- Aretas III
Aretas III was king of the
Nabataean kingdom from 87 to 62 BCE. Aretas ascended to the throne upon the death of his father,Obetas I , in 87 BCE. During his reign, he extended his kingdom to cover what now forms the northern area ofJordan , the south ofSyria , and part ofSaudi Arabia . Probably the greatest of Aretas' conquests was that ofDamascus , which secured his country's place as a serious political power of its time. Nabataea reached its greatest territorial extent under Aretas' leadership. [Horsfield, G; Conway, A; Historical and Topographical Notes on Edom: With an Account of the First Excavations at Petra. "The Geographical Journal , Vol. 76, No. 5. (Nov., 1930), pp. 369-388. ( [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0016-7398%28193011%2976%3A5%3C369%3AHATNOE%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D JSTOR link] )]Conquest of Damascus
Damascus straddled the primary commercial route from theMediterranean Sea toIndia and theMiddle East . In taking the city from the loosening grip of theSeleucid Empire in 85 BCE, Aretas III brought the Nabataeans from a backward nomadic tribe to a minor Eurasian power. In an attempt to cover his nomadic background, Aretas styled himself Aretas III Philhellenos (friend of the Greeks). [Bowersock, G. W.; A Report on Arabia Provincia, "The Journal of Roman Studies", Vol. 61. (1971), pp. 219-242. ( [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0075-4358%281971%2961%3C219%3AAROAP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z JSTOR link] )] He ordered the mints of Damascus to produce the firstsilver Nabataean coins, in a Hellenic style and lettering his name in theGreek language instead of Nabatean Arabic. [Price, M. J.; Recent Acquisitions of Greek Coins by the British Museum; "Archaeological Reports", No. 20. (1973 - 1974), pp. 66-71. ( [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0570-6084%281973%2F1974%290%3A20%3C66%3ARAOGCB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-E JSTOR link] )] To further reinforce the new culture of the Nabataeans, Aretas endeavoured to bring architecture of Greek and Roman fashion to the Nabataean capital,Petra , [" [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11777b.htm Petra] ",Catholic Encyclopedia . RetrievedAugust 26 ,2007 .] and to new settlements such asHumayma , including a 26.8 kmaqueduct . [Skebo, K; [http://communications.uvic.ca/edge/v3n03_17jun02.pdf Archaeology meets agriculture in the desert] , "KnowlEDGE" Vol. 3, No. 3. (June 2002),University of Victoria Communications.] Nabataean rule of Damascus was interrupted in 72 BCE by a successful siege led by theArmenia n king Tigranes II. Armenian rule of the city ended in 69 BCE when Tigranes' forces were pulled out to deal with a Roman attack on the Armenian capital, allowing Aretas to re-take the city.Hyrcanus and the Judean throne
In 67 BCE,
Hyrcanus II ascended to the throne ofJudea . Scarcely three months later, his younger brotherAristobulus II incited a rebellion, successfully leading the uprising to overthrow Hyrcanus and take the offices of both King andHigh Priest . Hyrcanus was confined toJerusalem , where he would continue to receive revenues of the latter office. [Emil Schürer , Geschichte des judischen Volks im Zeitalter Jesu Christi, volume I, i. 291, note 2.] However, fearing for his life, he fled to Petra and allied himself with Aretas, who agreed to support Hyrcanus after receiving the promise of having the Arabian towns taken by theHasmonean s returned to Nabataea by Hyrcanus' chief advisor,Antipater the Idumaean .Aretas advanced towards Jerusalem at the head of 50,000 men, besieging the city for several months. Eventually, Aristobulus bribed
Marcus Aemilius Scaurus , deputy of the Roman generalGnaeus Pompeius Magnus . Scaurus ordered Aretas to withdraw his army, which then suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Aristobulus on the journey back to Nabatea.Despite the compliance of Aretas, in 62 BCE Scaurus marched on Petra. However, a combination of the rough terrain, low supplies, and an opportunity for gain in
Pontus following the suicide of Mithridates VI obliged Scaurus to send Hyrcanus, now high priest andethnarch (but not King) of Judea, to barter for peace with Aretas. The siege was lifted in exchange for several hundred talents of silver (to Scaurus himself) and recognition of Roman supremacy over Nabatea. Aretas would retain all Nabataean territory and possessions, becoming avassal of theRoman Empire . [Josephus , "The Jewish War", translated by G. A. Williamson 1959, printed 1981, 1:61 p. 48. ] [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9054597/Nabataean "Nabataean"] ,Encyclopædia Britannica . 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Accessed26 August ,2007 .]References
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