Quantifying Chronological Inconsistencies of Archaeological Sites in the Petra Area

Numerous archaeological surveys have already contributed to the research of the surroundings of the ancient Nabataean capital Petra (Jordan). The provided dataset forms the basis for further studies on the landscape organization of the Petraean hinterland. However, a reevaluation of the data revealed, in some cases, greatly differing and inconsistently defined chronological specifications of archaeological sites. Researching the general landscape organization of spatial strategies in the Petraean hinterland throughout time, such fundamental inconsistencies within the core archaeological dataset is a very critical methodological issue that needs to be addressed before following up larger research questions. This contribution therefore quantifies such uncertain chronological information and aims at offering definitions of the evidenced cultural periods that make the chronological uncertainties inherent to the base dataset transparent for future research.