Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans

by Jane Taylor

The Nabataean Arabs, one of the most gifted peoples of the ancient world, are today known only for their hauntingly beautiful rock-carved capital - Petra, a magnificent city carved out of the mountains, and one of the most breath-taking achievements of the ancient world. Yet they were famous in their day - Herod the Great and his sons, and a kaleidoscope of Roman emperors and generals were keenly aware of this powerful and wealthy trading kingdom. The Nabateans became inspired patrons of the arts, creating some of the most sublime and perfectly individual architecture of the time, not only at Petra, but over much of the Middle East. This richly illustrated book recounts the story of a remarkable but lost civilization. It tells of their nomadic origins, the development of their rich culture in Jordan, Syria, Arabia, Sinai and the Negev, their relations with their more famous neighbours and the demise of their kingdom at the hands of the Romans.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Middle East, Travel, Archaeology

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2002

About the author

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Reviews

[AskHistorians]

Sumptuously illustrated, deeply researched, and an extremely good introduction to a major Arabic-speaking society of the ancient world.

[Fadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond the remarkable tenacity and durability of the Nabataens, typified by their rock-carved art and building facades in the midst of an ocean of near-barren land, little is conventionally known about this old kingdom which stood at the crossroads of the western world, metaphorically and literally.

Taylor takes us back in time to the early southern Arabian kingdoms, notably the Minaeans, Sabaeans, Hadhramut and Qataban, where the nomadic lifestyle had been superseded by cities built on the wealth of the land. Southern Arabia yielded the precious frankincense and myrrh which found aromatic, funerary and religious use in communities stretching from India to the western periphery of the Roman Empire. The Nabataens in northern Arabia, having spread out over an area across the Saudi, Syrian and Jordanian borders, utilised their intimate knowledge of the land, areas which were difficult for irregular travellers and possessing water sources invisible to the naked eye, to transport the caravans at a faster rate and profit off tariffs and excuse taxes in the ports and hubs they controlled. Even the emperor Augustus ordered an expedition into the Arabian interior with a Nabataen guide at the helm, a necessity without which many Romans would have perished from exhaustion and dehydration. Leader such as Obayd (Obodas) and Harith (Aretas) would spend the next century navigating Roman politics to ensure the prosperity of their kingdom.

Nabataen architecture developed a unique style from the fact that it was a blend of all the cultures that they traded with directly. While Nabataen sites are spread out over the land they controlled, it is the capital, Petra and Hegera, in Saudi Arabia, which possess the finest examples of Nabataen art and religious culture. The rock-face tombs and temples would employ either Assyrian cornices, like in Mada'in Saleh, or Greco-Roman pediments, like the so-called Khazneh in Petra (despite the evidence pointing to it being a temple dedicated to the cult of the dead), columns crowned with plain, Corinthian or even elephant head capitals, Greco-Roman metopes to add further decorations above the door posts and lastly, indigenous hydraulic engineering to prevent flooding in water and divert that precious water to cisterns. Their religion was less prone to assimilation, prefer to maintain the unique featureless iconography of their local deities as slender stone blocks alongside the inherited anthropomorphic deities of the Greco-Roman world. Similarly, their native old Arabic dialect was supplemented with Aramaic in order to facilitate trade with speakers of different Arabic dialects and foreigners from across the ocean.

That such a nation left behind so much grand, ornamental attestation of their existence is testament to their values, preferring to engage in business and building rather than war and enmity. The Greeks learned this the hard way, and rightly so given their treacher, and their Herodian rivals dying out before them. Eventually, the state was absorbed peacefully into the Roman Empire under Trajan. This is not a hint at their weakness but the direction in which the empire was headed, troublesome client states were conquered and friendly client states were left to Rome in the wills of their kings as in the case of Pergamum. Perhaps this is what happened with Rabbel since the commemoration on Roman coinage states that Nabataea was not "captured" as with Armenia, Egypt and Mesopotamia, but "acquired".

[Jocelyn Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and all of the color photos are great history. Ms Taylor can write well and she is keeping me riveted on the ancient history of the Nabateans and their wondrous city, Petra. Coupling Roman history, the Judeans and the tribe of Nabateans, this book is terrific. It's suspenseful and concise. It's a real find.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book for holiday prep.
Helped to have read it before visiting the sites. My copy from Amazon was a self published edition - the photos reproduction was very poor - should have bought a good second hand copy

[Scilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in preparation for our trip to Petra in March. It was very informative about the Nabataeans, who built Petra, and their history. The photos in the book were gorgeous, although some parts were very slow reading.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, with many wonderful photographs.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always interested by the rise and fall of empires. The Nabataeans were powerful, creative and the masters of all they surveyed. And, poof the were gone.

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome detailed account of the area and it's history. The book to read if you want to know it ALL. Gorgeous photos. Read this before you go so you will know what hidden treasures to look for.

[Julia Simpson-Urrutia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating and dreamy. I used it to write a new story and can't believe I lived so close without seeing the Nabataean trade route.