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Nabataean Kingdom, Aretas IV, 9 B.C. - 40 A.D.
| Petra, the capital of the ancient Nabatean Kingdom, is a famous archaeological site in Jordan's southwestern desert. Accessed via a narrow canyon called Al Siq, it contains tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs, earning its nickname, the "Rose City." Perhaps its most famous structure is 45m-high Al Khazneh, a temple with an ornate, Greek-style facade, and known as The Treasury. The structure is believed to have been the mausoleum of the Nabatean King Aretas IV in the 1st century A.D. The sculptures are thought to be those of various mythological figures associated with the afterlife. On top are figures of four eagles that would carry away the souls. The figures on the upper level are dancing Amazons with double-axes. The entrance is flanked by statues of the twins Castor and Pollux who lived partly on Olympus and partly in the underworld. |  |
GB57589. Bronze AE 18, Al-Qatanani 170; Barkay CN 188, Meshorer Nabataean 112; BMC Arabia p. 8, 22; Schmitt-Korte II 77; Huth -; SNG ANS 6 -, gVF, green patina with highlighting earthen deposits, Petra (Jordan) mint, weight 4.613g, maximum diameter 17.3mm, die axis 0o, 16 - 40 A.D.; obverse jugate laureate and draped busts of Aretas IV and Shuqailat right, Nabataean shin lamed mem (not ligate, meaning one or whole - indicating the denomination) above, Nabataean initials het (Aretas) lower left and shin (Shuqailat) lower right; reverse two cornucopias crossed and filleted, Nabataean inscription in three lines: TTRH / SQY/TL (Aretas Shuqailat, read right to left, two lines above between the horns, the last line below); SOLD
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