In Feb 1994 a Finnish scholar came to Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to run into the carbonised Papyri of Petra as well as was utterly disappointed yesteryear “a mess of dark charcoal”.
 |
| Papyri from Petra [Credit: Antti Arjava] |
Barbara Porter, managing director of the American Centre of Oriental Research (ACOR), noted that “the Petra Papyri projection represents a major scholarly achievement for the civilization of Jordan”. However, it was non slow every bit “in most cases, the outer windings of the rolls were destroyed,” said Professor Jaakko Frösén, from the University of Helsinki, at the lecture titled “The Petra Papyri V” held on Tuesday at ACOR.
“The papyri were clearly legal as well as economical documents as well as were business office of an archive or dossier, in all likelihood a identify unit of measurement archive, from the 6th century AD,” Frösén continued, noting that the personal names were generally Greek but amid them at that spot were every bit good Nabataean names written inward Greek letters.
In 1993, American excavations inward the metropolitan church building of Petra unearthed the documents, which comprehend a current from 530 to 590 AD, noted Docent of Classical Philology at the University of Helsinki Antti Arjava.
 |
| Aerial thought of the Petra Church, excavated yesteryear ACOR inward the early on 1990s, where the famous Petra Papyri were discovered [Credit: ACOR] |
The introductory chapters inward the scrolls every bit good speak over the Greek language, notarial formulas, legal terminology, calendars as well as management inward Petra.
“The road betwixt the Red Sea, the northern business office of the Syria-Palestine expanse as well as the Black Sea was an of import military machine as well as merchandise road known as the ‘Via Nova Traiana’. It every bit good served every bit a pilgrims’ road to the due south to the holy places of Palestine as well as the Sinai,” Frösén stressed, adding that together amongst Christianisation, the Nabataeans accepted the Greek linguistic communication every bit their top dog official language.
“That’s why our documents were written inward Greek. H5N1 smaller sensation was that many of the toponyms [names of the villages] around the metropolis were inward fact Standard Arabic names [written inward Greek letters]”, the goodness highlighted.
 |
| Marja Vierros, a papyrologist from the University of Helsinki, analyses the papyri for information nearly daily affairs inward Byzantine Petra [Credit: Barbara Porter] |
“Around 90 documents were managed to hold upward edited inward these 5 volumes, some of them really poorly preserved”, Arjava stated spell also, noting some other regain that “the overwhelming bulk of the texts pertain to the archdeacon of the metropolitan church, Theodoros, boy of Obodianos, or his identify unit of measurement members”.
“It is hence a reasonable hypothesis that all these papyri i time belonged to Theodoros, who kept rolls relating to both his personal as well as clerical life,” Arjava elaborated, adding that the Petra Papyri “present us amongst to a greater extent than than ii dozen men linked amongst the church”. This is a relatively high proportion of males appearing inward the texts as well as sure reflects the circles inward which Theodoros moved, the scholar speculated.
In gild to clarify some hypotheses, the Finish Jabal Harun Project was launched inward 1997 as well as 8 total earthworks seasons at the site were conducted.
 |
| Among the 140 manuscripts identified yesteryear papyrologists inside the archive is P. Petra 6 (pictured), which lists goods that a landlord priest claims were stolen yesteryear i of his colleagues [Credit: ACOR] |
“But, a church building is non a ‘House’. That’s why nosotros continued amongst rooms of a small-scale monastery which is non a ‘House’, either — as well as finally amongst rooms of a hostel, ca. 20sqm each. In fact, the whole edifice complex is a pilgrimage centre amongst a hostel for VIPs, used every bit good every bit a infirmary during the pandemic diseases, similar the bubonic plague at the fourth dimension of Justinian,” the scholar explained.
It actually is only “the House of the Saint High Priest Aaron”, Frösén said.
According to the Finnish expert, the pilgrimage centre of Jabal Haroun belongs to a serial of similar edifice complexes inward Transjordan starting amongst the Monastery of Moses on Mount Nebo as well as continuing to the due south amongst the Monastery of Lot on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea.
“Many of our squad spent the improve business office of their academic career amongst these unattractive bits of coal — some of us fifty-fifty one-half of our lifetime. Soon, this Finnish projection volition at in conclusion hold upward finished,” Arjava concluded.
Author: Saeb Rawashdeh | Source: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Times [October 18, 2018]
Sumber http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com
Buat lebih berguna, kongsi:
