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This study delves into the impact of key European educational programs launched between the late 1980s and early 1990s, namely COMETT, Erasmus, PETRA, Lingua, TEMPUS, and Eurotecnet. These initiatives represented a concerted effort to foster deeper cooperation within the European Community, focusing on enhancing educational and vocational training opportunities. The COMETT program was instrumental in connecting academia with the labor market and advancing technology training but did not adequately support vulnerable groups such as women, ethnic minorities, and the unemployed. ERASMUS and PETRA contributed significantly to student mobility and youth vocational training, though PETRA struggled to directly address rising youth unemployment. LINGUA focused on enhancing foreign language skills, vital for fostering European integration, while TEMPUS facilitated educational reforms in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe. EUROTECNET promoted innovation in vocational training by integrating new technologies but faced challenges related to consistency across member states. Despite these initiatives’ successes in modernizing the educational systems and enhancing European competitiveness, many programs prioritized economic and technological objectives over social inclusion. Vulnerable groups often remained underrepresented in these reforms. However, these early efforts laid the groundwork for later programs like Leonardo da Vinci and SOCRATES, which aimed to balance competitiveness with social equity. The article calls for further research on the human impact of these programs, particularly regarding youth unemployment and the inclusion of marginalized groups.

Floods are a widespread natural disaster that occur in most areas of the world, except for the polar regions. To minimize the damage caused by floods, effective management strategies and policies must be implemented. Petra and Wadi Musa areas are prone to floods, which happen every 2–3 years and result in significant harm to both lives and properties. To address this issue, a composite hazard and vulnerability index is commonly utilized to evaluate flood risk and guide policy formation for flood risk reduction. These tools are efficient and cost-effective in generating accurate results. Accordingly, the present study aims to determine the morphological and hydrometeorological parameters that affect flash floods in Petra catchment area and to identify high-risk zones using GIS, hydrological, and analytical hierarchy (AHP) modeling. Nine factors, including Elevation (E), Landuse/Landcover LULC, Slope (S), Drainage density (DD), Flood Control Points (FCP) and Rainfall intensity (RI), which make up the six risk indices, and Population Density (PD), Cropland (C), and Transportation (Tr), which make up the three vulnerability indices, were evaluated both individually and in combination using AHP in ArcGIS 10.8.2 software. These parameters were classified as hazard and vulnerability indicators, and a final flood map was generated. The map indicated that approximately 37% of the total area in Petra catchment is at high or very high risk of flooding, necessitating significant attention from governmental agencies and decision-makers for flood risk mitigation. The AHP method proposed in this study is an accurate tool for flood mapping that can be easily applied to other regions in Jordan to manage and prevent flood hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural properties in Petra have faced hazards from both man-made and natural causes, posing significant conservation challenges. This paper reviews current maintenance and conservation strategies by Sela for Training and Protection of Heritage, a Jordanian not-for-profit organization exemplifying a holistic approach to heritage conservation in line with the Venice Charter's principles. Sela has launched campaigns to raise awareness and train local communities on the importance of heritage protection. In recent years, Sela staff have focused on researching sustainable, locally produced materials for conservation projects to reduce CO2 emissions. Inspired by the 2023 ICOMOS Jordan initiative "Future for Our Past," Sela's activities are closely coordinated with local authorities, aiming to enhance the legal framework for conservation in Jordan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is conducted to find out the effect of Word-of-Mouth, Destination Image, and Tourist Satisfaction on the tourist's intention to revisit. The World Heritage site of Petra has been selected as a study site. The descriptive quantitative research design is employed ; visitors of Petra were the target population and the convenience sampling method has been calculated using the G*Power software (version 3.1.9.7). Results reveal a strong relationship between e-WOM, destination image, tourist satisfaction, and revisit intention. Meanwhile, results show that destination image doesn’t have any impact or relationship on tourist revisit intention. The study has a practical and theoretical importance that helps in managing the heritage site and enables researchers to address more critically the strength and weaknesses of Petra's marketing locally and globally.

Copyright of Annals of the 'Ovidius' University of Constanta. Political Science Series / Analele Universitatii Ovidius din Constanta, Seria Stiinte Politice is the property of Editura Ovidius University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Jordan has a complex history that has left tangible traces in numerous archaeological sites scattered throughout the country. This unique heritage of inestimable cultural value must be documented, thoroughly researched, and protected in order to prevent its destruction and loss. In this context, knowledge and documentation can be achieved through the application of non-destructive geophysical and geomatic methods. This work represents a synthesis of the results of twenty years of projects carried out at the archaeological sites of Basta, Petra, Um-Hamat (Karak), Umm ar-Rasas, Wu'Ayra, Madaba, and Shawbak. This study enables the exploration of new buried structures in the ground and the documentation of the state of preservation of the structures. It provides an up-to-date overview of Jordan's rich archaeological heritage and supports restoration projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is conducted to find out the effect of Word-of-Mouth, Destination Image, and Tourist Satisfaction on the tourist's intention to revisit. The World Heritage site of Petra has been selected as a study site. The descriptive quantitative research design is employed; visitors of Petra were the target population and the convenience sampling method has been calculated using the G*Power software (version 3.1.9.7). Results reveal a strong relationship between e-WOM, destination image, tourist satisfaction, and revisit intention. Meanwhile, results show that destination image doesn't have any impact or relationship on tourist revisit intention. The study has a practical and theoretical importance that helps in managing the heritage site and enables researchers to address more critically the strength and weaknesses of Petra's marketing locally and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental advantages of green tourism are attracting the attention of a wider range of stakeholders. The behavior of travelers toward green tourism sustainability and its impact on the accomplishment of a green environment has not been well studied empirically, particularly in Petra. In this research, we use an expanded framework of the t heory of planned behavior to explore the behavioral features of foreign visitors toward the sustainability of green tourism (TPB). Descriptive analysis of the explanatory survey was the method of choice for the research project at hand. A large number of respondents were tourists. Office administrators are responsible for the formulation of a company's corporate strategy. 400 tourists took part in our survey for this research. According to our results, travelers' views toward green tourism were highly influenced by their opinions of the sustainability of green tourism and their environmental concerns. In addition, our findings show that visitors' intentions to engage in the sustainability of green tourism are negatively influenced by subjective norms, whereas tourists' attitudes are positively influenced by these norms. Both environmental concerns and the desire of visitors to engage in green tourism have a substantial influence on ecologically responsible tourism behavior, according to our findings.

