Nabataeans

Nabataeans: an Arabian nation in modern Jordan; their capital was Petra.

Prehistory
An Arab. Relief from the East Stairs of the Apadana, Persepolis
PIC 1
Among the oldest references to Arabs in what is now Jordan is the account of the battle of
Qarqar in 853 BCE, in which the Assyrian king almanasser III claims to have conquered
a coalition of Syrian rulers. It may have been a defeat, actually, but the operations at
Qarqar opened the road to what is now called Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. After
this, Assyrian texts several times refer to Aribi, which by the time of Tiglath-Pileser III
(ruled 745-727) appears to have been a regular payer of tribute. The first reference to
Arabs of the Nabataean tribe, which may have lived as nomadic pastoralists near Hegra
(modern Mada'in Salih in the northwest of Saudi Arabia), dates to the seventh century.
The Biblical book of Genesis mentions a son of Ishmael called Nebajoth, which has been
taken as a reference to the Arabian tribe,note but although this identification is
ancient,note it is by no means certain.
The Assyrians annexed Israel and converted Ammon, Moab, Judah, and Edom into vassal
states. Later, when the Babylonians had seized power in the eastern empire, the vassal
states became provinces: Judah in 587, Ammon and Moab in 582, while Edom was
conquered in 553 by king Nabonidus.note He proceeded further to the south, to the
Arabian town Tma and beyond, eventually reaching Iatribu (modern Medina).
It is possible that the story was more complex. From several sources, like the Bible and
an ostracon from Arad, we can deduce that after 586, the Edomites infiltrated southern
Judah, and it is possible that Nabonidus' action was directed against the Edomites. He
may have discovered that the Edomites were, in their turn, under pressure from the
Nabataeans. This is speculation, but it may explain why he proceeded to Tma, and why,
in the end, we find the Nabataeans living in what had once been called Edom, and why
the Edomites moved to southern Judah.
The next reference to Arabs in southern Palestine and western Jordan comes from the
Greek researcher Herodotus, who tells us that the Persian king Cambyses did not subdue
the Arabs when he attacked Egypt in 525 BCE, but concluded an alliance, in which the
Arabian leader promised send supplies to the Persian army.note Herodotus also tells that
in his own age, the mid-fifth century, Gaza was an Arabian town: interesting evidence for
the expansion of the Arabs.
The alliance quickly came to an end, because Cambyses' successor Darius I the Great
mentions Arabs as subjects in the Behistun inscription,note which was completed in
521/520. There are no indications that the Arabs were no loyal subjects of later Persian

kings. If the Biblical "Nebajoth" does indeed refer to the Nabataeans, Isaiah's remark that
they could sacrifice in Jerusalemnote is evidence for the peaceful times.
Rise
We have now seen how the Arabs came to live in what had always been called Edom.
Much of this reconstruction is speculative. We reach more certainty in the late fourth
century, after the Macedonian king Alexander the Great had conquered the Achaemenid
empire (between 335 and 323). The Nabataeans were now a recognizable political entity
with international contacts. This can be deduced from Diodorus,note who tells how king
Antigonus I Monophthalmus, one of Alexander's successors, tried to subdue the
Nabataeans - in vain. The unsuccessful operations must have had something to do with
Antigonus' attempt to invade Egypt, which had been foiled in the battle of Gaza in 312; it
seems that the Nabataeans had become an Egyptian ally, and needed to be suppressed if
Antigonus wanted to give his invasion plan a second try. Incidentally, it may be noted that
one of his officers was Hieronymus of Cardia, a historian, whose description of
Nabataean customs has come down to us (here).
In the next centuries, several authors refer to the Nabataeans, and we can see how they
were becoming increasingly sedentary and integrated in the larger world. For example, 1
Maccabeesnote describes how the Jewish leader Jonathan could, in 160 BCE, seek help
from a group of allied Nabataeans.note
Gradually, the Nabataeans expanded their territories, especially benefiting from the
demise of the Seleucid Empire. Their expansion is, in this aspect, similar to that of the
Jewish state of the Hasmonaean dynasty. A difference is that the Nabataeans developed
land in the Negev desert, where terraces, cisterns, and dams served to trap water. Similar
projects are not known from the
The Nabataean Kingdom
A Nabataean capital from the Nabataean Gate in Bosra (Syria)
A Nabataean capital from the Nabataean Gate in Bosra (Syria)
In 63, however, the ways parted. While the Roman commander Pompey the Great
annexed the last remains of the Seleucid Empire and subdued the Jews (more...), the
Nabataeans remained an independent ally. As a consequence, the process of Hellenization
was slower in Arabia Nabataea than in Judaea or the Seleucid towns united in the
Decapolis. As Rome's ally, the Nabataean king Obodas III supported the Roman
expedition to Yemen in 25, which ended in disaster. Obodas' military adviser Syllaeus
was conveniently accused of treason and executed.noteFuneral inscription of Itaybel
Funeral inscription of Itaybel
The Nabataean kingdom was quite large. In the north, it controlled Bosra in Syria, and
even, though briefly, Damascus. To the south, Hegra (Mada'in Salih) was within the
Nabataean frontiers, just like the nearby oasis of Al-Ula, and the port of Leuke Kome. In
the east, the Nabataean king controlled several oases (Tma, Hayil, and Dawmat alJandal), while in the west, its neighbor was the Jewish kingdom of Herod the Great and

