“Nabateans’ Civilization is as Vital as Ancient Greeks, Romans or Egyptians”: British Historian
British historian Bettany Hughes stated that the story of the Nabateans is as vital as those of the ancient Greeks, Romans or Egyptians, Arab News reported.
“Bettany Hughes’ Lost Worlds: The Nabataeans”
Through her new three-part series, “Bettany Hughes’ Lost Worlds: The Nabataeans,” Hughes closely traces the titular civilization’s incense trade routes from the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean.
Furthermore, she tackles newly revealed research across Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, Jordan, Greece, Italy and Oman.
“For me, you can’t understand the classical world unless you understand the Nabataeans — they are the missing link in the story of society, because, in many ways, they were the engine that drove many other civilizations. They connected the far edges of the Arabian Peninsula with the center of Europe, and without them, that line of connection wouldn’t have happened,” Hughes told Arab News.
Petra
Surprisingly, her recent research has revealed that Petra, the Nabateans’ iconic capital, was merely a small part of a vast empire. This empire is currently revealing its secrets.
“When you say, ‘These are the guys that built Petra,’ then people go, ‘Oh, yeah. I always wondered.’ But that’s why we’re doing this series; to remind the world that they have this whole other story, whole other centers of operation. And to try to write them back into history. They’re a very cool culture. I’m very impressed by them,” Hughes explained.
Interestingly, Hughes’ journey to explore the Nabateans has run for approximately three decades.
“It was initially through trying to do detective work on the trade network,” she explained. “I knew that the Romans were obsessed with incense. I knew that Tutankhamun was buried with incense balls in his tomb. And I thought, ‘So, who’s delivering that?’ Because I also knew that incense came from that southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. So, who was in charge?” she said.
AlUla
In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s AlUla has started to open up to the world and satisfy the curiosity of historians and visitors.
Therefore, Hughes seized the opportunity to delve more into the civilization that’s recurrently appeared on the edges of her research efforts.
Consequently, she first travelled to the historic site in 2022, heading deep into the deserts of AlUla, and spent time with the still-existing Bedouin communities there,
At that moment, she traced how the Nabateans traversed the harsh landscape with their camels and the stars as guides.
Hughes dedicated the first episode of “Lost Worlds” to AlUla. Meanwhile, she visits Europe in the second episode, before heading to Petra in the third and final episode.
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