Jordan has a complex history that has left tangible traces in numerous archaeological sites scattered throughout the country. This unique heritage of inestimable cultural value must be documented, thoroughly researched, and protected in order to prevent its destruction and loss. In this context, knowledge and documentation can be achieved through the application of non-destructive geophysical and geomatic methods. This work represents a synthesis of the results of twenty years of projects carried out at the archaeological sites of Basta, Petra, Um-Hamat (Karak), Umm ar-Rasas, Wu’Ayra, Madaba, and Shawbak. This study enables the exploration of new buried structures in the ground and the documentation of the state of preservation of the structures. It provides an up-to-date overview of Jordan’s rich archaeological heritage and supports restoration projects.

Copyright of Revista Numismática Hécate is the property of Revista Numismatica Hecate and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The environmental advantages of green tourism are attracting the attention of a wider range of stakeholders. The behavior of travelers toward green tourism sustainability and its impact on the accomplishment of a green environment has not been well studied empirically, particularly in Petra. In this research, we use an expanded framework of the t heory of planned behavior to explore the behavioral features of foreign visitors toward the sustainability of green tourism (TPB). Descriptive analysis of the explanatory survey was the method of choice for the research project at hand. A large number of respondents were tourists. Office administrators are responsible for the formulation of a company's corporate strategy. 400 tourists took part in our survey for this research. According to our results, travelers' views toward green tourism were highly influenced by their opinions of the sustainability of green tourism and their environmental concerns. In addition, our findings show that visitors' intentions to engage in the sustainability of green tourism are negatively influenced by subjective norms, whereas tourists' attitudes are positively influenced by these norms. Both environmental concerns and the desire of visitors to engage in green tourism have a substantial influence on ecologically responsible tourism behavior, according to our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The territory of modern Jordan is related to different historical epochs. Many ancient civilizations and peoples left their mark there. Many events happened in Biblical history. The study of Jordan’s archaeological memorials became possible in the second half of the 20th century because of the unstable political situation in the Middle East and in Jordan. During last decades the researchers have being discovered many archaeological memorials of the early Byzantine epochs. The work is devoted to the description of the best-preserved early Byzantine floor. The mosaics were found in Jerash, Petra, Umm-er-Rasas, on Mount Nebo, and other historical sites in Jordan. The author gives his interpretation of the pictorial and ideological content of the compositions. The ruins of the Church of Cosmas and Damian in Jerash contain the largest surviving fragment of a floor mosaic (533). The complex geometric division of the composition, in addition to decorative functions, had a liturgical application and defined the position of the clergy during worship. The construction of the baptismal aisle of the basilica on Mount Nebo corresponds in style to their time (530), but it is unique in content and composition, consisting human figures interacting with animals. According to the author, comprehension of the construction is most productive in the context of with Biblical exegesis. Mosaics from the beginning of the 8th century St. Stephen’s Basilicas at Umm er Rasas reflect the topography of ancient Palestine. That memorial is not less significant than Madaba’s map of the Holy Land of the 6th century that was discovered previously. The floor mosaics of the main basilica of Petra deserve special attention. Petra is known as the largest cave necropolis. For all its tradition, the composition of mosaics admits of multiple interpretations, versions of which are presented in the work. Thus, the ruins of early Byzantine basilicas discovered in Jordan recently expand the subject area of the study of mosaic art from the 5th to the beginning of the 8th centuries. The mosaics of Jordan were organic part of the cultural space of the Middle East. The decorativeness of early Byzantine mosaics which are heritage of the ancient world, is complemented by a wider range of ideological religious elements. Each mosaic has both common stylistic features and unique ones. Each object is a work of mosaic art, which reflects the original vision of theological, liturgical, chronological and other interpretations of the mosaic authors. Islamization and iconoclasm forced mosaicists to remake mosaics. They tried to save the mosaics from complete destruction and spontaneously restored anthropomorphic and zoomorphic images. Many mosaic surfaces were destroyed due to the weakness of the solution or earthquakes. As a rule, the original plot of the mosaics was not recovered during the restoration. It means that the period of Christian mosaic art in this region was relatively short and ended due to islamization and iconoclasm. Территория современной Иордании тесно связана с разными историческими эпохами. Многие древние цивилизации и народы оставили здесь свой след. Немало событий вошли в библейскую историю. Но в связи с нестабильной политической ситуацией на Ближнем Востоке и, в частности, в Иордании полноценное изучение археологических памятников в регионе стало возможным только во второй половине XX столетия. В последние десятилетия исследователи открыли множество археологических памятников ранневизантийской эпохи. Работа посвящена описанию наиболее сохранившихся ранневизантийских напольных мозаик, обнаруженных в Джераше, Петрах, Умм-эр-Расас, на горе Нево и в других исторических местах Иордании. Дана авторская трактовка изобразительного и идейного содержания композиций. Остатки церкви Косьмы и Дамиана в Джераше содержат крупнейший из сохранившихся фрагмент напольной мозаики (533 г.). Сложное геометрическое членение композиции помимо декоративных функций имело литургическое применение, определяя положение духовенства во время богослужения. Сюжеты крестильного придела базилики на горе Нево по стилистике соответствуют своему времени (530 г.), но уникальны по содержанию и композиции, состоящей из человеческих фигур, взаимодействующих с животными. Осмысление данных сюжетов, по мнению автора, наиболее продуктивно в сочетании с библейской экзегетикой. Мозаики начала VIII в. базилики святого Стефана в Умм-эр-Расас отражают топографию древней Палестины. Этот памятник не менее значим, чем ранее открытая карта Святой Земли VI в. в Мадабе. Особого внимания заслуживают напольные мозаики главной базилики города Петры, более известного как крупнейший пещерный некрополь. При всей своей традиционности композиция мозаик допускает множественное толкование, версии которого представлены в работе. Таким образом, недавно открытые в Иордании остатки ранневизантийских базилик расширяют предметную область изучения мозаичного искусства V – начала VIII в. Мозаики Иордании являлись органичной частью культурного пространства Ближнего Востока. Декоративность ранневизантийских мозаик, унаследованная от эпохи античности, существенно дополнена более широким спектром религиозных идей. При общих стилистических особенностях и подобии визуальных элементов каждый объект является уникальным произведением мозаичного искусства, отражающим оригинальность теологических, литургических, хронологических и иных взглядов авторов мозаик. Арабская экспансия и иконоборчество VIII в. вынуждало авторов мозаик перекладывать стихийным набором антропоморфные и зооморфные изображения с целью недопущения полного уничтожения работ. Реставрация утрат декоративного слоя напольных мозаик, возникавших по причине слабости раствора или землетрясений, производилась, как правило, без восстановления первоначального сюжета. Это говорит об относительно коротком периоде христианского мозаичного искусства и его резкой утрате в данном регионе по причине исламизации и иконоборчества.

