This is another thread that features a particular Nabataean king’s coinage – this time it’s the last of the kings: Rabbel II (70-106). Not much is recorded of his reign, despite its healthy length, but bits and pieces can be assembled that paint a picture of relative stability and prosperity in the Nabataean Kingdom during his tenure. After Rabbel II, Nabataea becomes a Roman province, but that apparently had nothing to do with military conquest. The Nabataeans, always so eager to adopt and adapt the cultural influences of their neighbors, had become self-Romanized enough during the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] century to be considered a de facto province anyway. The transition to official Roman rule was, according to current research, both inevitable and bloodless. Rabbel II was born ar-Rabil to Malichus II, the king of Nabataea from 40 to 70 A.D. When Malichus died, his young son took the throne under the regency of his mother, Shaquilat. It’s not clear how long Shaquilat maintained her regency, but it is the only time in history that the Nabataeans were ruled by a woman. Many authors claim that Rabbel married his sister, Gamilat, as they also claim his father married his sister, Shaquilat, but in fact, it’s pure conjecture. Very little is known of the inner workings of this secretive society. Certainly many ancient cultures didn’t consider incest taboo, and it is possible that both kings married their sisters, but an investigation into the courtly titles of the Nabataeans sheds some doubt on the notion. “Sister” was actually an official title in the Nabataean court, and that fact suggests the possibility that Shaquilat and Gamilat weren’t related to their husbands at all - that they were simply awarded the title on becoming queens. The coinage of Rabbel II is scarce, and most of it follows the Jugate Portrait/Crossed Cornucopiae typology established during the reign of Aretas IV. This was evidently a very popular type among Nabataeans, and all the engravers had to do was alter the legends to reflect changes from one reign to the next. The Nabataeans probably had enough bronze coinage in circulation by the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] century, which might account for the scarcity of Rabbel II issues. Aretas IV had minted an enormous amount of coins, followed by a decent output during the reign of Malichus II. With trade routes covering the entire Arabian Peninsula, the Nabataeans were probably accustomed to using the coinage of other cultures as well - this is suggested by several excavations in which Nabataean, Judaean, Roman, and Greek issues are found together. As far as this coin is concerned, it’s no great shakes: a common bronze of Rabbel in F. One frequently finds these coins with bad attributions as most dealers don’t bother to learn the Aramaic alphabet and the meaning of the inscriptions. This is clearly a coin of Rabbell II as the legend reads GMLT, or Gamilat, between the cornucopiae.
I almost bid on a Nabataeans coins last night thanks to you. I decided against it only because I really know nothing about them and there are tons of Roman and Greek coins I think I'd rather have right now. But you have peaqued my interest. There was a time not too long ago, I said about the same thing regarding Greek coins. But Jerry had to keep pushing the issue. :devil: He's a real devil and I'm beginning to think you might be a distant relative (only kidding. I'm sorry to put you in the same catagory).
I'd never fault anyone for passing on a Nabataean coin. They simply don't have the eye-appeal of other coinages. It's a bit like collecting relics of saints: little bits of bone and scraps of hair and skin, maybe a tooth. It ain't pretty. But I'm the kind of person that enjoys a puzzle, and the Nabataeans don't disappoint on that account. What can be known of them can only be known by way of archeology, as they left no literature. Others wrote of them, but that amounts to a record of their foreign relations from the perspective of the foreigners. And the archeology is fairly recent, starting in earnest in the 1920's. There is still a great deal to be discovered. In fact, several hoards from Petra are yet to be cataloged and released, so it'll be interesting to see what develops over the next few years.
It's funny how we all end-up veering-off in different directions, eh? examples: Kurtstory => Greek SKI => Byzantine stevex6 => Sicily JA => Nabataean ValianKnight => LRB+ Bing => on the wagon!!
What a stunning bit of historical arcana! It's heart-warming to see that some folks have the time and intellect to pursue such lightly traveled ancient pathways. CT is always a pleasant surprise, if you dig around a wee bit. Thanks!
Very nice coin. I'm planning on getting one later, as soon as I get more coins out of the way that I want to purchase. There are already too many that I want. lol Too many coins!
