FRASCATIUS ANCIENTS
A BEAUTIFUL BRONZE COIN OF KING ARETAS IV & QUEEN SHAQILAT OF THE NABATAEANS FROM ANCIENT PETRA FROM 9 BC - 40 AD.
The lost city of Petra in Jordan has been named as one of the new 7 Wonders of the World The city was carved inside red-rose sandstone rock. Augustus recognized Aretas IV as king, and he took part in the expedition of Varus against the Jews in the year 4 BC, and placed a considerable army at the disposal of the Roman general. THE SIZE IS 15.3 MM AND 2.19 GRAMS.
SNG ANS 1438-43
OBVERSE – Jugate busts of Aretas, laureate and draped and Shuqailat, veiled and draped to right
REVERSE – Crossed cornucopiae; legend between and below
ANCIENT PETRA The lost city of Petra in Jordan has been named as one of the new 7 Wonders of the World
Archaeological excavations in the area have shown that the area was first occupied more than 9000 years ago.
The name of the site is called ‘Petra’, a Greek word meaning ‘Rock’, because the city was carved inside red-rose sandstone rock. The city of Petra is comprised of hundreds of tombs, houses, a theatre that could fit more than 3000 people, temples, obelisks, and altars where animals were sacrificed to calm the angry gods or ask them for favors. The entrance to the city is through a very narrow path about 1km wide with a cliff on each side, and the first thing you see when you enter is the carved Treasury (Al Khazneh). KING ARETAS IV & QUEEN SHAQILAT Aretas IV Philopatris was the King of the Nabataeans from roughly 9 BC to AD 40. His full title, as given in the inscriptions, was "Aretas, King of the Nabataeans, Friend of his People." Being the most powerful neighbour of Judea, he frequently took part in the state affairs of that country, and was influential in shaping the destiny of its rulers. While on not particularly good terms with Rome - as intimated by his surname, "Friend of his People" - It was only after great hesitation that Augustus recognized him as king, nevertheless he took part in the expedition of Varus against the Jews in the year 4 BC, and placed a considerable army at the disposal of the Roman general.
Shaqilat is a Nabataean queen, the second wife of King Aretas IV, whose reign marked the apogee of military and cultural prosperity. Therefore, it is called the Golden Age of the Nabataeans. After the death of his first wife, Khaldo or Khalidah, whom he married in 8/9 B.C. before he became a king, it is believed that in 15 A. D. he married Shaqilat, who delivered Hagru or Hajir, Malik, Jameelah and Shaqilat II. That Shaqilat was called "the Sister of the King" does not likely indicate kinship, but it emphasizes the role of the Queen and her proximity to the king. This was traditionally embraced by the Nabataeans without indicating any sense of real brotherhood kinship.
THE NABATAEAN KINGDOM Before Alexander’s conquest, a thriving new civilization had emerged in southern Jordan. It appears that a nomadic tribe known as the Nabateans began migrating gradually from Arabia during the sixth century BCE. Over time, they abandoned their nomadic ways and settled in a number of places in southern Jordan, the Naqab desert in Palestine, and in northern Arabia. Their capital city was the legendary Petra, Jordan’s most famous tourist attraction. Although Petra was inhabited by the Edomites before the arrival of the Nabateans, the latter carved grandiose buildings, temples and tombs out of solid sandstone rock. They also constructed a wall to fortify the city, although Petra was almost naturally defended by the surrounding sandstone mountains. Building an empire in the arid desert also forced the Nabateans to excel in water conservation. They were highly skilled water engineers, and irrigated their land with an extensive system of dams, canals and reservoirs.
The Nabateans were exceptionally skilled traders, facilitating commerce between China, India, the Far East, Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. They dealt in such goods as spices, incense, gold, animals, iron, copper, sugar, medicines, ivory, perfumes and fabrics, just to name a few. From its origins as a fortress city, Petra became a wealthy commercial crossroads between the Arabian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures. Control of this crucial trade route between the upland areas of Jordan, the Red Sea, Damascus and southern Arabia was the lifeblood of the Nabatean Empire.
We still know comparatively little about Nabatean society. However, we do know that they spoke a dialect of Arabic and later on adopted Aramaic. Much of what is now known about Nabatean culture comes from the writings of the Roman scholar Strabo. He recorded that their community was governed by a royal family, although a strong spirit of democracy prevailed. According to him there were no slaves in Nabatean society, and all members shared in work duties. The Nabateans worshipped a pantheon of deities, chief among which were the sun god Dushara and the goddess Allat.
As the Nabateans grew in power and wealth, they attracted the attention of their neighbors to the north. The Seleucid King Antigonus, who had come to power when Alexander’s empire was divided, attacked Petra in 312 BC. His army met with relatively little resistance, and was able to sack the city. The quantity of booty was so great, however, that it slowed their return journey north and the Nabateans were able to annihilate them in the desert. Records indicate that the Nabateans were eager to remain on good terms with the Seleucids in order to perpetuate their trading ambitions. Throughout much of the third century BCE, the Ptolemies and Seleucids warred over control of Jordan, with the Seleucids emerging victorious in 198 BC. Nabatea remained essentially untouched and independent throughout this period.
Although the Nabateans resisted military conquest, the Hellenistic culture of their neighbors influenced them greatly. Hellenistic influences can be seen in Nabatean art and architecture, especially at the time that their empire was expanding northward into Syria, around 150 BCE. However, the growing economic and political power of the Nabateans began to worry the Romans. In 65 BC, the Romans arrived in Damascus and ordered the Nabateans to withdraw their forces. Two years later, Pompey dispatched a force to cripple Petra. The Nabatean King Aretas III either defeated the Roman legions or paid a tribute to keep peace with them.
The assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC augured a period of relative anarchy for the Romans in Jordan, and the Parthian kings of Persia and Mesopotamia took advantage of the chaotic situation to attack. The Nabateans made a mistake by siding with the Parthians in their war with the Romans, and after the Parthians’ defeat, Petra had to pay tribute to Rome. When they fell behind in paying this tribute, they were invaded twice by the Roman vassal King Herod the Great. The second attack, in 31 BC, saw him take control of a large swath of Nabatean territory, including the lucrative northern trading routes into Syria.
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