Although Nabataean Painted Fine Ware (NPFW) has been examined in light of Stephan Schmid’s chronological typology since the late 1990s, few stratified contexts with NPFW from outside Petra have been published, and none derived from contexts occupied continuously from the Nabataean through Byzantine periods. Questions remain about the dating of later dekorphases (3–4) due to a lack of contexts. This paucity is remedied, however, by Area K at Roman Aqaba/Aila, Jordan. Area K was a domestic complex, just inside the later Byzantine city wall, excavated from 1994 through 2002. Using associated numismatic evidence and imported fine wares (primarily Eastern Sigillata A and African Red Slip), this paper argues that NPFW Dekorphase 3b appeared at Aila in the second half of the 1st century CE, and Dekorphase 3c appeared shortly afterwards, around the time of the Roman annexation in the beginning of the 2nd century.

The remains of a Nabataean private complex located west of the Roman-period apsidal building in the Qasr al-Bint area of Petra, excavated by the French archaeological team between 2005 and 2008, turned out to be reused by squatters during the Roman period. This occupation phase, one of the latest in this complex, was of a domestic nature, characterized by the installation of ovens (tawabeen) and other fireplaces, as well as the installation of a channel in the courtyard. The large assemblage of well preserved, often complete pottery vessels from the corresponding levels was dated by coins and Nabataean pottery, supported by radiocarbon datings, to the second half of the 2nd and the early 3rd centuryCE. Consequently, the group offers the opportunity to study a homogeneous corpus of ceramic material from a period that is not at all well documented in Petra. The repertoire includes all kinds of vessels, especially cooking pots, small storage jars and drinking vessels. In addition, a set of multi-nozzled lamps was associated with this group.

En eski Arap topluluklarından birisi olarak Nebâtîler, tarihin eski zamanlarından İslam dininin doğduğu güne kadar Arap düşüncesinin gelişiminde önemli bir konumda olmuştur. İslam öncesi Arap toplumunun düşünce dünyasını şekillendiren her türlü arka plan bilgisi Kur’an’ın anlaşılmasına katkı sağlayacaktır. John F. Healey’in çalışması Nebâtîlerin tarihi, dini ve kültürü bakımından detaylı bilgiler sunmaktadır. Healey’in çalışmasının tanıtılmasının ve incelemeye tabi tutulmasının Eski Arap tarihi açısından akademiye önemli detaylar sunacağı düşüncesi bu kitabı değerlendirmemize sebep olmuştur.

