Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans (NA) - Softcover

Taylor, J

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0674017552 ISBN 13: 9780674017559

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2008

Synopsis

The Nabataean Arabs, one of the most gifted peoples of the ancient world, are today known only for their hauntingly beautiful rock-carved capital--Petra. Here, in the wild and majestic landscapes of southern Jordan, they created some of the most prodigious works of man in the vast monuments that they chiseled from the sandstone mountains. The very scale of their achievement is breathtaking, but beyond mere magnitude is their creative vision, for they transformed the living rock of Petra into an enduring architectural masterpiece. For nearly two thousand years, their civilization has been lost and all but forgotten. Yet the Nabataeans were famous in their day--Herod the Great and his sons, and a kaleidoscope of Roman emperors, were keenly aware of their power and wealth. Often victims of Greek, Roman, or Herodian duplicity, murder, and power politics, the Nabataeans were major players in the drama of the Middle East in biblical times.This richly illustrated volume recounts the story of a remarkable but lost civilization and the capacity of its people to diversify their skills as necessity demanded. It describes their nomadic origins, the development of their multifaceted culture, their relations with their now famous neighbors, and the demise of their kingdom. It looks at their continued, if unrecognized, survival as Christians and farmers under the Byzantine Empire and into the early years of Islam.

About this title

Review:

Writer and photographer Taylor has created a beautifully illustrated work covering the history of the Nabataeans, an Arab people who lived in the area of present-day southern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia from about the third century BCE until the sixth century CE...Taylor's clear, incisive writing and copious photographs bring the ancient world of the Nabataeans to life. Highly recommended.--Elizabeth Salt"Library Journal" (08/01/2002)

About the Author:

After a degree in Medieval History and Moral Philosophy from St Andrews University in Scotland, Jane Taylor has been a teacher, publisher, television producer, photographer and writer. First coming to Jordan in 1978, she started visiting regularly from 1984 onwards. The chance to do some aerial photography led to her first Jordan book, High above Jordan, published in 1989, since when she has made Amman her home. Her other books are Testament to the Bushmen (with Laurens van der Post, 1984); Imperial Istanbul, an historical travel guide (1989, revised editions 1998, 2007); Petra, an illustrated history of the Nabataean capital (1993; revised editions 1996, 2005, 2008); Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans, an illustrated history of the Nabataeans (2001, revised editions 2007, 2012); Jordan, Images from the Air (2005); and Beyond the Jordan: Baptism, Prophecy and Pilgrimage East of the River Jordan (with Isabelle Ruben, 2011). She also co-produced Yemen: Land and People, with her photographs and text by Sarah Searight (2002, revised edition 2007)..

About this edition

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0674017552
• ISBN 13: 9780674017559
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224