While cleaning an area just to the North of the „Soldier Tomb“ complex in order to prepare it for storing the stone blocks exposed during excavation, a rather big cistern was discovered (Z on fig. 1; fig. 2), measuring 5.2 x 3.4 m and 2.20 m of depth. The cistern initially was covered with four arches and slabs, some of them still being in situ on the southern corner (Fig. 2 bottom left). In order to clarify the stratigraphy in the cistern only about one third of it was excavated this year while the remaining part shall be exposed in a coming season. On the upper levels of the cistern fill huge blocks of stone clearly indicated a violent destruction of the covering and the arches (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2: Farasa East, lower terrace. Cistern north of the complex (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Until about 30 cm above the ground of the cistern the pottery from all strata showed a mixed composition, containing a wide range from Nabataean up to Medieval pottery. On the other hand, the pottery from the last layer, measuring about 30 cm in thickness, contained exclusively Nabataean pottery from the 1st century AD. Interestingly, the bottom of the cistern was literally covered with broken but complete pottery (Fig. 3), indicating that all this pottery must have been intact when it was thrown into the cistern.
Fig. 3: Wadi Farasa East, lower terrace. Cistern north of the complex with pottery in situ (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The collected ensemble strongly remains one of pottery belonging to a household: cooking pots, jugs, jars, flasks and a vast majority of fine ware bowls and plates (Fig. 4). Interestingly, on the more than one dozen plain plates of Nabataean fine ware collected so far comes only one painted specimen (top left on fig. 4). This bowl belongs to type E 18a 187 and to phase 3a according to the typology and chronology established for az-Zantur Schmid 2000A: chap. V. 2. 26. . Phase 3a running from c. 25 to 75 AD this bowl is also the earliest specimen from that layer while some other sherds belong to phase 3b, ranging from c. 75 to 100 AD. The complete pottery from the ground of the cistern was found stuck in a very compact layer of clay containing earth, surely being the result of a silting process and, therefore, indicating that the pottery was thrown in the cistern when the latter still was working as such. This raises of course the question why several dozen complete vessels may have been thrown in a still working cistern. As far as the provenience of the pottery is concerned, the cleaning of the are surrounding the cistern showed that similar but broken pottery is found in a layer coming from higher up towards the complex of the „Soldier Tomb“.
Fig. 4: Nabataean pottery from cistern on figs. 2 and 3 (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Together with the pottery important amounts of bones were found, some of them belonging to a rather big animal, most probably a camel (Fig. 5). Most interestingly, the detailed statistic analysis of different bone material from all over the Petra area by Dr. Jacqueline Studer (Geneva) showed that the camel was exclusively consumed during the Nabataean and Roman periods, while in later periods it disappeared from the local menu J. Studer in Frösén et al. 2001: 385. . It would seem, then, that our cistern deposit represents the remains of a feast that took part on the lower terrace of the Wadi Farasa East, once again stressing the multifunctionality of that complex.
Fig. 5: Camel bones from cistern on figs. 2 and 3 (photo: S. G. Schmid)
In 2001 and 2002 we exposed the main entrance to the complex of the „Soldier Tomb“, consisting of a huge entrance hall (room 1; cf. fig. 1) immediately upon the huge terrace wall as well as the adjacent room 2 (cf. fig. 1). The complete clearing of the huge entrance hall (room 1) revealed also a small door in its NE corner, obviously leading to a very small corridor or staircase. This room, for the moment numbered as room 7, apparently had the function of giving access from the main entrance hall to several lateral units as it shows four doors in total (Fig. 6; cf. fig. 1). The room itself measures 4.30 m x 2.15 m and once was covered with high quality floor slabs, some of them still being in situ on the eastern part of the room (Fig. 6). In the eastern wall of room 7 a door still standing upright for more than two meters opens to a next room completely filled with debris (Fig. 6 background).
Fig. 6: Room 7 from W (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 7: Room 3 from S (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Interestingly, as small door in the northern wall of room 7 gives access to a next room that, therefore, projects from the northern limit of the complex indicated by the huge main wall On this wall cf. Schmid 2002. . These two rooms to the North and to the East of room 7 shall be exposed in a next season. In the southern wall of room 7 an other door opens towards room 3, partially cut into the rock (figs. 7. 8).
