Petra ez Zantur II: Ergebnisse der Schweizerisch-Liechtensteinischen Ausgrabungen.

Joukowsky, Martha Sharp

Petra ez Zantur II: Ergebnisse der Schweizerisch-Liechtensteinischen Ausgrabungen. By STEPHAN G. SCHMID and BERNHARD KOLB. Pt. 1: Die Feinkeramik der Nabataer; Pt. 2: Die spatantiken Wohnbauten. Terra Archaeologica, vol. 4. Mainz: VERLAG PHILIPP VON ZABERN, 2000. Pp. xvii + 311, plates, plans. DM 180.

One of the most exciting aspects of Petra archaeology in the recent decade has been research into not only the Nabataean period, but also into Late Antique and Byzantine Petra, illustrating the growing significance of the site as an important resource for the analysis of several historical periods, with a number of major sites being excavated. This impressive volume presents the results of years of research at one of the most important Nabataean sites in Petra, ez Zantur, situated on the southwest rocky peak overlooking the central Petra city basin. Under the auspices of the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, in 1988 a Swiss-Liechtenstein team from the University of Basle began systematic and scientific excavations at this site of villas under the direction of R. A. Stucky and later of Bernhard Kolb. The information presented in this volume is part of a larger ongoing study of the site.

After a brief introduction that includes the research history and problem formulation, the volume is divided into two large sections: part 1 by Stephan G. Schmid is devoted to Nabataean ceramics (fine wares), their typology, chronology, and cultural historical background, while part 2 by Bernhard Kolb is a discussion of the Late Antique residential buildings from ez Zantur and domestic architecture in Palestine from the fourth to sixth centuries C.E. Both authors are to be congratulated for having brought so much material and expertise together in a single volume.

The main purpose and greatest contribution of part 1 is the presentation of an excursus on Nabataean ceramics. Schmid's typology is based on the stratigraphy of ez Zantur set against datable objects such as lamps, coins, and Eastern terra sigillata A wares. His ceramic chronological divisions are divided into phases: Phase 1 (100 B.C.E.-50 B.C.E.) is comprised of shallow bowls with incurving rims, plates and outturned rims, and carelessly painted bowls with paired thick lines in pale red color. Phase 2a-c (50 B.C.E.-C.E. 20) is represented by very thin fine ware shallow bowls/plates with incurving and carinated rims, and hemispherical bowls with red painted simple floral motifs including grouped leaves. By about 25 B.C.E. violet-brown dotted designs ("eyes") and other fine small patterns such as feathers completely cover the interior of the bowls. There is also an appreciable amount of Roman influence on local wares. Phase 3a-c (C.E. 20-100) fine wares consist of flat shallow bowls with incurving and molded rims, small cups, unguentaria, stamped, incised, and rouletted ceramics. In Phase 3b (C.E. 70-80) the painted bowls are characterized by dark brown and black florals painted over fine lines and/or geometric motifs. Phase 4 (second-fourth centuries C.E.) has coarser fabrics and clumsily black-painted figures such as humans, birds, animals, and florals.

Schmid includes an explanation of his methodologies and presents a comprehensive discussion of unpainted fine wares, painted wares, and additional forms, a plethora of comparative analyses of Nabataean ware from other sites, contemporary non-Nabatean ceramics, and a commentary on the distribution of Nabataean fine wares and outliers found in Nabataean contexts. All representative pieces are illustrated by drawings and color photographs providing visual and descriptive specifics. Unusual or significant works appear in the photographs and on microfiche. Schmid has consulted primary source materials from other sites and the material is scrupulously documented with excellent graphics. Over the years Schmid has made substantial contributions to our understanding of Nabataean ceramics and he is the recognized expert in this field. His careful analyses are masterful, thoughtful, and comprehensive.

In part 2, following introductory remarks, Bernhard Kolb examines two ez Zantur houses excavated between 1994 and 1998. Kolb begins by posing three research questions: what is known about Petra in Late Antiquity? what characterizes Late Antique house building in Petra? and how do the ez Zantur houses fit into an established architectural canon? He also places Petra into third- and fourth-century historical contexts, discusses the third-century economic crisis, Diocletian's provincial reorganization, border politics along the limes Arabicus, and the Saracen threat, focusing on military presence and settlement. A summary follows wherein the author provides a typological classification of residential open courtyard houses.

Kolb then tackles the Late Roman houses of ez Zantur I (HE I and HE II), which undergo their first destruction in the C.E. 363 earthquake and are reconstructed, recycling the elements of earlier buildings; he details materials, construction techniques, water systems, the dating and functions of these houses, and the written record. In summary comments he states that there are no complete ez Zantur house plans to use as a standard, and he anticipates that the publication of the Petra papyri may further elucidate house-building descriptions.

What similarities can be drawn between the ez Zantur courtyard house and those in the Negev? Residences can be combined into blocks, a single door opens into the house, and rooms are on the longitudinal axis of a slab-paved courtyard that often has stairs leading to a second story with an L-shaped gallery. Arches commonly support the roofs and the masonry is dry-laid in double rows. Kolb concludes that these commonalities manifest close economic and social relationships between Petra and the Negev. Accompanying these discussions are sumptuous, detailed plans and reconstructions of ez Zantur and related sites as well as stratigraphic profiles and outsized plans (folded into a back pocket), which are valuable for both the scholar and the layperson.

This volume is an important contribution to the study of Petra's ceramics and a discussion about the ez Zantur domestic quarters. The materials have been scrupulously documented and the graphic presentation is of a high order. The strengths of this volume--the excavation strategy, execution, and presentation, make it a necessary volume for all interested in Nabataean ceramics as well as those architectural historians interested in domestic architecture. Despite the price and the fact that this volume is in German (there should have been summaries in English and perhaps Arabic and dual-language illustration captions to bring it to the attention of a wider audience), this contribution shows excellence in documentation, reflecting considerable effort, and the authors and sponsors of this publication should be warmly acknowledged.

MARTHA SHARP JOUKOWSKY

BROWN UNIVERSITY