his sons, whose realms were later incorporated in the Roman Empire. The capital of the
Nabataean kingdom was Petra, but there were many other towns: in the west,
Rhinocolura (Al-Arish) and Gaza, in the heartland Bozra and Madaba, while the towns of
the Decapolis were at least temporarily or partly under Nabataean control.
Aretas I
c.169 BCE
Erotimus
c.110-c.100
Aretas II
c.110-96
Obodas I
96-87
Rabbel I
87
Aretas III the Philhellene
87-62
Obodas II
62-60
Malichus I
60-30
Obodas III
30-9 BCE
Aretas IV Who Loves His People
9 BCE - 40 CE
Malichus II 40-70/71
Rabbel II the Savior 71-106
According to Strabo, the Nabataean kingdom was well-ruled, and inscriptions (like these
ones) tell us about officials with ranks like "governor" and "commander", and prove that
laws were well-codified. Dams to control the wadis and trade stations - the Incense Route
led through Nabataea - show that the government was capable of organizing great
projects.
In some aspects, Nabataean civilization was different from, yes even opposed to Greek
and Roman culture. For example, king Aretas IV had as surname "the one who loves his
people" - not Philokaisaros or Philoromaios. The Nabataeans designed their own building
order and stubbornly stuck to their own alphabet (on which later Arabian scripts are
based). On the other hand, Graeco-Roman civilization was hard to evade, and the same
king Aretas IV was also responsible for building a theater in Petra.
Roman Province
Petra, tomb of Sextius Florentinius, a Roman governor who continued to live in Petra
Petra, tomb of Sextius Florentinius, a Roman governor who continued to live in Petra
In 106 CE, Nabataea was made a province of the Roman empire by the emperor Trajan,
who wanted a better protection of the road from Damascus to Alexandria. The Nabataean
troops seem to have offered little resistance, as could be expected, because the kingdom
had suffered heavily from the decline of the Incence Route: since Rome had conquered
Egypt, trade was increasingly often conducted by sailors, and Nabataean income had
diminished.
The Roman period was an age of renewed prosperity. The new masters, who had their
seat in Bosra, improved the main north-south road, the ancient Royal Road, which was
apparently renamed Via Nova. In the cities of the Decapolis, now part of Nabataea, there
were many new buildings. A man named Philip, of Arabian descent, became emperor of

the Roman world (244-249). Caravan trade with the Parthians in the east usually
flourished.
Among the units stationed in Arabia was the Third legion Cyrenaica, which was
responsible for the creation of the Limes Arabicus. Later, probably after the Roman
emperor Aurelian (270-275) had defeated the Palmyrene Empire, IIII Martia was added,
which was based in Betthorus, modern Lejjun. Later, Diocletian (284-305) reorganized
the Limes Arabicus. One of the most impressive monuments from this age is Qasr Bshir.
Roman coin, commemorating the annexation of Arabia Nabataea
Roman coin, commemorating the annexation of Arabia Nabataea
In Late Antiquity, the Limes Arabicus was dismantled. Anastasius I (491-518) recognized
a federation of Arabian tribal warriors from Yemen, the Ghassanids, as Roman ally, under
the condition that they would protect the eastern frontier. They did their job well,
occasionally fighting with the Lakhmids, who were fighting for Rome's eastern neighbor,
the Sasanian Empire. In 529, the emperor Justinian recognized the Ghassanid leader
Harith as king of all Arabs, gave him the rank of patricius, and made him protect all
eastern provinces. Slowly, an Arabian state came into being: Harith's successor Mundhir
(569-581) built residences near Resefa and Damascus in Syria, and near Ain el-Minya in
Jordan.
These Arabian soldiers were no longer just tribal warriors, but professionals who knew
how to fight in a regular army. However, the Byzantine emperors sometimes suspected
their ally, because they were Monophysite Christians. In 604, when the Sasanians
invaded the Byzantine Empire, the Ghassanids no longer fought for Rome, and it took
almost a quarter of a century until the emperor Heraclius had expelled the invaders. When
peace was signed in 628, Muhamad was already in charge of Medina, and soon, the
Muslims controlled an excellent army, which could easily conquer the war-weary eastern
provinces of the Roman Empire, and overthrow the Sasanian Empire.
This page was created in 2009; last modified on 19 August 2015.