Arabia from the Hellenistic to the Late Roman/Byzantine Period

Abstract The region under consideration in this chapter includes the territories of southern Syria, Transjordan, southern Palestine, and the northwestern Arabian Peninsula. During the Hellenistic–early Roman period (fourth century bc–first century ad), these constituted the Nabataean kingdom, later (ad 106–early fourth century) were within the boundaries of the Roman province of Arabia, and finally (fourth–early seventh centuries) comprised the Byzantine provinces of Arabia and Palaestina Salutaris/Tertia. Although a somewhat generic designation here, the term “Arabia” roughly corresponds to Ptolemy’s Arabia Petraea and the northern part of Arabia Deserta. While the region was multiethnic and in addition to Arabs, included Greeks, Jews, and other population groups, the Nabataean Arabs were the dominant political element. The region flourished during the Nabataean and Roman periods, and during late antiquity, it experienced a veritable revival of local cultures and traditions.