Ancient Petra, in modern Jordan, was surrounded by rocky, cave-filled hills. Its residents made much use of those caves for religious purposes, and probably for other purposes as well. When a natural cave was not available, one could be carved out, as with the famous rock-cut tombs. The theater shown above was also partially cut from the rock, as the Petrans modified a natural valley to serve their purposes.
Recently restorers
have been at work in a cave in those hills, reached via the rock-cut staircase above. The cave seems to have been the center of a bacchanalian cult, and it was painted with bacchanalian images in the 1st century AD.
Ancient Petra, in modern Jordan, was surrounded by rocky, cave-filled hills. Its residents made much use of those caves for religious purposes, and probably for other purposes as well. When a natural cave was not available, one could be carved out, as with the famous rock-cut tombs. The theater shown above was also partially cut from the rock, as the Petrans modified a natural valley to serve their purposes.
Recently restorers have been at work in a cave in those hills, reached via the rock-cut staircase above. The cave seems to have been the center of a bacchanalian cult, and it was painted with bacchanalian images in the 1st century AD.
No comments:
Post a Comment