NGC Ancients: Coins of the Nabataean Kingdom

The Nabataean Kingdom, located in modern day Israel and Syria, was a powerful and influential nation best known today for the famous cliff dwellings at Petra. But the history and culture of the Nabataeans extends beyond just a city and its ruins. In this column we’ll investigate this kingdom, which profoundly influenced the politics of the ancient Middle East.

The Nabataeans started out as a nomadic group who survived in the desert and were famous for triumphing over their enemies. It wasn’t until the 3rd century B.C. that they founded a kingdom and began to interact politically with their neighbors — the Seleucid, Ptolemaic and Judaean Kingdoms.

Eventually, they also had to deal with the Romans. With that in mind, we’ll start with a silver denarius of the Roman Republic (below) that illustrates an event in Nabataean history.

This denarius was minted under the authority of M. Aemilius Scaurus and Pub. Plautius Hypsaeus in 58 B.C. to commemorate Scaurus’ victory over the Nabataeans a few years earlier. The obverse shows the Nabataean king Aretas III (c.84-62 B.C.) kneeling next to a camel and holding an olive branch in a gesture of peace. The reverse shows the Roman god Jupiter in a chariot.

The power of the Nabataean Kingdom grew from the control of important trade routes and towns used by traders who brought frankincense to markets in the West. This made the kingdom wealthy, giving it a prominent role in the politics of the Middle East.

One of Nabataea’s early allies was the Jewish Maccabees, who rebelled against the Seleucid Kingdom in the 2nd Century B.C. However, this friendship with the Jews would eventually turn to conflict during the time of the Hasmonean Kings, who ruled Judaea from 105 to 37 B.C.

The Nabataean King Obodas I (c.96-86 B.C.) fought against the Hasmonean King Alexander Janneaus (103-76 B.C.), who had taken control of the city of Gaza, the main port for trade goods that arrived via Nabataean-controlled trade routes. Obodas I was able to defeat the Jewish army and Janneaus barely escaped with his life.

After this conflict, the Seleucid King Antiochus XII (c.87-83 B.C.) attacked the Nabataeans, hoping to gain an advantage. Obodas I was able to achieve a stunning victory over the Seleucids, as well, killing Antiochus XII in the process. These two victories helped secure the Nabataean kingdom’s status as a power in the region.

The silver drachm above is one of the most intriguing coins of the Nabataeans. Its inscription indicates it was issued for a king named Obodas, but there was more than one Nabataean king of that name. It is tentatively attributed to the victorious Obodas I and, if correctly attributed, would have been struck in the final year of his reign.

Among the earliest Nabataean coins is the silver drachm above. Made in the mid-2nd Century B.C., it clearly gets its inspiration from Greek coinage — specifically the gold staters introduced by the Macedonian King Alexander III ‘the Great’ (336-323 B.C.). The obverse shows the helmeted bust of the goddess Athena. The reverse features the goddess Nike holding a wreath.

King Aretas III expanded the kingdom to cover its greatest area, which included the important Syrian city of Damascus, where the 20mm bronze above was struck. The obverse has a diademed head of the king. The reverse shows the goddess Tyche holding a cornucopia seated atop a river god.

The above drachm (or quarter-shekel) was minted during the reign of Malichus I (c.60-30 B.C.). The obverse has his diademed bust, while the reverse shows an eagle standing next to a palm frond. Behind the eagle is the date LKC (year 26), which equates to 35/4 B.C.

This silver drachm above was minted during the reign of Obodas II (c.30-9 B.C.). It shows on the obverse the jugate portraits of himself and his queen Hagaru I. The reverse features another bust of Obodas II. Jugate portraits were common on the coinage of the Nabataeans.

The above hemidrachm is from an interesting time period in the kingdom. It was minted during the reign of Syllaeus (perhaps c.9-6 B.C.) and Aretas IV. Syllaeus was a Nabataean military commander who tried to become king after the death of Obodas II in place of the heir Aretas IV. He appealed directly to the Roman emperor Augustus (27 B.C. to A.D. 14), who initially supported his claim, but eventually changed his mind, executing Syllaeus and supporting Aretas IV.

During the reign of Aretas IV (9/8 B.C.-A.D. 40) the kingdom achieved its greatest heights in cultural and economic success. This led to many coins being issued during his rule, such as the drachm above. The obverse shows the bust of the king. The reverse has the bust of his second wife, Shaqilat.

It’s worth noting that during his rule, Jesus Christ was born. It’s an interesting — but unprovable — idea that some of the wise men who searched for the Christ child were Nabataean, as they were well known for their skill in astronomy.

Also made for Aretas IV is this 17mm bronze, which has the jugate busts of Aretas IV and Shaqilat. The reverse has two crossed cornucopias and a royal inscription, rendered in the distinctive Nabataean alphabet.

This 17mm bronze of Aretas IV shows the king holding a spear and a sword. The reverse shows queen Shaqilat holding a wreath in one of her raised hands.

Malichus II (c.A.D. 40-70), the son and successor of Aretas IV, is shown on the obverse of the silver drachm above. The reverse has the bust of his sister-queen Shaqilat II. The fortunes of the kingdom began to decline under his rule.

The final ruler of the Nabataean Kingdom was Rabbel II (c.A.D. 70-106). He ascended the throne as a child under the guardianship of his mother, Shaquilat II. He eventually ruled alongside the queen Gamilat. The obverse of the drachm above shows Rabbel II and the reverse the bust of Gamilat.

After the death of Rabbel II, the Nabataeans lost their formal independence, with the Roman Emperor Trajan (A.D. 98-117) absorbing their land into his own territories.

All photos courtesy of Classical Numismatic Group.

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