Beit Ras “Lost Treasures of Rome, Series 2” Episode—Learn More

5 December 2024

The second season of the National Geographic series Lost Treasures of Rome has brought new attention to work being done in Beit Ras (Bayt Ras), Jordan, known in Roman times as Capitolias. Capitolias was one of the cities of the Decapolis, a confederation of ten cities on the edge of the Roman world. 

Since 2016, a consortium of institutions has been working on aspects of the site, particularly related to the accidental discovery of the painted “Founder’s tomb” (see https://acorjordan.org/bayt-ras/ and this lecture, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsD53LMaiC4&ab_channel=ACORJordan). In 2023 and 2024, Jordan’s Department of Antiquities (DoA) and the American Center of Research (ACOR) built upon existing fieldwork and scholarship to undertake further works at the site for conservation and presentation of it to the public. Because television programs and news stories do not supply citations for their viewers and readers to follow up on, we take this opportunity to do so.

Here please find some of the many resources available about the topics featured in “Rome’s Desert Cities,” which first aired on September 12, 2024. If you would like to learn more, click on the links, many of which lead to webpages where an article can be found. Others can be requested through your library.

The Beit Ras painted tomb:

Haron, Jehad, Nizar Al Adarbeh, and Ahmad Lash. 2019. “Bayt Ras: Founding the Roman City.” ACOR Newsletter31.2: 1–6.  https://publications.acorjordan.org/wp-content/uploads/acor-newsletter-vol-31-2.pdf

Haron, Jehad and Nizar Al Adarbeh (et al.). 2022. “Bayt Rās Workshop.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 14: 803–811.  https://publication.doa.gov.jo/uploads/publications/219/SHAJ-ICHAJ_14-part_2-CMYK-419-428.pdf

Haron, Jehad, Ahmad Lash, Amjad Al-Bataineh, and Nizar Al-Adarbeh. 2020. “Bayt Rās Tomb Project.” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 60: 729–741.  https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/2696

Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). n.d. “‘Bayt Ras Tomb’ Project Jordan.”  https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en/projects/soil-and-territory/bayt-ras-tomb-project

Weiss, Daniel. 2020. “The Founder’s Tomb.” Archaeology 73.2: 38–41. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26886887

Other excavations in Beit Ras, including the Roman theater:

Abd-Allah, Ramadan. 2010. “Chemical Characterisation and Manufacturing Technology of Late Roman to Early Byzantine Glass from Beit Ras/Capitolias, Northern Jordan.” Journal of Archaeological Science 37.8: 1866–1874. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440310000671

Al-Shami, Ahmad Jum’a. 2005. “A New Discovery at Bayt Ras/Capitolias—Irbid.” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 49: 509–519. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/1135

Al-Tawalbeh, Mohammad, Rasheed Jaradat, Khaled Al-Bashaireh, Abdulla Al-Rawabdeh, Anne Gharaibeh, Bilal Khrisat, and Miklós Kázmér. 2020. “Two Inferred Antique Earthquake Phases Recorded in the Roman Theater of Beit-Ras/Capitolias (Jordan).” Seismological Research Letters 20.20: 1–19. http://kazmer.web.elte.hu/pubs/Al-Tawalbeh_2020_Beit-Ras_theatre_Jordan_archeoseis.pdf

Bader, Nabil and Jean-Baptiste Yon. 2018. “Une inscription du théâtre de Bayt Ras/Capitolias.” Syria: archéologie, art et histoire 95: 155–168. https://journals.openedition.org/syria/6489

Burdajewicz, Mariusz. 2018. “Glass Finds from Bayt Ras, Ancient Capitolias of the Decapolis: Recent Discoveries.” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 59: 161–174. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/550

Haron, Jehad and Claude Vibert-Guigue. 2018. “Bayt Ras (2016–2017).” Archaeology in Jordan [1]: 21–22. https://publications.acorjordan.org/articles/aij-1-2016-2017-pp-21-22-bayt-ras/

Lenzen, Cherie J. 1995. “From Public to Private Space: Changes in the Urban Plan of Bayt Ras/Capitolias.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 5: 235–239. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/1205

Lenzen, Cherie J. 2003. “Ethnic Identity at Beit Ras/Capitolias and Umm Al-Jimal.” Mediterranean Archaeology 16: 73–87. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24668027

Lenzen, C. J., R. L. Gordon, and A. M. McQuitty. 1985. “Excavations at Tell Irbid and Beit Ras, 1985.” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 29: 151–159. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/2081

