Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne (3/4.1999)

though initially they maintained a nomadic life style,2 by the lst century
BC they were involved in trade and banking, which brought them the
greatest prominence. The fali of the Nabataean kingdom occurred in
AD 106, when it was incorporated directly into the Roman Empire, cre-
ating the new province of Arabia.3

The problems posed by the coins of the Nabataean kings issued have
proven to be more difficult than the history. There are few works devo-
ted to this snbject matter, and the earliest of these, written in the 19th
century, are fuli of mistakes and fantastic interpretations.4 Nevertheless,
each successive article contributed to progress in research. It was only in
1904 that R. Dussaud5 published an extremely important work, which
until 1975 remained the best and most complete study of the subject. Its
main contribution was to establish the chronology of the Nabataean kings,
after comparative tests based on the written sources, the coinage, and
the archaeological sources. It is surprising that from 1922, when G. F. Hill
published yet another edition of his Catalogue of the Bńtish Museum,6 until
1975, no basie works on Nabataean coins were published. The difficult
task of formulating a comprehensive overview of the coinage of the Na-

2 Diodorus Siculus, BibliothecaHistoricaXTK.94.1-95.2.

3 Cassius Dio, Historia Romana, LXVIII.14.5. For more details on the history of the Naba-
taeans, see N. Glueck, Deities andDolphins (NewYork 1965); P. C. Hammond, The Nabataeans:
TheirHistory, Culture, and Archaeology (Lund 1973).

4 F. Lenormaut, Descńption des medailles et antiąuites composant le cabinet de M. le baron Behr
(Paris 1857), p. 147, plate II, no. 11; Duc de Luynes, „Monnaies des Nabateens", Revue Numi-
smatique III (1858), pp. 292-316, 362-385, Pis. XIV, XV, XVI; V. Langlois, Numismatiąue des
Arabes avant llslamisme, Chap. 1, „Royaume de Nabatene" (Paris 1895), pp. 5-38, Pis I and II;
M. de Vogiie, „Monnaies des rois de Nabatene", Revue Numismatiąue XIII (1868), pp. 153-168,
PI. V; F. de Saulcy, „La numismatiąue des rois nabatheens dePetra", Annuaire de numismatiąue
IV (1873), 1-35, Pis. I and II. Until 1904 several more short articles were published, which did
not, however, contribute anything new. Cf. for example F. de Saulcy, „Note sur deux monnaies
inedites de Palmyre et de la dynastie des rois nabatheens", Annuaire de numismatiąue (1877), 462-
464; idem, „Note sur deux monnaies inedites", Melanges de numismatiąue II (1882), 193-197;
A. SorlhvDorigny, „Monnaies nabateennes inedites", Melanges de numismatiąue V (1887),
369-371; E. Babelon, Reuue Numismatiąue N (1887), 371-377; idem, „Monnaies nabateennes
inedites", Melanges de numismatiąue (1900), 75-81.

5 R. Dussaud, „Numismatiąue des rois de Nabatene", Journal Asiatiąue III (1904), pp. 189-
238, pl. I-IV; idem, „Monnaies Nabatennes", Revue Numismatiąue IX (1905), 170-176.

6 G. F. Hill, British Museum Catalogue of Greek Coins: A rabia, Mesopotamia and Persia (Lon-
don 1922), pp. xi-xxii, 1-13, Plates I, II. In 1912, a short article describing several Nabataean
coins was published by A. Decloedt, „Monnaies inedites ou peu commes du Medaillier", Revue
Numismatiąue XVI (1912), 463-466.

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