The Religion Of The Nabataeans

This book surveys systematically all the aspects of the religion of the Nabataeans of ancient Petra, including such important themes as the divinisation of kings and comparisons with Judaism and Islam. It is the first monograph ever devoted to this subject.

Flourishing in the centuries around the birth of Christ, the Nabataean kingdom covered a large swathe of the north-western Arabian Peninsula and was shaped by cultural influences from the Mediterranean, Arabian and wider Semitic worlds. The Religious Life of Nabataea examines the inscriptions, sculptures and architectural remains left by worshippers in every corner of the kingdom, from the spectacular remains of the desert city of Petra to the fertile plains of southern Syria. While previous scholarly approaches have minimised the diversity of cultic practices and traditions found in Nabataea, this study reveals a vibrant religious landscape dominated by a variety of local traditions.

The aim of this book is to explore the history and culture of the Nabataeans, using the inscriptions not just as a complement to ilustrate the text but as a primary source of information. It is based on the conviction that the inscriptions can be enjoyed not only by the specialists but also by those who are curious and want to learn about them.

Contents: Konstantinos D. Politis: Prologue; Norman Lewis: The Rediscovery of Petra, 1807-1818; Robert Wenning: The Nabataeans in History (Before AD 106); John F. Healey: Nabataeans Inscriptions: Language and Script; John R. Bartlett: Nabataean Religion; Joseph Patrich: Nabataean Art between East and West: A methodical Assessment; Laurent Tholbecq: Nabataean Monumental Architecture; Bernhard Kolb: Nabataean Dwellings: Domestic Architecture and Interior Decoration; David Graf: Nabataeans under Roman Rule (After AD 106); Konstantinos D. Politis: Nabataean Cultural Continuity into the Byzantine Period; Fazwi Zayadine: The Spice Trade from South Arabia and India to Nabataea and Palestine; John P. Oleson: Nabataean Water Supply, Irrigation and Agriculture; Jacqueline Studer: Animal Exploitation in the Nabataean World; Peter J. Parr: The Urban Development of Petra; Hero Granger-Taylor: Textiles of the Graeco-Roman Period from the Dead Sea Region; Stephan G. Schmid: Nabataean Fine-ware Pottery; James R. B. Mason: Experimenting the Manufacture of Nabataean Fine-ware Pottery; Julian M. C. Bowsher: Monetary Interchange in Nabataean Petra; Steven Rosen: The Nabataeans as Pastoral Nomads. An Archaeological Perspective; Zaki Aslan: The Cultural and Heritage Management of Petra; Glen W. Bowersock: Conclusion.

Unlike the common practice both in the Greco-Roman West and in the Parthian East, to accord the gods a human form, the Nabateans represented their gods in the form of stelae. A systematic survey of Nabatean art indicates that the negation of figurative representation is also evident in all other domains of their creativity, such as rock-carved facades of tombs, painted pottery, oil lamps, coins and jewellery. The archaeological artefacts, inscriptions and literary sources described and discussed in this book reveal a fascinating cultural and religious phenomenon unique within the surrounding milieu and surprisingly in its persistence and durability. This phenomenon should interest not only the student of Nabatean culture as its implications transcends the boundaries of the time and space in which it appeared and are valid for the study of both ancient religions and history of art.

This volume analyses the religious, philosophical and folkloristic content of Ibn Waḥshiyya's (d. 931) Nabatean Agriculture, a book containing rich information on Late Antique paganism in Iraq. The book also contains 61 translated excerpts from the Nabatean Agriculture.

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.