Lenzen, C. J. and E. Al Knauf. 1987. “Beit Ras/Capitolias: A Preliminary Evaluation of the Archaeological and Textual Evidence.” Syria: archéologie, art et histoire: 64: 21–46. https://www.persee.fr/doc/syria_0039-7946_1987_num_64_1_7002

Lenzen, C. J. and A. M. McQuitty. “The 1984 Survey of the Irbid/Beit Ras Region.” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 32: 265–274. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/2323

Młynarczyk, Jolanta. 2017. “Beit Ras/Capitolias: An Archaeological Project 2014–2016.” Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 26: 475–506. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=716833

Młynarczyk, Jolanta. 2018. “Archaeological Investigations in Bayt Ras, Ancient Capitolias, 2015: Preliminary Report.” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 59: 175–193. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/551

Młynarczyk, Jolanta. 2018. “Beit Ras (Capitolias): The Archaeological Project (2014–2016).” Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 26.1: 475–506. https://www.academia.edu/37323083/Beit_Ras_Capitolias_an_archaeological_project_2014_1016

Młynarczyk, Jolanta. 2021. “Roman-Period Pottery from a Trench by the Northern City Wall in Beit Ras/Capitolias.” Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 29.2: 577–602. https://www.academia.edu/53989113/Roman_period_pottery_from_a_trench_by_the_northern_city_wall_in_Beit_Ras_Capitolias

Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw. n.d. “Beit Ras.” https://pcma.uw.edu.pl/en/2019/04/18/beit-ras-2/

Shraidah, Sultan and C. J. Lenzen. 1985. “Salvage Excavations in Beit Ras, 1985.” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 29: 291–292. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/2092

Founding of Capitolias:

Bowsher, Julian M. C. 2011. “The Foundation of Roman Capitolias: A Hypothesis.” ARAM 23: 35–62. https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=article&id=2959651&journal_code=ARAM&download=yes

Frescoes in the Roman Near East

Barbet, Alix, and Claude Vibert-Guigue. 1988–1994. Les peintures des nécropoles romaines d’Abila et du nord de la Jordanie. 2 vols. Beirut; Paris: Institut français d’archéologie du Proche-Orient. https://search.worldcat.org/title/33247632

Burdajewicz, Julia M. 2022. Late Antique Wall Paintings from Porphyreon in the Sidon Hinterland. Polish Publications in Mediterranean Archaeology 7. Leuven: Peeters. https://www.peeters-leuven.be/pdf/9789042950573.pdf

Nassar, M., Z. Al Muheisen, R. Seiseh, A. Al-Shorman, M. Abdelaziz, and W. Al Sekhaneh. 2024. “Archaeometrical Analysis Study of the Wall Painting-Fresco of a Roman Tomb at Abila (Qwailbeh) Jordan.” Scientific Culture 10.1: 69–81. https://www.sci-cult.com/wp-content/uploads/10.1/10_1_3_Nassar_et_al.pdf

Tell, Safwan. 1995. “Frescoes: From the Decapolis to the Umayyad Palaces.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 5: 375–382. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/1220

Vibert-Guigue, Claude. 2016. “Wall Painting and Stucco in Jordan: from Miniature to Megalography.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 12: 329–348. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/348

Conserving ancient wall paintings

Alawneh, Firas, Fadi Balaa’wi, Naif A. Haddad, and Yahya Al-Shawabkeh. 2011. “Analytical Identification and Conservation Issues of Painted Plaster from Qaser Amra in Jordan.” International Journal of Conservation Science 2.4: 235–250. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S129620740700074X

Bianchin, Sara, Umberto Casellato, Monica Favaro, and Pietro Alessandro Vigato. 2007. “Painting Technique and State of Conservation of Wall Paintings at Qusayr Amra, Amman—Jordan.” Journal of Cultural Heritage 8.3: 289–293. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S129620740700074X

Cather, Sharon (ed.). 1991. The Conservation of Wall Paintings. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute. https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/pdf/wall_paintings.pdf

The Decapolis

Gregoratti, Leonardo. 2011. “The Role of the Decapolis Region in Connecting Inland Syria with the Mediterranean Coast.” ARAM Periodical 23: 509–525. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335685349_The_Role_of_the_Decapolis_Region_in_connecting_Inland_Syria_with_the_Mediterranean_Coast_ARAM_23_2011_pp_497-507

Lichtenberger, Achim. 2021. “The Decapolis.” In A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East, edited by Ted Kaizer. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/1235904701

