Person

Aretas I

2nd century BCE · 2nd century BCE

Aretas I is the earliest known king of the Nabataeans, mentioned in the Second Book of Maccabees as 'tyrant of the Arabs' in about 169 BCE, when the deposed Jewish high priest Jason sought refuge with him. An inscription found at Elusa in the Negev may also refer to him. Little else is known of his reign.

Aretas I — Image: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Nabataean Kingdom

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Aretas I. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aretas-i
MLA: “Aretas I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aretas-i. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Aretas I.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aretas-i.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Aretas I’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aretas-i (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