Convolutional Neural Networks are usually fitted with manually labelled data. The labelling process is very time-consuming since large datasets are required. The use of external hardware may help in some cases, but it also introduces noise to the labelled data. In this paper, we pose a new data labelling approach by using bootstrapping to increase the accuracy of the PeTra tool. PeTra allows a mobile robot to estimate people's location in its environment by using a LIDAR sensor and a Convolutional Neural Network. PeTra has some limitations in specific situations, such as scenarios where there are not any people. We propose to use the actual PeTra release to label the LIDAR data used to fit the Convolutional Neural Network. We have evaluated the resulting system by comparing it with the previous one—where LIDAR data were labelled with a Real Time Location System. The new release increases the MCC-score by 65.97%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the visibility of different subgroups of lung nodules of 6 mm, the sensitivity of the PETRA sequence reached 97%, with a higher rate for nodules located in the upper lung fields than those in the middle and lower lung fields. Strong agreement was found between the CT and PETRA results (correlation coefficients = 0.97).ConclusionThe PETRA technique had high sensitivity for different type of nodule detection and enabled accurate assessment of their diameter and morphologic characteristics. It may be an effective alternative to CT as a tool for screening and follow up pulmonary nodules.

The remains of a Nabataean private complex located west of the Roman-period apsidal building in the Qasr al-Bint area of Petra, excavated by the French Archaeological Mission between 2005 and 2008, turned out to be reused by squatters during the Roman period. This occupation phase, one of the latest in this complex, was of a domestic nature, characterized by the installation of ovens (tawabeen) and other fireplaces, as well as of a channel in the courtyard. The large assemblage of well preserved, often complete pottery vessels from the corresponding levels was dated by coins and Nabataean pottery, supported by radiocarbon datings, to the second half of the 2nd and the early 3rd century CE. Consequently, the group offers the opportunity to study a homogeneous corpus of ceramic material from a period that is not at all well documented in Petra. The repertoire includes all kinds of vessels, especially cooking pots, small storage jars and drinking vessels. In addition, a set of multi-nozzled lamps was associated with this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Nabataean Painted Fine Ware (NPFW) has been examined in light of Stephan Schmid's chronological typology since the late 1990s, few stratified contexts with NPFW from outside Petra have been published, and none derived from contexts occupied continuously from the Nabataean through Byzantine periods. Questions remain about the dating of later Dekorphases (3-4) due to a lack of contexts. This paucity is remedied, however, by Area K at Roman Aqaba/Aila, Jordan. Area K was a domestic complex, just inside the later Byzantine city wall, excavated from 1994 through 2002. Using associated numismatic evidence and imported fine wares (primarily Eastern Sigillata A and African Red Slip), this paper argues that NPFW Dekorphase 3b appeared at Aila in the second half of the 1st century CE, and Dekorphase 3c appeared shortly afterwards, around the time of the Roman annexation in the beginning of the 2nd century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the visibility of different subgroups of lung nodules of <3 cm using the pointwise encoding time reduction with radial acquisition (PETRA) sequence on 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in comparison with that obtained using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). Methods: The appropriate detection rate was calculated for each of the different subgroups of lung nodules of <3 cm. The mean diameter of each detected nodule was determined. The detection rates and diameters of the lung nodules detected by MRI with the PETRA sequence were compared with those detected by computed tomography (CT). The sensitivity of detection for the different subgroups of pulmonary nodules was determined based on the location, size, type of nodules and morphologic characteristics. Agreement of nodule characteristics between CT and MRI were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Kappa test. Results: The CT scans detected 256 lung nodules, comprising 99 solid nodules (SNs) and 157 subsolid nodules with a mean nodule diameter of 8.3 mm. For the SNs, the MRI detected 30/47 nodules of <6 mm in diameter and 52/52 nodules of ≥6 mm in diameter. For the subsolid nodules, the MRI detected 30/51 nodules of <6 mm in diameter and 102/106 nodules of ≥6 mm in diameter. The PETRA sequence returned a high detection rate (84%). The detection rates of SN, ground glass nodules, and PSN were 82%, 72%, and 94%, respectively. For nodules with a diameter of >6 mm, the sensitivity of the PETRA sequence reached 97%, with a higher rate for nodules located in the upper lung fields than those in the middle and lower lung fields. Strong agreement was found between the CT and PETRA results (correlation coefficients = 0.97). Conclusion: The PETRA technique had high sensitivity for different type of nodule detection and enabled accurate assessment of their diameter and morphologic characteristics. It may be an effective alternative to CT as a tool for screening and follow up pulmonary nodules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is limited by clip-induced artifacts after cerebral aneurysmal clipping. Recently, ultrashort echo time was shown to reduce metal artifacts. We assessed the pointwise encoding time reduction with radial acquisition (PETRA) sequence in subtraction-based MRA as an ultrashort echo time method during follow-up for clipping surgery. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 114 branches of 63 aneurysms in 56 patients treated with titanium clips using MRA and 3-dimensional computed tomography angiography. The appearance using each method was compared, and the associations between visibility on PETRA-MRA, clip number and shape, and amount of hematoma were examined. Furthermore, the visibility of the aneurysm remnants and 2 clipping cases with cobalt-chromium-nickel-molybdenum clips were evaluated. Results: No branches were visible using time-of-flight-MRA, but 79 of 114 branches (69.3%) were visible on PETRA-MRA. PETRA-MRA was effective for follow-up imaging in 33 of 63 aneurysms (52.4%). The median vessel diameters were 1.67 mm (interquartile range, 1.24–2.62 mm) and 0.96 mm (interquartile range, 0.59–1.53 mm) in the visible and invisible groups, respectively. Only the vessel diameter correlated significantly (P < 0.001) with the visibility on PETRA-MRA. A receiver operating characteristic curve for the association between the vessel diameter and visibility on PETRA-MRA showed a cutoff value of 1.26 mm for vessel diameter. Cobalt-chromium-nickel-molybdenum clips produced a strong artifact, even on PETRA-MRA. All 4 residual aneurysms were visible on PETRA-MRA. Conclusions: PETRA-MRA can be useful for follow-up aneurysm imaging when the diameter of vessels adjacent to the clip exceeds 1.26 mm. However, its usefulness is limited to titanium clips.

