Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans

This book's appearance and title are deceptive. It is in fact beautifully illustrated with the author's photographs, but there the resemblance to a coffee table book ends. It is a serious popular history of the Nabateans, with good notes and bibliography. I suspect that the impetus for the rather "Harry Potter-ish" title came from the publisher, rather than the author, in the attempt to give the book more popular appeal. This is not a guide book for Petra; there is in fact a just one chapter dealing specifically with Petra - in context with its role in the history of the Nabateans. After speculating on the origins of the Nabateans in the early part of the first millenium BCE, the narrative starts at the time of Alexander the Great and expands on the first documented accounts of the Nabateans - from Hieronymus of Cardia and the Zenon Papyri. The Nabateans' transformation, during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, from nomads and spice traders into a kingdom controlling large parts of the Hejaz, much of what is now the Kingdom of Jordan, and the Negev westward to the Mediterranean can only be deduced from the contrast between the earliest accounts and the later archaeological and historical record. The first archaeological evidence comes from an inscription dated to 168 BCE found in Elusa (Halutsa) - just south west of Beersheba - one of the 6 cities that the Nabateans built in the Judean Negev. The role of the Nabateans in the subsequent history of the region - their various alliances and rivalries first with the Hasmonean rulers of Judea and then with Herod the Great and his successors - is well documented in the appocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, and in the writings of Josephus Flavius. For one more accustomed to seeing the Nabateans as "bit players" in the history of Judea, reading their history was a refreshing shift of perspective. After maintaining its independence for more than 150 years after the rest of the Near East had become part of the Roman empire, the Nabatean kingdom was finally absorbed into the empire during the time of Trajan in 106 CE. It is not clear whether this happened peaceably or not; the author may not have used the most recent scholarly conclusion, that the military camp at Oboda (Avdat) is in fact Roman - not Nabatean, in citing it as evidence for the former. None the less, subsequent archeological and literary sources show the Nabateans as active citizens of the empire, and their capitals at Petra and Bostra soon became important Roman cities. The kingdom may have been "lost", but the author recounts the history of the Nabateans through the Byzantine period and into early Muslim period; she even speculates on their possible survival into recent times as a tribe of Bedouins. For most people - among them, certainly this reader - this book will tell them everything they ever want to know about the Nabateans.

Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans Before you go to Petra, or even if you can't go in person, read this book and get acquainted with the remarkable people who built it. It reads a little like a mystery novel. Discover the source of the wealth that made Petra important, and how they used diplomacy to survive and prosper. Enjoy the gorgeous photographs of this rugged desert country. This is a book to read before and after travel. It's heavier than I like to carry with me.

Lovely book. Beautiful images. Perfect if one wants to know about Petra reasonably in depth. Not an ideal travel companion, but great to get before your trip or after you've been. Recommend strongly.

Taylor's book is a fine introduction to Petra and the Nabataeans. It is full of reliable information, and written so clearly that it will appeal to just about everyone. The photographs, taken by the author herself, are breathtaking. The book is organized chronologically, with separate chapters on Petra, religion, language, and the Babatha archive. I wish the book had even more coverage of Petra, since that is the one Nabataean site that most people visit. Unfortunately, the paperback edition of this book is so poorly bound that, in my copy at least, many of the pages actually separated from the binding, after turning them only once or twice. Since this is a book that most readers (including me) will want to keep and refer to again, I do recommend that you buy the hardback version, unless you are willing to put up with loose pages in your book. Nevertheless, just about anyone who is interested in the Nabataeans, or visiting Jordan, will want to have this book in their library (loose pages and all).

As an architecural historian and researcher who has worked in Petra for fifteen years, I was thrilled to see a book of this caliber on the market. Books on Petra and/or the Nabataeans typically target the tourist market and either do not address its history accurately or they may do so in a way where that information is incorrect, obsolete or just boring. The research that went into this book is obviously up-to-date and relevant but as importantly, this is one interesting and beautiful book; Jane Taylor comes from a strong journalistic background and it shows! This book contains beautiful photographs, laid-out in a straightforward manner all coming together in one invaluable book. I would strongly recommend this book to scholars, students, teachers and all of those interested in this amazing part of our Mediterranean and global heritage.