Aretas III

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Aramaic
.
Aretas III bronze coin

Aretas III (/ˈærɪtəs/;[1] Nabataean Aramaic: 𐢊𐢛𐢞𐢞‎ Ḥārītaṯ;

Nabataean kingdom from 87 to 62 BCE. Aretas ascended to the throne upon the death of his brother, Obodas I, in 87 BCE.[2] During his reign, he extended his kingdom to cover what now forms the northern area of Jordan, the south of Syria, and part of Saudi Arabia. Probably the greatest of Aretas' conquests was that of Damascus, which secured his country's place as a serious political power of its time. Nabataea reached its greatest territorial extent under Aretas' leadership.[3]

Conquest of Damascus

aqueduct.[7] Nabataean rule of Damascus was interrupted in 72 BCE by a successful siege led by the Armenian king Tigranes II
. Armenian rule of the city ended in 69 BCE when Tigranes' forces were pulled out to deal with a Roman attack on the Armenian capital, allowing Aretas to re-take the city.

Hyrcanus and the Judean throne

In 67 BCE,

Hasmoneans returned to Nabataea by Hyrcanus' chief advisor, Antipater the Idumaean
.

Aretas advanced towards Jerusalem at the head of 50,000 men, besieging the city for several months. Eventually, Aristobulus bribed

Pompey
. Scaurus ordered Aretas to withdraw his army, which then suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Aristobulus on the journey back to Nabatea.

Despite the compliance of Aretas, in 62 BCE Scaurus marched on Petra. However, a combination of the rough terrain and low supplies, obliged Scaurus to seek the aid of Hyrcanus, now High Priest (not king) of Judea, who sent Antipater to barter for peace with Aretas. The siege was lifted in exchange for several hundred talents of silver (to Scaurus himself) and recognition of Roman supremacy over Nabatea. Aretas would retain all Nabataean territory and possessions, becoming a vassal of the Roman Republic.[9]

The Al-Khazneh or 'Treasury' building in Petra is where Aretas III was entombed.

See also

  • List of rulers of Nabatea

References

  1. ^ Walker, John (1798). A Key to the Classical Pronunciation of Greek and Latin Proper Names. London: Robinsons. p. 100.
  2. ^ CIS II 422
  3. ^ G. Horsfield & A. Conway, "Historical and Topographical Notes on Edom: With an Account of the First Excavations at Petra", The Geographical Journal, 76 (1930), pp. 369-388. (JSTOR link)
  4. Journal of Roman Studies, 61 (1971), pp. 219-242. (JSTOR link
    )
  5. ^ M.J. Price, "Recent Acquisitions of Greek Coins by the British Museum", Archaeological Reports, No. 20. (1973 - 1974), pp. 66-71. (JSTOR link)
  6. ^ "Petra", Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
  7. ^ Skebo, K; Archaeology meets agriculture in the desert, KnowlEDGE Vol. 3, No. 3. (June 2002), University of Victoria Communications.
  8. ^ Emil Schürer, Geschichte des jüdischen Volks im Zeitalter Jesu Christi, volume I, i. 291, note 2.
  9. ^ Josephus, "The Jewish War", translated by G. A. Williamson 1959, printed 1981, 1:61 p. 48.
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