Lucke, B., M. Schmidt, Z. al-Saad, O. Bens, and Reinhard F. Hüttl. 2005. “The Abandonment of the Decapolis Region in Northern Jordan—Forced by Environmental Change?” Quaternary International 135.1: 65–81. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1040618204002174

Moors, Steven. 2002. “The Decapolis: City Territories, Villages and Bouleutai.” In After the Past: Essays in Ancient History in Honour of H. W. Pleket, edited by Willem Jongman and Marc Kleijwegt, 157–207. Leiden: Brill. https://www.academia.edu/66966799/The_Decapolis_City_Territories_Villages_and_Bouleutai

Pierson, Wade A. 2021. “Spatial Assessment of Urban Growth in Cities of the Decapolis and the Implication for Modern Cities.” MS thesis, University of Arkansas. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/3972/

Smith, Robert. 2011. “Walls of the Decapolis.” ARAM Periodical 23: 489–508. https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=issue&journal_code=ARAM&issue=0&vol=23

Tsafrir, Yoram. 2011. “The Decapolis Again—Further Notes on the Meaning of the Term.” ARAM Periodical 23: 1–10. https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=issue&journal_code=ARAM&issue=0&vol=23

Walmsley, Alan. 1992. “Vestiges of the Decapolis in North Jordan during the Late Antique and Early Islamic Periods.” ARAM 4.1–2: 343–355. https://www.academia.edu/28236856/Vestiges_of_the_Decapolis_in_North_Jordan_during_the_Late_Antique_and_Early_Islamic_Periods

Weiss, Zeev. 2011. “Buildings for Mass Entertainment in the Cities of the Decapolis.” ARAM Periodical 23: 367–381. https://www.academia.edu/2968391/Buildings_for_Mass_Entertainment_in_the_Cities_of_the_Decapolis

Yon, Jean-Baptieste and Nabil Bader. 2019. “New Data on the Epigraphy of the Northern Decapolis (North-Western Jordan).” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 13: 373–377. https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/2619

Rome in the Near East

Accettola, Anna. 2020: “Josephus’ Nabataeans: A Vision of Roman Power in the Near East.” Journal of Ancient History8.2: 256–280.  https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jah-2019-0018/html

Ball, Warwick. 2016. Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire. Second edition. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/49414893

Freeman, Philip. 2008. “The Roman Period.” In Jordan: An Archaeological Reader, edited by Russell B. Adams, 413–441. London: Equinox.  https://www.academia.edu/9201400/The_Hellenistic_period_and_the_Nabataeans_in_R_B_Adams_ed_The_Archaeology_of_Jordan_London_2008_353_411

Graf, David Frank. 1997. Rome and the Arabian Frontier: From the Nabataeans to the Saracens. Aldershot: Ashgate.  https://search.worldcat.org/title/37594965

Kennedy, D. L. 2004. The Roman Army in Jordan. Revised edition. London: Council for British Research in the Levant.  https://search.worldcat.org/title/59267318

Kennedy, D. L. 2013. Settlement and Soldiers in the Roman Near East. Farnham: Ashgate/Variorum.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/835971908

Rababeh, Shaher, Rama Al Rabady, and Shatha Abu-Khafajah. 2014. “Colonnaded Streets within the Roman Cityscape: A ‘Spatial’ Perspective.” Journal of Architecture and Urbanism 38.4: 293–305.  https://www.academia.edu/10578433/COLONNADED_STREETS_WITHIN_THE_ROMAN_CITYSCAPE_A_SPATIAL_PERSPECTIVE

Burns, Ross A. 2017. Origins of the Colonnaded Streets in the Cities of the Roman East. Oxford: Oxford University Press.  https://search.worldcat.org/title/962330779

Sartre, Maurice. 2004. The Middle East Under Rome. Translated by Catherine Porter and Elizabeth Rawlings. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/56598951

Teigen, Håkon and Eivind Heldaas Seland (eds.). 2017. Sinews of Empire: Networks in the Roman Near East and Beyond. Oxford: Oxbow.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/990550687

Yegül, Fikret and Diane Favro. 2019. “The Roman Near East.” In Roman Architecture and Urbanism: From the Origins to Late Antiquity, by Fikret Yegül and Diane Favro, 707–799. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/roman-architecture-and-urbanism/roman-near-east/41CBB5AAAB20C2A2BB0EB01F7671145B

Roman-era Petra (annexation, monuments, etc.)