Al-Jaya Palace and the New Shawbak Town. A Medieval frontier and the return of the urbanism in the Southern Transjordan The recent discovery – made during the 2018 campaign ofthe ‘Medieval Petra’ Mission of the University of Florence – of the residential al-Jaya Palace at the bottom of the hill of Shawbak’s ‘incastellato’ site is of particular relevance both for medieval and Islamic heritage in Jordan (no architecture of a comparable quality from the Ayyubid-Mamluk periodhas ever been found in the country) and mostly for the archaeological confirmation that underneath al-Jaya, lays the ancient medieval capital city of southern Jordan, founded by Saladin, on the same site of the castle-capital of the previous Crusader Lordship of Transjordan. This result represents a triple confirmation for the scientific program of the Mission: the productivity of the ‘Light Archaeology’ methodology that characterizes our approach; the real existence of the city whose foundation we had deemed to be able to propose (owing solely to the ‘light’ reading son the walls of the ‘castle’); and the excellence of the formal level of the building – perfectly matching the quality of the political and productive structures documented earlier in the castle – that speaks of a cultured and refined city and of an extraordinary strategic project that can be attributed to Saladin’s political intelligence. A project that gave back a new centrality to the entire southern Transjordan and started a settlement and political tradition that is the basis of modern Jordan itself (it is not accidental that the first capital of the state was Ma’an). Once the urban structure that has now appeared is understood, future research will be able to direct the excavations so as to address another great historical question which 2018 investigations have highlighted: we know the birth and begin to read the life of this extraordinary town, butwhen, how and why did it perish so much so that it was forgotten by history (and to be rediscovered by archaeology)? Perhaps for the first time, we will have an opportunity to study archaeologically an aspect of the historical crisis that, probably during the 15th century, engulfed the Arab-Islamicworld, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest. It is an intriguing perspective to be addressed in tandem with a renewed public archaeology program: conservative restoration, social valorization, broad communication directed both to the local communities and to the international public with the implementation of the master plan 2010-14, and, finally, tourist routes connecting Shawbak with the Petra area.

Monks across the desert. Hermitic life in Christian Petra A new interpretation of the pre-Crusader phase of the site follows from the identification of a pre-Crusader rock-cut chapel. In particular, in early mediaeval time, a monastic community at al-Wu’ayra and a number of hermitic cells surrounding a central fortified coenobium preceded the later military castle keep. The Crusaders profited by the presence of a Christian fortified settlement, easy to transform into a military installation by a simple addition of a number of buildings, which are identifiable by a chrono-typology of building techniques.The new program of research which started in 2017 aims at registering, surveying, and studying various hermitic installations around the perimeter of the town in order to contextualize this early medieval phase of al-Wu’ayrain the topography of Petra and contribute to the knowledge of a ‘minor’and underestimated aspect of the town in early Christian time. In fact, these monastic-hermitic settlements located in segregated spots of the peri-urbanarea, surviving the abandonment of the major churches of the town, can help to understand in a more realistic way the articulated forms of Christian presence and its duration until the late 19th century.

The aim of this paper is to shed some light on the period of Petra’s passage from paganism to Christianity, which saw the deterioration of pagan beliefs and the struggle for survival between paganism and Christianity. The recognition of Christianity as the official religion of the Byzantine Empire in 313 AD did not mean that paganism had disappeared from Petra. In fact, most of the Nabataean temples in the city remained open until the second half of the 4th century AD, when the city was hit by the earthquake of 363. It was this event that had the greatest impact on the abandoning of the city’s temples, such as the Temple of the Winged Lions, the Temple of Qasr el-Bent and the Great Temple. The historical and archaeological evidence confirms the construction of a numer of churches in Petra, which received considerable attention from the Christian clergy and the administration of the city during the 5th and 6th centuries AD.

In earlier works, we had shown the actual possibility that the Nabataeans had used the Equinox, or an astronomical event equivalent to this, as an important milestone to control the calendar, stablish festivals and perform pilgrimages to important sacred sites. In this paper we present evidence that this was indeed the case. In a research carried out in Petra in March 2018, equinoctial phenomena were observed and tested at the Urn Tomb, the Obelisks at Jabal Madbah and the sacred area of Al Madras, showing that the actual astronomical Equinox could be observed together with other related phenomena such as the midday between the solstices. Besides, this campaign was used to obtain data in various isolated places in Petra seldom visited by the general public such as the Obodas Chapel, Sidd al Ma'jin, Parcak's Platform, or the sacred areas on top of Umm al Biyara. These little known monumental sites have also provided interesting results that are described and discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convolutional Neural Networks are usually fitted with manually labelled data. The labelling process is very time-consuming since large datasets are required. The use of external hardware may help in some cases, but it also introduces noise to the labelled data. In this paper, we pose a new data labelling approach by using bootstrapping to increase the accuracy of the PeTra tool. PeTra allows a mobile robot to estimate people’s location in its environment by using a LIDAR sensor and a Convolutional Neural Network. PeTra has some limitations in specific situations, such as scenarios where there are not any people. We propose to use the actual PeTra release to label the LIDAR data used to fit the Convolutional Neural Network. We have evaluated the resulting system by comparing it with the previous one—where LIDAR data were labelled with a Real Time Location System. The new release increases the MCC-score by 65.97%.

