Bettany Hughes: Treasures Of JordanMarch 19, 2023

Award-winning historian Professor Bettany Hughes OBE explores the artistic and cultural wonders of Jordan. A strategic crossing point for East and West, Jordan has been the centre of great civilisations throughout human history. In the rock-cut city of Petra, capital of the little-known Nabateans, Bettany uncovers wonders off the beaten track, including a luxury Nabatean mansion, exquisite 2000-year-old frescoes and a mysterious snake pyramid. Discovering the well-preserved Roman city of Jerash, Bettany reports on brand new archaeology which reveals the tragic story of an earthquake that struck the city in the early Islamic era.  With unique access to the excavation's findings, Bettany learns how this diverse city never recovered from the devastating natural disaster and sees first-hand the toll of the quake, including a damaged house and smashed skeleton of one of its young occupants.

Bettany Hughes: Treasures Of Jordan was broadcast on SBS ONE at Sunday 19 March 2023, 08:33.