Why P.J.Cherian chose Dr. Derek Kennet for Pattanam ?

 

 

 Nabateans were occupants of territory east and southwest of the Dead Sea. They were important in the  inter testamental and New Testamental Periods. These  ethnic communities in Biblical literature have been linked  with Pattanam by P.J.Cherian. Now Cherian has picked up Dr. Derek Kennet for archaeological studies on Pattanam  Why?

 The British Museum conducted a seminar on NABATEANS on 28-30 July 2011 in which Dr. Derek Kennet  was in the steering Committee

The Nabataeans in focusOrganizer: Dr Lucy Wadeson (University of Oxford)
The last few years have seen a significant intensification of archaeological activity in the environs of Petra. New projects, such as in Wadi Farasa, the Outer Siq, Umm el Biyara, and the various necropoleis and cultic areas of the surrounding mountains are particularly important in enhancing knowledge of the social, religious and funerary activities of the Nabataeans and their relation to the topography of the city, its urban core and how it functioned. This session aims to bring together key projects in order to gain a new understanding of how different areas of the city functioned, how they relate to one another and what original ideas they reveal about Nabataean culture, society and the urban development of Petra. The key questions that the session will tackle include: How did Petra’s natural environment influence the Nabataean architectural and sculptural style, urban planning, carving and construction techniques, and more social factors such as religious rituals and burial practices? How should we define the Nabataean cultural identity, which is only now being appreciated as something distinct from better-known surrounding cultures in the region? How do aspects of Petra’s urban, religious and funerary landscape relate to other cities and settlements in the territory of the Nabataeans and wider region? The latter question will engage with the topic of the Special Lecture that is to be delivered by Dr Laila Nehmé at the conference. In addition, this session will act as a platform to promote discussion of the various methodological approaches taken in archaeological projects related to the Nabataeans in the face of limited literary sources and debates over chronology. This will raise important questions concerning the direction in which future archaeological activity at Petra should be going

 

MBI Al Jaber Foundation Public Lecture

‘From the capital of Petra to the provincial city of Hegra: new insights on the Nabataeans’

 

 

 

Steering & Editorial Committee of the Seminar for Arabian Studies

Dr Robert Carter (Chair), Dr Ardle Mac Mahon (Secretary), Andrew Thompson (Treasurer), Janet Starkey (Editor-in-Chief of the Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies), Professor Khaleel Al-Muaikel, Professor Alessandra Avanzini, Dr Mark Beech, Dr Nadia Durrani, Dr Ricardo Eichmann, Professor Clive Holes, Dr Robert G. Hoyland, Dr Derek Kennet, Michael C.A. Macdonald, Dr Venetia Porter, Professor Dan Potts, Professor Christian Robin, Dr St. John Simpson, Professor Janet Watson & Dr Lloyd Weeks.

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