The religious life of Nabataea
âThe Religious Life of Nabataeaâ examines the evidence for the religious practices and beliefs of the inhabitants of the Nabataean kingdom. It analyses material produced in the large area of the north-western Arabian Peninsula that was under the rule of the Nabataean king until the annexation of his kingdom by Rome in AD 106. Because of the scarcity of literary sources describing Nabataea, this study is largely dependent on inscriptions, with architectural and archaeological remains helping to put these better into their context. It is argued that a number of methodological problems with earlier studies have produced an inaccurate picture of a âNabataean religionâ that cannot be easily reconciled with this material. The focus has been on recovering the identities and characteristics of individual gods and the relationships between them. Inconsistencies and diversities in the evidence have often been minimised in order to produce a coherent model or system of beliefs that âthe Nabataeansâ followed. Underpinning this has been the scholarly perception of Nabataea as a culturally monolithic bloc that was inhabited by a people following the same way of life. This study takes a different approach, analysing
Alpass, Peter John
The religious life of Nabataea. âThe Religious Life of Nabataeaâ examines the evidence for the religious practices and beliefs of the inhabitants of the Nabataean kingdom. It analyses material produced in the large area of the north-western Arabian Peninsula that was under the rule of the Nabataean king until the annexation of his kingdom by Rome in AD 106. Because of the scarcity of literary sources describing Nabataea, this study is largely dependent on inscriptions, with architectural and archaeological remains helping to put these better into their context. It is argued that a number of methodological problems with earlier studies have produced an inaccurate picture of a âNabataean religionâ that cannot be easily reconciled with this material. The focus has been on recovering the identities and characteristics of individual gods and the relationships between them. Inconsistencies and diversities in the evidence have often been minimised in order to produce a coherent model or system of beliefs that âthe Nabataeansâ followed. Underpinning this has been the scholarly perception of Nabataea as a culturally monolithic bloc that was inhabited by a people following the same way of life. This study takes a different approach, analysing
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