ABSTRACT
The archaeological site of Petra remains one of Jordan’s most recognized tourist destinations; however, surprisingly little is known about the city’s ancient inhabitants, particularly those of the Byzantine period. Three American Center of Oriental Research-sponsored projects 1 sought to rectify this gap by exploring Byzantine-period ecclesiastical complexes on a large hillside to the north of the Petra’s main colonnaded street (the ‘North Ridge’) from 1992–2002. Situated on the upper half of the North Ridge’s southern slope, the Petra Church, the Blue Chapel, and the Ridge Church, with their associated artifacts, attest to the presence of a dynamic post-4th-century population at the site and the Church’s prominent role in southern Jordan.
