On Friday, we took another little field trip. About two or so miles down the road, there’s a site called “Little Petra”, because that’s essentially what it is. There’s also a site called Beda, which is the earliest Neolithic site in this area. It dates from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A and B, which means it was first built around 6,000 BC. All that remains are the stone foundations to most of the buildings, such a craftman workshops, houses, and a shrine. It was pretty cool that it was still in such amazing condition, despite being about 8,000 years old.

Little Petra was really fun. For one thing, there weren’t as many tourists (though there were still Bedouin trying to sell us jewelry). It’s all in one narrow little canyon, but it’s really pretty. Entering through what Allison, Brittany and I termed the “Little Siq”, you emerge to see some beautifully carved tombs on either side of this canyon. In one of the rooms, which was used as a banqueting hall, the Nabateans had painted leaves and grape bunches and flowers… And you can still see them today. They’re fading fast, but it’s absolutely amazing that it’s survived 2,000 years!

There are tombs and cisterns everywhere, and all over the cliffs you see the cut channels that bring in the water. It was actually pretty green, there was grass in some spots, and trees and big bushes with fuschia pink flowers. Steeply carved stairs led you close to the tops of the cliffs. Those were pretty fun to climb =] On one, I was having trouble getting from the ground up to the initial ledge, so my friend Caleb leaned down to give me a hand. He literally pulled me straight up and onto the ledge. I was impressed! Climbing them, I was reminded of the stairs south of campus that I walk up every school day—steep and endless. The stairs usually went up to where the water came in and pooled before cascading down the channels to the pools belows. Commenting on one of the bigger pools, which has filled in with dirt and sand and trees over the years, Dr. Johnson said if I had stood up straight in it, I probably would have been totally submerged.

This whole place was designed for the tombs, to be a sacred place for the Nabateans. I love that they took such care to make their holy places so beautiful. It reminded me of how care we put into our temples and the landscape around it. Also, to the Nabateans, water symbolized life. That they had so much water flowing where they placed their dead and where they practiced their religious rituals is fairly significant. Again, I draw parallels between these ancient people and today. No wonder Christ compared himself to water. Water, especially in this landscape of the Holy Land, is life. Without it nothing grows, nothing lives; it just turns to barren, empty dust. But when you bring in the water, there is a rebirth; that which was once wilted suddenly blossoms and thrives. Water brings strength, and makes you clean. Is it any wonder that almost every religion around the world uses water to symbolize something like this?

Somewhat appropriate thoughts since Friday is also the day we have church. I do really like our little Sacrament meetings, I think they bring our group so much closer together. Plus it’s the one time a week we all get to look nice, haha.

Today I’ve been cataloging all the bones we (meaning me and my partner Jordyn) have dug up so far in our cist. It took us 3 hours to do the first bag, and we still have plenty more to go!

I’ve added pictures of me digging and of our field trip to my Facebook album. Let me know if you have problems seeing it!