ABSTRACT
Over a dozen years have passed since the discovery of more than 150 rolls of papyrus in a room attached to a Byzantine church in Petra in December of 1993. These texts were poorly preserved because they were carbonized in a fire that severely damaged the church and adjoining rooms. Since the discovery scholars have concentrated on the difficult tasks of conserving and reconstructing the papyri. Despite their poor condition, many rolls have yielded enough continuous text to warrant publication, while some fragmentary pieces have provided useful snippets of information. Recently the publication proper of the papyri began: one volume of documents has already appeared (P. Petra I), two more are nearly finished, and a fourth volume is planned for the next couple of years.
