Petra: Lost City of Stone (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

2003 October 18 - 2004 July 6

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened in October 18, 2003 and closed July 6, 2004. Located in Section 20, Floor 4 in Gallery 4 at the American Museum of Natural History. "Petra: Lost City of Stone" was an exhibition about the ancient city of Petra and its creators, the Nabataeans.

Summary

"Petra: Lost City of Stone" was an exhibition about the ancient city of Petra and its creators, the Nabataeans. The Nabataeans were renowned for their skills in trade, agriculture, engineering and architectural stone-carving. The exhibit offered the viewer the opportunity to learn about the ancient metropolis which was carved from red sandstone in the cliffs of southern Jordan. Petra emerged in the first century B.C. and became a major crossroads on international trade routes. The items in the exhibit reflected the various international influences from Asia and India as well as from the Roman and Byzantine eras. On view were more than 200 objects dating from the first century B.C. to the sixth century A.D. which were on loan from collections in Jordan, Europe and the United States. Stone sculptures and reliefs, ceramics, metalwork, stuccowork, ancient inscriptions, and a selection of 19th century paintings, drawings, and prints were displayed alongside architectural groupings from Nabataean monuments. The introduction to the exhibit offered visitors a 10-foot-high color image of the facade of the Treasury, the Greek Hellenistic royal tomb that is Petra's most famous monument. The exhibition was conceived by the Cincinnati Art Museum and was developed in conjunction with the American Museum of Natural History. The exhibit was co-curated by Glenn Markoe, Curator of Classical and Near Eastern Art and Art of Africa and the Americas, Cincinnati Art Museum; and Craig Morris, Senior Vice President, Dean of Science, and Curator, Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History. Presented under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan, the exhibit was sponsored by Banc of America Securities and Con Edison, Additional support was provided by Lionel I. Pincus and HRH Princess Firyal and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The exhibit was on view in Gallery 4 of the American Museum of Natural History from October 18, 2003 through July 6, 2004 and then traveled to the Cincinnati Art Museum and to several other venues in the United States and Canada.

Individuals and institutions involved in the creation of the exhibition: Cincinnati Art Museum; Glenn Markoe; Craig Morris; Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan.

Sources

American Museum of Natural History Press Release, October 2003. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. LeFrak Family Gallery.
Location of exhibition.

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