Petra | Pottery

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Apart from the magnificent architecture of the tombs and temples, the great artistic achievements of the Nabataeans lies in their pottery, produced in large quantities, shreds found all over the area.

As we saw, the make of pottery may be a skill the nomadic Nabataeans learned from the Edomites. Apart from the coarse everyday ware, Nabataeans pottery distinguished by the thinness of it's walls, which were sometimes only 1.5 mm thick. It was a pinkish/red color, often decorated by hand with dark-brown flower and leaf designs.

The typical eggshell, shallow open bowls they produced are difficult to make on the potters wheel, showing how skilled their craftworkers were. A kiln recently excavated at Wadi Mosa suggesting that Petra itself was a center of production. The quality of this pottery declined from the late 3rd century AD onwards, maybe because of larger scale production.

Petra Guide: Before the Nabataeans | Beidha | The Edomites | The Nabataeans | Farming | Caravan City | The Nabataean Language | Religion | Houses | Pottery | Prosperity and Decline | Christianity and After | Aaron's Tomb Petra |Tourist Information