Synopses & Reviews
The Roman province of Arabia occupied a crucial corner of the Mediterranean world, encompassing most of what is now Jordan, southern Syria, northwest Saudi Arabia, and the Negev. Mr. Bowersock'sbook is the first authoritative history of the region from the fourth century B.C. to the age of Constantine.
The book opens with the arrival of the Nahataean Arabs in their magnificent capital at Petra and describesthe growth of their hellenized culture based on trade in perfume and spices. It traces the transformation of the region from an Arab kingdom under Roman influence into an imperial province, one that played an increasingly important rolein the Roman strategy for control of the Near East. While the primary emphasis is on the relations of the Arabs of the region with the Romans, their interactions with neighboring states, Jewish, Egyptian, and Syrian, are also stressed.The narrative concludes with the breakup of the Roman province at the start of the Byzantine age.
Review
'This is an important and exceedingly useful work, informed and informative, based on a wide knowledge of ancient evidence and modern scholarship, and offers a rich store of suggestions.'
Review
One of the finest scholars of the Empire has turned to the study of a province, toiled for a decade and a half over its rich archaeological, textual, and geographical sources, and come forth with a wide-ranging,insightful, and reliable history.
About the Author
G. W. Bowersockis Professor Emeritus of Ancient History at the <>Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NewJersey.
Table of Contents
'Preface
Abbreviations
1. The Region
2. The Coming of the Nabataeans
3. Pompey and his Successors
4. The Early Principle
5. The Flowering of Nabataea
6.The New Province
7. Boundaries and Defenses
8. The Impact of Septimius Severus
9. From Philip to Zenobia
10. King of all the Arabs
Appendixes
1. The New Inscription from Baraqish
2.Nabataeans and Romans in the Wadi Sirhan
3. The Governors of Arabia
4. Ancient Maps of Roman Arabia
Plans
Plates
Bibliography
Index \n
'