Abstract: Using Said`s Orientalism, this paper investigates Whittier’s portrayal of Petra. In its discussion of Whittier’s representation of Petra, it examines how Eurocentric dialectics and Orientalism operate in his poetic consciousness. In particular, it analyzes the main traits of his Eurocentric discourse in “The Rock in El-Ghor.” It, moreover, argues that his textual treatment of Petra, to a great extent, emphasizes his faith in Western superiority in sharp contrast to Oriental inferiority. This paper concludes with a consideration of Whittier’s involvement in Petra as being, in one way or another, a token of what might be called IntraOrientalism. Resumen: Usando el Orientalism de Said, este trabajo investiga la descripción de Petra hecha por Whittier. En sus discusiones sobre dicha representación de Petra, se examina cómo la dialéctica eurocéntrica y el orientalismo operan en su consciencia poética. Concretamente, analiza los principales rasgos de su discurso eurocéntrico en “in “The Rock in El-Ghor”. Además argumenta que su tratamiento textual de Petra, en gran medida, subraya su fe en la superioridad occidental en marcado contraste con la inferioridad oriental. Este trabajo concluye considerando que la implicación de Whittier en Petra, de una u otra manera, es una muestra de lo que podría denominarse el intra-orientalismo.

A new interpretation of the pre-Crusader phase of the site follows from the identification of a pre-Crusader rock-cut chapel. In particular, in early mediaeval time, a monastic community at al-Wu'ayra and a number of hermitic cells surrounding a central fortified coenobium preceded the later military castle keep. The Crusaders profited by the presence of a Christian fortified settlement, easy to transform into a military installation by a simple addition of a number of buildings, which are identifiable by a chrono-typology of building techniques. The new program of research which started in 2017 aims at registering, surveying, and studying various hermitic installations around the perimeter of the town in order to contextualize this early medieval phase of al-Wu'ayra in the topography of Petra and contribute to the knowledge of a 'minor' and underestimated aspect of the town in early Christian time. In fact, these monastic-hermitic settlements located in segregated spots of the peri-urban area, surviving the abandonment of the major churches of the town, can help to understand in a more realistic way the articulated forms of Christian presence and its duration until the late 19th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent discovery -- made during the 2018 campaign of the 'Medieval Petra' Mission of the University of Florence -- of the residential al-Jaya Palace at the bottom of the hill of Shawbak's 'incastellato' site is of particular relevance both for medieval and Islamic heritage in Jordan (no architecture of a comparable quality from the Ayyubid-Mamluk period has ever been found in the country) and mostly for the archaeological confirmation that underneath al-Jaya, lays the ancient medieval capital city of southern Jordan, founded by Saladin, on the same site of the castle-capital of the previous Crusader Lordship of Transjordan. This result represents a triple confirmation for the scientific program of the Mission: the productivity of the 'Light Archaeology' methodology that characterizes our approach; the real existence of the city whose foundation we had deemed to be able to propose (owing solely to the ''light' readings on the walls of the 'castle'); and the excellence of the formal level of the building -- perfectly matching the quality of the political and productive structures documented earlier in the castle -- that speaks of a cultured and refined city and of an extraordinary strategic project that can be attributed to Saladin's political intelligence. A project that gave back a new centrality to the entire southern Transjordan and started a settlement and political tradition that is the basis of modern Jordan itself (it is not accidental that the first capital of the state was Ma'an). Once the urban structure that has now appeared is understood, future research will be able to direct the excavations so as to address another great historical question which 2018 investigations have highlighted: we know the birth and begin to read the life of this extraordinary town, but when, how and why did it perish so much so that it was forgotten by history (and to be rediscovered by archaeology)? Perhaps for the first time, we will have an opportunity to study archaeologically an aspect of the historical crisis that, probably during the 15th century, engulfed the Arab-Islamic world, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest. It is an intriguing perspective to be addressed in tandem with a renewed public archaeology program: conservative restoration, social valorization, broad communication directed both to the local communities and to the international public with the implementation of the master plan 2010-14, and, finally, tourist routes connecting Shawbak with the Petra area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most interesting ancient artefacts are the lead sling bullets, especially if they have images or inscriptions. The current paper presents a very interesting lead sling bullet, originating from southwest Bulgaria (found somewhere between the villages of Ilindentsi and Gorna Gradeshnitsa, Blagoevgrad district) that was photographed in a private collection in Blagoevgrad some years ago. The lead sling bullet is almond-shaped and is much larger than the known standard sling bullets. The size and weight of this sling bullet puts it among the largest examples of such bullets that are generally rare. Only a few other items similar in size were previously known from Bulgaria, none of which, however, has inscriptions or symbols. It is particularly interesting that the sling bullet discussed here has a surviving ‘ central branch’ and uncut casting residues, i.e. it looks exactly as it was taken out of the mold. Right in the middle of the side depicting a relief thunderbolt, the Greek letters ΦΙ are visible. They are commonly found on bronze coins of Philip V as an abbreviation of his name with only the first two letters. Many numismatics examples define this lead sling bullet categorically as belonging to the Macedonian king Philip V (221–179 BC) and associate it with the campaign of this Macedonian king in the land of the Thracian tribe Maedi and the siege of their settlement Petra in 181 BC, (Livy XL, 22). The artefact discussed here underlines the important role of the sling bullets utilized by the army in the Hellenistic period. If inscribed, these objects can serve as primary sources of information for the reconstruction of some historical events.

