Initially, it was planned to expose only the area related to the construction of the entrance building to the Soldier Tomb’s complex. Cleaning of the adjacent area around the corner revealed a small necropolis counting 11 shaft graves (fig. 8. 9).
Fig. 8: Wadi Farasa East, rocky outcrop in W corner of the Soldier Tomb’s complex with small graveyard (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Four more shaft graves, inscribed into a rounded rock cut structure were visible since the first plan of the area was established Bachmann – Watzinger – Wiegand 1921. and were reported being looted since then. The eleven additional graves were not known so far, but it became soon clear that they must have been looted as well.
Fig. 9: Wadi Farasa East, tombs from the small graveyard adjacent to the Soldier Tomb’s complex (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Most of the graves showed a part of there original fill still in situ but usually only in about one half of the grave’s surface (figs. 10. 11). The same was true for the covering slabs of most of the single burials (figs. 12. 13). This clearly reveals the tactic of the looters that in most cases seem to be quite experienced: they presumed that offerings were usually displayed around (pottery, coins etc.) or at (earrings, necklaces) the head of the deceased. Since some of the graves show circular and rectangular rock cuttings at the top of the structure, the looters supposed that these were the respective areas of the heads and concentrated there efforts on those parts. This can be seen clearly on figures 11 to 14 and 21.
Fig. 10: Tomb 9 after cleaning of upper fill (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 11: Tomb 2 after cleaning of looters excavation (photo: S. G. Schmid)
On figure 11, the two lowest burials of tomb 2 were looted just by lifting the uppermost covering slab, i. e. precisely the area of the head. As a consequence, the respective skeletons were rather well preserved but with their heads missing (fig. 12). The same is true for the uppermost burial in tomb 10 showing an excellent preserved but headless skeleton (figs. 13. 14).
Fig. 12: Tomb 2 with remains of second burial (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 13: Tomb 10 with remains of last burial (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 14: Tomb 10 with skeletal remains of last burial (photo: S. G. Schmid)
As we shall see, different elements led to the presumption that most of the tombs were already looted during antiquity or at least the Medieval period. There is, however, one exception provided by tomb 11 (fig. 15). Almost completely emptied, only some covering slabs remained inside the shaft. Further, about 1.2 m below the surface and at the presumed head end of the tombs, a metal headpiece of a mudjarfa was discovered (top center on fig. 15), clearly indicating a modern looting. Another indication as for the date of it’s robbing out is provided by tomb 7 (fig. 16).
Fig. 15: Tomb 11 with modern looting evidence (photo: S. G. Schmid)
No element of the initial covering slabs or the burials themselves was discovered. The entire tomb was densely filled in with Medieval pottery (figs. 16. 17) and animal bones, clearly indicating it’s function as a rubbish pit during that period and, therefore, necessarily an earlier looting of the graves.
Fig. 16: Tomb 7 with Medieval pottery (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 17: Tomb 7, Medieval pot (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Nevertheless, several interesting information and new elements as regarding the Nabataean burial practices and construction techniques of such tombs were obtained. First of all, with the exception of two smaller graves, probably used for children, all the shaft tombs excavated so far were used for several burials; up to three as far as the evidence was preserved. This means that the shafts show considerable depth, which is slightly more than 2 m in most cases, by a width that usually is about 60 cm. While at least the lower burials – in some shafts even all of them – were covered by slabs posed on rock cut shoulders (visible on figs. 11. 13. 15. 18–21. 23), some of the burials located higher up in the shaft were constructed using vertical slabs for the sides and horizontal slabs for the covering (fig. 12).
Fig. 18: Tomb 9 with different burials (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 19: Tomb 9 with sequence of different burials (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 20: Tomb 9 with covering slabs (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 21: Tomb 9, skeletal remains (photo: S. G. Schmid)
In shaft grave 5, after having cleaned the disturbed upper levels, intact and perfectly sealed covering slabs appeared (fig. 22), a clear indication that the lower burials of that tomb were not disturbed. As a matter of fact, there were two intact burials, since beneath the first preserved one started appearing other intact covering slabs (fig. 23). The results obtained by the excavation of these two burials were somewhat surprising. In the upper one of the two, at first sight nothing was found (fig. 24), not even skeletal remains and yet, the covering was perfectly preserved. The careful sifting of the entire content revealed that there were different layers within that grave. The highest layer consisted of very fine sandy earth being completely sterile. Then followed a sandy layer containing ashes and other small remains, like fish and bird bones, burnt plant remains as well as some potsherds. The lowest layer offered a surprising picture: The entire surface of the grave was covered by small clusters of what at first sight looked like hydraulic mortar as used in later Nabataean and Roman times, that is a mixture between lime, sand and charcoal or ashes. Surprisingly, in our case there were an important number of bone fragments added to the mixture. The bones collected must be human remains since there are clearly identifiable skull fragments mixed to the plaster. This strange observation reminds the description of loculus 3 within tomb 813 Zayadine 1974: 144f. and of a similar burial within the „Triple Dushara“ tomb Horsfield 1939: 108ff. . However, more investigation and scientific analysis of the collected organic material will be necessary in order to be sure about the exact procedure that was performed upon that burial. From the small amounts of pottery found by sifting, a date within the last quarter of the 1st or the beginning of the 2nd century AD can be proposed for this burial.
Fig. 22: Tomb 5 with covering slabs of second burial (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 23: Tomb 5 with covering slabs of first burial (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The lowest burial within tomb 5 provided a slightly different picture. In contrary to the just described case, we are dealing here with an inhumation, though the skeleton was badly preserved. Only the more substantial bones, such as the skull (fig. 25) and parts of the legs were recognisable, the rest was completely disintegrated. More surprisingly, there were no offerings identifiable such as complete pottery etc. Careful sifting of the complete content of that burial revealed organic material and small potsherds, indicating a chronological frame of the second and third quarter of the 1st century AD for the burial.
Fig. 24: Tomb 5, remains of second burial (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 25: Tomb 5, skull of first burial (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Finally, from the lowest and undisturbed burial in grave 3 came a pair of small golden earrings (fig. 26), only 3g in weight each and found on both sides of the skull. Despite the earrings, no other offerings were found in that grave and the small potsherds found within indicate a date of around AD 100 for this burial.
Fig. 26: Tomb 3, golden earrings from lowest burial (photo: S. G. Schmid)
As far as the collected evidence was already studied, the graveyard was probably initiated during the second half of the 1st century AD and remained in use until the early 2nd century AD. Three bronze coins were found from different burials and will hopefully provide further chronological evidence.
After detailed archaeological, anthropological, archaezoological and botanical study, the information concerning the burial practices at Petra collected during this season and during the 2003 excavation of the shaft graves within the Renaissance Tomb Schmid/Huguenot/B’dool 2004. will furnish important insight on such matters as the way the Nabataeans treated their dead.
Stephan G. Schmid Département Histoire de l’art et Archéologie Université de Montpellier III – UMR 5140 Route de Mende F-34199 Montpellier, France Contact: stephan.schmid@univ-montp3.fr or stephan.schmid@auac.ch
