The Ad-Deir Monument and Plateau in Petra: UAV/Drone Mapping and New Theories Concerning Functions and Importance

Dr. Cynthia Finlayson
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Brigham Young University

Tuesday 29 April 2014 at 6:00pm
Reception to Follow

About the Lecture

Dr. Finlayson is leading the Ad-Deir Monument and Plateau Project to map scientifically the Monastery at Petra, also known as the Ad-Deir Monument, and the surrounding Ad-Deir Plateau. Finlayson’s team launched a UAV/drone flight over the Ad-Deir Plateau in 2013. The aerial images gleaned from this process were detailed and revealed previously unknown archaeological elements on the Plateau. Utilizing GPS, her team created an accurate map and data log linked to low altitude aerial photography in the Petra Archaeological Park.
The long-term goals of the project include the study and restoration of selected Nabataean water containment and control features on the Plateau necessary for the conservation of critical archaeological elements in this region of Petra and also as a model for the study and restoration of renewable water resources for the Petra Archaeological Park and Region. Click here for lecture announcement as .pdf.

About the Lecturer

Dr. Cynthia Finlayson is an Associate Professor in the Anthropology Department of Brigham Young University in Utah. She has worked extensively in archaeology in Syria and Jordan. She served recently as the director of the Syro-American Expeditions to Palmyra and Apamea and also directed the Brigham Young University/Syrian Department of Antiquities Projects at the Azem Palace in Damascus. Her current field work is in Petra. She teaches ancient, classical, and Islamic archaeology at Brigham Young University as well as courses in museum studies
Dr. Finlayson has a Ph.D. in Archaeology from the University of Iowa (1998), and an M.A. (1984) and a B.A. (1974) from George Washington University.