kingdom · Anatolia and the Levant
Nabataean Kingdom
Origins
The Nabataeans were Arab nomads who controlled desert routes from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean. By the 4th century BCE they were rich traders, and by 168 BCE they had a king, Aretas I, who appears in the Books of Maccabees. Petra, in the mountains of Edom, became their capital.
Rule and society
Nabataean kings ruled through control of the frankincense and myrrh trade, protected caravans and built cisterns and channels to store desert water. Petra's facades, such as Al-Khazneh, mix Greek, Egyptian and local styles. Aretas III held Damascus, and the Nabataean script developed into the Arabic alphabet.
Decline and legacy
The kingdom became a Roman client and declined as sea trade grew. When King Rabbel II died, Trajan annexed it in 106 CE as the province of Arabia Petraea.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Thamud was part of Nabataean Kingdom100 BCE – 106 CE
- Kingdom of Lihyan was conquered by Nabataean Kingdom65 BCE
More states of Anatolia and the Levant →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Nabataean Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nabataean-kingdom
- MLA
- “Nabataean Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nabataean-kingdom. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Nabataean Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nabataean-kingdom.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Nabataean Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nabataean-kingdom (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