilisations, Paris (French, English summary).

<footnote n="5">5. This plan is also to appear in the forthcoming book by Zayadine et al., in press</footnote>