Survey The Dig

The first week of the dig included the job of doing a survey of the dig site. All of us took our turn with the equipment. Our starting point was several survey markers placed by official surveyor's when the dig began. Then we checked the markers placed by the previous dig team.

Only then were we ready to set the markers for our dig.

I chuckle to  notice how clean and fresh our clothes were. That was about to change when we started digging in the dirt.

Digging In Petra for missing pieces

As I look at this picture that I took in 2002 I remember the excitement we felt after we found this column stone in this place. This was actually the base for the column that once stood there. We did not however find the rest of the column so the question is "What happened to it?"

This is not all that was missing. Most of the stones that made up the walls were also gone. But where?

In 363 AD an earthquake shook Petra and this temple shook apart. By that time most of the people in Petra had converted to the new religion, Christianity. Just up the hill from this temple is a big Christian Church That was built some years after the big earthquake. The fact that there were a lot of precut stones just down the hill was attractive to the builders. Much of the old crumbled pagan temple became part of the Christian Church in Petra.

That practice happened all over the Roman empire.

Da Vinci

My darling and I visited the Frazier History Museum on Friday to see a temporary exhibit called “Da Vinci – The Genius.”

This exhibit has models of many of the machines that Da Vinci drew in h is note books. I have seen the pictures in books but it is a very different experience to view them physically. For most exhibits there are signs that tell us not to touch but this one has a group of his inventions that are hands on and we were invited to not only touch but operate. Can I say THRILLED!

If you get a chance to see this exhibit when it visits a museum near you GO! It is worth the time, effort and money.