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| from ARPA def of Archeological Resource |
Walking up the 600+ stair-steps from the Street of Facades to the High Place of Sacrifice I saw that Mohammed had recently (since Spring) been there and inscribed his name on the wall for all to see. As the “kid from the kennel” I also found myself noting the donkey-droppings on the steps, and as we passed the French nun and her two companions up towards the ceremonial features, I wondered about the history of animal and human waste here. The archaeologist in me wondered if human coprolites had been discovered. I’ll need to check that out. As our former New Mexico State Archaeologist Dr. Glenna Dean (who did her dissertation research on cave coprolites in west Texas [yes, “she know her s… stuff”]) will tell you: much good information about diet and environmental conditions can be gleaned from their study.
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| Modern Water Closet (oriental style) |
Due to trade routes and influences from the cardinal directions (in this case east) I’m thinking that animal and human wastes were probably recycled onto fields and plots- even some for non-food production (flowers). We know that human materials were used further east in Asia (urine can be diluted and re-used in a non Aron Ralston manner to further your agricultural water supply: I saw this a couple of days ago at Mahmoud’s home in Um Sayhoun where grey-water and other waste fluids are used to irrigate edible (like chili- green & red) and decorative plants. Certainly see the western/Euro-type and far eastern Asian type toilets here (again I ask: east of what? Seems like a European Colonial perspective). So, it is reasonable that fertilizing practices made its way over the trails millennia ago (one direction, or the other, or both [seems feasible]). Plus, there were the Minoans (Crete) that had "waste water" system toilets pre-classic Petra, and they were relatively in-the-neighborhood.
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| Looking down from High Place |
I picture pits and pallets of composting materials that are hauled to the fields terraced in front of/below buildings that lined the floodplains of the wadis. We met, and talked with Justin Bedard (archaeologist with URS Corp. from the Washington DC area) at the High Place; we discussed cultural landscapes, districts, sites & monuments, but didn’t get to the important “poop” of sanitation and organic agricultural practices (being in awe of funerary facades). Until next time… “and be careful out there…”
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| Siq-road-cane-kitty |
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