The formation of an Arab kingdom in the Hellenized Orient: The development of Petra, the shaping of the hinterland and the control of the resources

Within the framework of a joint German-French research project the specialists dealing with the ancient city of Petra and its surroundings (situated in southern Jordan) shall focus on the early stages of the Nabataean installation and occupation of that region during approximately the 4th to 1st c. BC, under special consideration of the natural setting within the rocky area below the Jabal ash-Shara. These joint German-French investigations shall allow to collect a maximum of the available data (being the result of archaeological excavation, archaeological and geographic surveys), to explore them with a common standard and to complete them with joint excavations and surveys what can be done, at least partially, within the frame of already existing and planned projects.