Room 3 measures 4m x 6.5 m and once was covered by four vaulted arches as is indicated by the respective rock cuttings in its eastern wall and the two pillars posed towards the western wall. In the western part of the room, that was exposed this year, a rock cut canal runs in a south-north direction (Fig. 7). During the later reuse of the room the canal was filled in a covered in a somewhat hastily manner (Fig. 8). This later phase of room 3 can be dated to the Medieval period as Medieval pottery was found directly on the rock that apparently served as floor level during that period. Also the stone built walls of the room were partially rebuilt in the Medieval period as is indicated by their low quality technique (figs. 7. 8). However, in the Nabataean period the room must have been covered with floor slabs about 30 cm higher than the actual rock level as is indicated by the original threshold of the door leading to room 7. The Medieval reuse of that area corresponds well to the observations already made for room 1 during our 2002 season Cf. Schmid 2003. and on other occasions during this year (cf. below).
Fig. 8: Room 3 from N (photo: S. G. Schmid)
On the other side of the entrance complex room 4 was exposed (cf. fig. 1). Room 4 measures 4.0 m x 6.40 m and is built in a very similar technique as room 3, i. e. one wall (here the western one) is cut into the rock and the room was once covered with four vaulted arches. Contrarily to room 3, in room 4 about three quarters of the original floor slabs still are in situ (Fig. 9). However, as became clear at several points including the missing parts where the bedding of the floor slabs was visible, the actual state of the floor corresponds to a later phase of our complex. As a matter of fact, beneath the western part of room 4 runs an important rock cut water canalisation, the same that is clearly visible on the outside of the main retaining wall of our complex. A small sounding at a spot towards the western limit of room 4, where the floor slabs were missing, showed that this canalisation was filled in with massive stones and smaller elements in order to establish the actual floor level of room 4.
Fig. 9: Room 4 from W (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The fill also contained some architectural elements some of them even showing plaster of wall paintings. The slabs were bedded into a layer containing lime mortar, a very unusual technique in Nabataean times, as we already observed last year Cf. Schmid 2003. . The pottery of that fill beneath the floor slabs belonged to the early 2nd century AD, showing the characteristic late Nabataean painting styles (phases 3c and 4 according to Schmid 2000A: chap. IV. 1.; IV. 5.; XII. . The filling in of the water canalisation and the bedding of the floor slabs of room 4 can, therefore, be dated to a period after the Roman annexation of Nabataea in 106 AD. As the main parts of the „Soldier Tomb“ complex were constructed around the middle of the 1st century AD, the question raises whether room 4 had a Nabataean predecessor or not. An answer to that question would be all the more important as it would help to clarify the picture of the outer façade of the entire complex Cf. on this Schmid 2002; Schmid 2003. .
Fig. 10: Medieval tomb stone from Room 4 (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Like most of the other rooms also room 4 saw a Medieval reuse which, however, took place on a level about 40 cm higher than the floor slabs so that the last layers inside the room remain untouched. From the Medieval layer higher up comes a tomb stone with a carved cross, reusing a Nabataean floor slab (Fig. 10). With the new tomb stone we already have five Medieval funerary stones from the lower and upper terrace in the Wadi Farasa East On the others see Schmid 2002. , underlining once more the importance of the Medieval occupation of that part of the city of Petra. From the same Medieval layers comes a fragment of one of the statues on the attica zone of the „Soldier Tomb“ (Fig. 11), in technique and material identical to the once we found in 2002 just in front of the tomb Schmid 2003. .
Fig. 11: Left arm of statue from „Soldier Tomb“ (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 12: Part of the face from a statue from the „Soldier Tomb“ (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The fragment illustrated on fig. 11 shows a bended left arm and belongs most probably to the statue on the right side of the tomb. The analysis of the fragments found during the past season further revealed the part of a human face from one of the statues (Fig. 12). As the block with the head of the central fig., i. e. the so-called soldier, is completely missing, the fragment on fig. 12 most probably belongs to one of the lateral statues.
Fig. 13: Lower terrace, trench 2 from W (photo: S. G. Schmid)
In order to proceed with the cleaning of the central area of the complex, that is the courtyard and the surrounding porticoes, trench 2 was reopened and extended towards East (Fig. 13; cf. fig. 1). Beside the two columns already exposed in 2000, a third one was found this year belonging to the main access from the North portico to the courtyard. As it could be supposed already from the reconstructed plan of the area (cf. fig. 1), the distance between the two columns forming the entrance is slightly bigger than on the other cases.
Fig. 14: Lower terrace, water channel between room 1 and portico (photo: A. Barmasse)
According to the results of the 2000 and 2003 campaings, the the diameter of the columns is 60 cm, the standard distance between the columns (intercolumnium) is about 187 cm with the bay measuring 247 cm. The two columns of the entrance zone show an intercolumnium of 224 cm and a bay of 284 cm. The width of the northern portico was of 3.65 m. Interestingly, the water channel exposed last year in room 1 continues straight into the portico (figs. 13. 14) but not further into the courtyard. This means that it served in order to collect the rain water from the roof of the portico, showing once again the technical skill of the Nabataeans.
