Carbonized scrolls

6th century A.D.

ACOR, Amman, Jordan

Dr. Patricia Bikai, associate director of ACOR, shows us some of the original carbonized scroll material that was discovered at Petra Church. The scrolls were charred in a fire, but remarkably, can still be read (although with considerable effort). They contain the legal records – deeds, taxes, marriages, etc. – of an affluent family of land owners in Petra, providing a unique window into the social and economic life of the time.