Petra - Roman Soldier Tomb

A little further on, at the top of a short flight of stairs, the path opens out to form a courtyard in front of another unusual tomb.

It is known as the Soldier Tomb from the headless and legless statue of a soldier wearing a cuirass in the central of the three niches on the façade.

As this was a well known uniform for a high-ranking Roman officer, it was at first assumed that the tomb was carved after the Roman annexation of Nabataea in AD 106. But the uniform is the only Roman thing about it. 

Stylistic considerations, such as the design of the frieze and pediment above the entrance, and the floral capitals, have led to a reassessment of its date to the first half of the first century AD. Even alone the tomb is impressive. With its triclinium opposite, linked by a handsome colonnaded courtyard, it was clearly the burial place of a man of considerable distinction.