The nature of tourism sector requires “consumer” to move to where the service is provided. Consumer’s movement to a different place leads to a direct encounter not only with service providers but also with those who live where the service is provided. This encounter results in a set of changes in the host community’s life. By using a self-completion questionnaire, this paper examined the residents’ perceptions of tourism development in Jordan’s main tourist destination, Petra. The findings suggested that the host community in Petra had positive attitudes toward tourism development in their city. The results showed that social and cultural impacts of tourism were most favored by surveyed sample. Host community is also assumed to favor tourism development for its role in bringing about better local services. The results are discussed thoroughly and directions for future research are suggested.

Scholars who have written about the city of Petra have concentrated on the history and archaeology of the city. And, while some of them have written about Nabataean religion, only few of them mentioned information about the holiness of the city; specifically, if it was worshiped as a deity. The aim of this study is to fulfil a gap in Nabataean religion in general and, in particular, re-examine the status of Petra in their religion. In addition to the archaeological evidence, such as buildings, art, and features, the study is based on written resources, such as historical sources and Nabataean inscriptions found in Petra and other cities.

Jednym z najlepiej zagospodarowanych i najczęściej odwiedzanych przez turystów krajów Bliskiego Wschodu jest Jordania. Jordania posiada wiele atrakcji turystycznych. Do najbardziej znanych i najczęściej odwiedzanych przez turystów należy skalne miasto Petra, była stolica arabskiego królestwa, miasto Nabatejczyków w południowo-zachodniej Jordanii, w którym znajduje się wiele cennych zabytków. Uprawianie turystyki zwykle ma wydźwięk pozytywny i rzadko kojarzy się z negatywnymi konsekwencjami. Podjęcie tej problematyki było związane ze wzrostem natężenia międzynarodowego ruchu turystycznego i jego niekorzystnym wpływem na zabytki i społeczność lokalną. Celem badawczym była analiza ruchu turystycznego Petry na tle wybranych atrakcji turystycznych Jordanii oraz wpływu zagrożenia, jakie niesie rozwój usług turystycznych oferowanych w tym regionie, na zabytki architektury i zamieszkujące Petrę plemiona beduińskie.

