A head from the frieze of the Temenos gate at Petra

Abstract EN

A female head in the old cave museum at Petra is attributed by the author to the great frieze of the Temenos gate at Petra.

this discovery gave reason to resume the discussion of that frieze by l.

Tholbecq and s.

Delcros in 2015.

the frieze depicted the seven planetary gods, but also a couple of moon gods and a Dionysus.

the new head represented either Venus or Luna.

we know 12 of the original 15 slabs from that frieze.

on this basis groupings and placements of the sculptures are proposed.

furthermore, the first hypothetical visual reconstruction of the frieze is offered to give a better understanding of the frieze.

finally, the historical and cultural contexts, as well as the possible meaning of the sculptures, are discussed.

we are dealing with a monument from the early period of Provinicia Arabia with a specific propaganda.

it is debated to interpret this in a “Nabataean reading” or a “roman reading”.