The Nabataeans and Petra
Ancient Arab people known for Petra and trade.
The Nabataeans, also spelled Nabateans, were an ancient Arab people who inhabited the southern Levant and northern Arabia. Their settlements—most prominently the assumed capital city of Raqmu (present-day Petra, Jordan)—gave the name Nabatene to the Arabian borderland that stretched from the Euphrates to the Red Sea. They emerged as a distinct civilization and political entity between the 4th and 2nd centuries BC, with the Nabataean Kingdom centered around a loosely controlled trading network that brought considerable wealth and influence across the ancient world.
- Born
- 4th–2nd centuries BC (emergence as distinct civilization)
- Field
- Trade, architecture, agriculture
- Nationality
- Arab (Nabataean)
- Known for
- Capital city Petra, finely potted painted ceramics, trading network, water management
Lore & Background
The Nabataeans were an Arab tribe who had come under significant Babylonian-Aramaean influence. About 50 BC Greek historian Diodorus Siculus cites Hieronymus of Cardia in his report and adds that just as the Seleucids had tried to subdue them, so the Romans made several attempts to get their hands on that lucrative trade. The architecture has Hellenic influence. They wrote a letter to Antigonus in Syriac letters, and Aramaic continued as the language of their coins and inscriptions when the tribe grew into a kingdom and profited by the decay of the Seleucids to extend its borders northward over the more fertile country east of the Jordan River. They occupied Hauran, and in about 85 BC their king Aretas III became lord of Damascus and Coele-Syria.
Reader's Guide
The Nabataeans are significant for their role as intermediaries in ancient trade networks, linking the Mediterranean world with Arabia and beyond. The Nabataeans were allies of the first Hasmoneans in their struggles against the Seleucid monarchs, then became rivals of the Judaean dynasty. Under the Pax Romana, they lost their warlike and nomadic habits and became a sober, acquisitive, orderly people, wholly intent on trade and agriculture. Their individual culture, easily identified by their characteristic finely potted painted ceramics, was adopted into the larger Greco-Roman culture. They converted to Christianity during the Byzantine period. Their legacy includes extensive graffiti and inscriptions documenting widespread literacy, and their water management systems, such as concealed cisterns, were carefully concealed from invaders.
Did You Know?
- The name of the Nabataeans may be derived from the same root as Akkadian nabatu, 'to shine brightly'.
- Nabataean women had legal rights including property ownership, inheritance, and the ability to make decisions about their own property, based on coins, inscriptions, and non-Nabatean contemporary sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are The Nabataeans and what is Lost Civilizations episode 24 about?
The episode profiles the Nabataeans, an ancient Arab people who built a powerful trading civilization across the southern Levant and northern Arabia from roughly the 4th century BC onward. Their story centers on Raqmu—today's Petra in Jordan—which served as the kingdom's political and commercial heart.
What made the Nabataeans and Petra so remarkable?
Petra's rock-cut architecture and sophisticated water-management systems allowed the Nabataeans to thrive in an otherwise arid landscape. Their loosely organized trade routes stretched from the Euphrates to the Red Sea, funneling enormous wealth through their hands.
Why are the Nabataeans important to the broader history of the ancient world?
They bridged Greek, Roman, and Arabian trade networks, making them a critical commercial link for over two centuries. Their finely potted painted ceramics and architectural innovations also influenced neighboring regions long after the kingdom's fall.
What were the Nabataeans' main fields of expertise?
Their core strengths lay in long-distance trade, monumental rock architecture, and advanced agricultural water management. These three pillars allowed a small, fiercely independent Arab people to project influence across a vast stretch of the ancient world.
More in Lost Civilizations 1-24
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