The ancient Middle Eastern city of Petra, Neanderthals and herbal medicine are topics explored in the upcoming Munro Lectures. The lecture series will see international scholars unearth a variety of matters in the field of archaeology and anthropology. Spotlight on Petra Petra in present day Jordan - famous for its architecture and use as a location in the Hollywood film, Indiana Jones the Last Crusade - is the focus for next Munro Lecture. Archaeologist Dr Zbigniew Fiema from the Academy of Finland will explore Petra in late antiquity (4th-7th centuries AD). Dr Fiema will describe the reconstruction of the city and how some of its most significant monuments - such as the Petra Church and the Monastery of St Aaron - came into being. He will also give details of the Petra Papyri - archive documents dating back to the sixth century AD that were discovered in the Byzantine church at Petra in 1993. Petra in Late Antiquity Thursday 24 October 2013, 4.15pm Thursday 24 October 2013, 5.15pm Meadows Lecture Theatre, Medical School, West Side, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG Upcoming Munro Lectures Katerina Harvati, Professor of Paleoanthropology at the University of Tübingen, will deliver a lecture on the extinction of Neanderthals, the appearance of modern humans in Europe, and the possible interactions between the two. Neanderthals and Modern Human Origins Monday 24 March 2014, 5.15pm Monday 24 March 2014, 6.15pm St Cecilia's Hall, Niddry Street, Cowgate, Edinburgh, EH1 1NQ In 2014, Professor Judith Farquhar from the University of Chicago will explore the use of produce taken from forests as medicinal commodities and how these could impact on global wealth and health. Commodities Etcetera Friday 20 June 2014, 5.30pm Friday 20 June 2014, 6.30pm George Square Lecture Theatre, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LK Related links Munro Lectures overview Publication date 15 Oct, 2015
