Virtual Program

Nestled in a mountainous basin in a remote, rugged corner of Jordan lies the magnificent ruins of the ancient city of Petra, recently named one of the “New Seven Wonder of the Ancient World.”  This richly illustrated PowerPoint presentation, incorporating photographs taken during my own archaeological excavation work and subsequent travels at the site, takes the audience on a virtual tour of this “lost” city that dates back more than 2,000 years.  Famed for its tombs and monuments, including a Roman theater capable of seating as many as 8,500 people, literally carved out of the mountains of sandstone, Petra served for a time as one of the major trading centers of the ancient world.  It served also as a backdrop for a scene in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”  Petra was abandoned after a series of earthquakes in about 400 AD and was not “rediscovered” until 1812.  This virtual desert journey holds a special place for me, focusing on my personal archaeological training in Jordan.  Our journey also includes stops in nearby Wadi Rum, the spectacular canyon where portions of the famous movie, “Lawrence of Arabia,” were filmed, and at Aqaba, Jordan’s resort on the Red Sea.

About the presenter: Stephen R. Phillips, Ph.D., is the Curatorial Research Coordinator in the Egyptian Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Dr. Phillips earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in the fields of biological anthropology, archaeology, and Egyptology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is listed with the Register of Professional Archaeologists.  He has traveled extensively and participated in a wide range of archaeological excavations for more than 25 years, including fieldwork at Petra, Jordan; near Bordeaux in southwestern France; and in Egypt - at the Great Pyramids and at Saqqara.  He is the Archaeological Site Supervisor and Biological Anthropologist for the Cairo University-Brown University Expedition in the Great Western Cemetery at Giza. He is also a professional guide for American tour groups to Egypt.  Dr. Phillips specializes in the study of human origins, human skeletal biology, ancient Egyptian mummies and mummification, archaeology and Egyptology. 

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This presentation will be held online via Zoom.  Register and receive program link by entering your information below.  Any questions?  Contact DeAnne O'Brien at dobrien@ivpl.org.