This paper analyses and discusses marble found at the Roman site of Udhruh in southern Jordan. Marble is highly valued in Roman culture, and while its use in architecture was widespread across the empire, there were only a relatively few high quality sources. Southern Jordan was not one of these, and so Udhruh's marble was sufficiently highly regarded to be transported into the region from distant sources. Marble from the site was studied and then sampled followed by petrological, mineralogical, and geochemical investigation techniques to identify the possible source of marble. Results indicate that Udhruh's marble is quite hard calcitic marble exhibits exhibit xenoblastic texture, and the chemical composition indicates marble quarries in Greece with a probable contribution from Petra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the interrelationship between English used on signs and materiality in the linguistic landscape (LL) of a touristic Jordanian town, Petra. Its aim is to analyze how the materials that signs are made of reflect recurrent practices of identity formation and numerous socio-cultural norms in the Jordanian tourism context. The signs were first coded according to language, and then categorized within the framework of material practices enacted by sign designers. The results show that signs written on stone and metal surfaces often displaying English in uppercase letters and replicating governmental practices convey a sense of quality, continuity and permanence within economic and tourism-centered ideologies and polices; the visibility of English painted on wooden board signs is evidence of the creativity further manifested in block capitals to denote a sense of freshness and newness; signs printed and hand-written on paper often appearing in uppercase letters manifest the dynamic nature of the LL, ensuring the flow of special offers and even linguistic and non-linguistic changes; most remarkably, monolingual English signs painted inside sand bottles symbolize important environmental, historical, and cultural information on the ancient city of Petra, which contributes significantly to the popularity of Petra as a worldwide tourist destination among members of the tourist population, particularly the international visitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the establishment of the Nabatean capital city ca. 300 B.C, stone craftsmen must have needed immense quantities of metal tools to carve the many and huge monuments of Petra. Though many researchers agreed that large metal consumption relates to the carving of the rock city, the enigma about the source of the metal and metal tools is still never fully understood. Surveys at the central area of the world cultural heritage site of Petra in Southern Jordan revealed evidence of what may be the first known metal smelting locality or workshop associated with the Nabatean occupation of Petra. In an area close to the famous Sextius Florentinus tomb, a thick layer on the surface testifying debris with ash, charcoal, slag, and junks of raw material related to smelting activities was found. Surface mapping and analyses of the exposed wall structures indicate a special construction in this area that is different from the regular habitation areas in the site. Samples from the site, potential raw material sources, and finished objects from excavations were analyzed using mainly Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Electron Beam Microanalysis Energy Dispersion (EDS) to produce valuable elements for samples comparison. Other methods like X-ray radiography, XRF, XRD analyses and general metallographic studies, were employed too. The mineralogical structure of the slag indicates medium to high furnace temperatures. Elements present in the analyzed samples indicate that the ore used was probably mined from the nearby hematite and manganese rich layers and veins of the local sandstone rocks at Wadi Al Mataha at the ancient city's fringes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site investigation was made in order to assess and evaluate the existing structural conditions of Qasr al-Bint. The damage and deterioration forms of the structure were mapped and represented by schematic drawings and pictures and their causes were defined. A conservation program is suggested in order to preserve the artistic and historical values of this monument and to strengthen it against any possible earthquake in the future. The conservation program must utilize the same materials and suitable techniques used locally. The program must restore the horizontal diaphragms of the floor over the interior section and the roof of the whole building and ensure that these diaphragms are well interconnected to the walls. The conservation program must provide adequate reinforced concrete tie beams at the middle third of the wall thickness and below the horizontal diaphragms. These tie beams can be arranged in a two-dimensional grid along the wall lines and can be wrapped by polystyrene or isolation sheets to protect the sandstones from any adverse effects that may result from the concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an effective and time-saving strategy for groundwater exploration in alluvium basins in arid-semiarid lands was applied by integrating GIS and geophysics. Three steps were followed to locate productive local groundwater aquifers prone to annual recharge in the Region of Petra, which covers an area of 800 km². In the first step, geological, structural and geomorphological knowledge was applied to determine the parts of the sedimentary basin having potentials of being local groundwater aquifers. Some locality of the selected area with suitable hydrological conditions for recharge was chosen for an optimization process using GIS. In the second step, the selected locality of the basin was given emphasize on its detailed geology and hydrology to choose suitable locality for applying gravity visualization. Evaluation of this data leads to step number three. Now at localities with promising conditions vertical electrical soundings was applied to enable the authors to determine productive and renewable groundwater aquifers. As it is known that geophysical methods are considered as expensive and time-consuming work, therefore, in this strategy of groundwater surveying a special attention is given to budgets of time, efforts and funds constraints Resumen En este estudio se aplicó una estrategia efectiva y eficaz para la exploración de aguas subterráneas en cuencas con depósitos aluviales para terrenos áridos y semiáridos a través de la integración del Sistema de Información Geográfica (GIS, inglés) y herramientas geofísicas. Se siguieron tres pasos para localizar acuíferos locales de aguas subterráneas propensos a las recargas anuales en la región de Petra, que cubre un área de 800 km2. En el primer paso se aplicó el conocimiento teórico para determinar las partes de la cuenca sedimentaria con el potencial de ser un acuífero local de aguas subterráneas. Se escogió una de las localidades del área seleccionada con condiciones hidrológicas apropiadas de recarga para un proceso de optimización con el GIS. En el segundo paso se hizo énfasis en la geología e hidrología detallada de la localidad seleccionada de la cuenca para así escoger un lugar apropiado para la aplicación del método de visualización gravitacional. La evaluación de los datos condujo el estudio al tercer paso. Se realizaron sondeos eléctricos en los lugares con evidencias para permitirle a los autores determinar los depósitos de aguas subterráneas productivos y renovables. Si bien los métodos geofísicos son considerados costosos y demandantes de tiempo, con esta estrategia de exploración de aguas subterráneas se hizo un énfasis especial a los presupuestos de tiempo, esfuerzo y limitaciones de fondos.

The aim of this paper is to shed some light on the period of Petra’s passage from paganism to Christianity, which saw the deterioration of pagan beliefs and the struggle for survival between paganism and Christianity. The recognition of Christianity as the official religion of the Byzantine Empire in 313 AD did not mean that paganism had disappeared from Petra. In fact, most of the Nabataean temples in the city remained open until the second half of the 4th century AD, when the city was hit by the earthquake of 363. It was this event that had the greatest impact on the abandoning of the city’s temples, such as the Temple of the Winged Lions, the Temple of Qasr el-Bent and the Great Temple. The historical and archaeological evidence confirms the construction of a number of churches in Petra, which received considerable attention from the Christian clergy and the administration of the city during the 5th and 6th centuries AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars who have written about the city of Petra have concentrated on the history and archaeology of the city. And, while some of them have written about Nabataean religion, only few of them mentioned information about the holiness of the city; specifically, if it was worshiped as a deity. The aim of this study is to fulfil a gap in Nabataean religion in general and, in particular, re-examine the status of Petra in their religion. In addition to the archaeological evidence, such as buildings, art, and features, the study is based on written resources, such as historical sources and Nabataean inscriptions found in Petra and other cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra is characterized by a spectacular geo-archaeological landscape that lead to its inscription as World Heritage Site in 1985. Petra is also a fragile site facing a wide diversity of risks, ranging from those posed by environmental factors as well as those attributed to tourism. In recent years, hazardous natural phenomena were registered as increasingly impacting the site and most specifically the 'Siq', a 1.2 km naturally formed gorge serving as the only tourist entrance to the archaeological park, posing a major threat to cultural heritage and visitors. These recent events have prompted UNESCO Amman Office, in cooperation with the national authorities, to develop a strategy towards prevention and mitigation of instability phenomena at the 'Siq' and thus, further contribute to the management and conservation of the site through the implementation of the multi-year Italian funded "Siq Stability " project Actions have been primarily focusing on the analysis of the stability conditions of the 'Siq' slopes, the installation of an integrated monitoring system and the definition and implementation of mitigation measures against rock instability. This paper reports a detailed description of the integrated monitoring system installed paying particular attention on the wireless monitoring devices and the EASA applications, which proved to be some of the most successful systems implemented in the framework of the project. Some preliminary results regarding the data retrieved, policies applied and actions taken to ensure longterm sustainability and capacity development of the national authorities are also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]