Al-Otaibi, Fahad Mutlaq. 2015. “The Annexation of the Nabataean Kingdom in 106 A.D.: A New Epigraphic and Archaeological Consideration.” Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 15.3: 151–156.  https://www.maajournal.com/index.php/maa/article/view/315

Cimadomo, Paolo. 2019. “The Controversial Annexation of the Nabataean Kingdom.” Levant 50.3: 1–9.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333826980_The_controversial_annexation_of_the_Nabataean_Kingdom

Fiema, Zbigniew T. 2003. “Roman Petra (A.D. 106–363): A Neglected Subject.” Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins 119.1: 38–58. https://www.academia.edu/9269329/Roman_Petra_A_D_106_363_A_Neglected_Subject_Zeitschrift_des_Deutschen_Palästina_Vereins_2003_119_1_pp_38_58

Fiema, Zbigniew T. 2008. “Remarks on the Development and Significance of the Colonnaded Street in Petra, Jordan.” In La rue dans l’antiquité: Définition, Aménagement, Devenir. Actes du colloque de Poitiers, 7–9 Septembre 2006, edited by P. Ballet, N. Dieudonné-Glad, and C. Saliou, 161–168. Rennes: Presses universitaires.  https://www.academia.edu/9262567/Remarks_on_the_Development_and_Significance_of_the_Colonnaded_Street_in_Petra_Jordan_Pp_161_168_in_La_rue_dans_l_antiquité_Définition_Aménagement_Devenir_Actes_du_colloque_de_Poitiers_7_9_Septembre_2006_P_Ballet_N_Dieudonné_Glad_and_C_Saliou_eds_Rennes_Presses_universitaires_2008

Gagos, Traianos. 2009. “New Inscriptional Evidence and Petra’s Rôle in the Province of Arabia.” Journal of Roman Archaeology 22: 381–389.  https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-roman-archaeology/article/abs/new-inscriptional-evidence-and-petras-role-in-the-province-of-arabia/FBDFF0380699299A46A090A608F624CC

Kanellopoulos, Chrysanthos. 2001. “The Architecture of the Colonnaded Street and Shops in Petra.” Bulletin of the American Society of Oriental Research 324: 9–22.  https://www.academia.edu/9116915/The_Architecture_of_the_Colonnaded_Street_and_Shops_in_Petra_Bulletin_of_the_American_Society_of_Oriental_Research_324_2001_9_22

Tholbecq, Laurent, Soline Delcros, and Nicolas Paridaens. 2014. “The ‘High-Place’ of Jabal Khubthah: New Insights on a Nabataean-Roman Suburb of Petra.” Journal of Roman Archaeology 27: 374–391.  https://www.academia.edu/9426755/_2014_L_THOLBECQ_S_DELCROS_N_PARIDAENS_The_high_place_of_Jabal_Khubthah_new_insights_on_a_Nabataean_Roman_suburb_of_Petra

Petra’s Great Temple (including the cache of ballista balls)

Brown University. 1999. Brown University Petra The Great Temple Excavation. https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/Petra/temple/great-temple.html

 Joukowsky, Martha Sharp. 2007. Great Temple Excavation Database. Open Context. https://opencontext.org/projects/a5ddbea2-b3c8-43f9-8151-33343cbdc857

 Joukowsky, Martha Sharp. 2006. “Challenges in the Field: The Brown University 2005 Petra Great Temple Excavations.” Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 50: 351–372.  https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/1726

Joukowsky, Martha Sharp et al. 1998–2007. Petra Great Temple (3 vols.). Providence: Brown University Press. https://search.worldcat.org/title/795418725

Roman city planning

Freeman, Philip. 2008. “The Roman Period.” In Jordan: An Archaeological Reader, edited by Russell B. Adams, 413–441. London: Equinox.  https://www.academia.edu/9201400/The_Hellenistic_period_and_the_Nabataeans_in_R_B_Adams_ed_The_Archaeology_of_Jordan_London_2008_353_411

Rodríguez-Antón, A., J. A. Belmonte, and A. C. Gonzáles-García. 2016. “Romans in the Near East: The Orientation of Roman Settlements in Present-Day Jordan.” Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 16.4: 153–160.  https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/243006/1/Romans_Near_East.pdf

Theaters (in the Roman Near East; naumachiae)

Coleman, K. M. 1993. “Launching into History: Aquatic Displays in the Early Empire.” The Journal of Roman Studies83: 48–74.  https://www.jstor.org/stable/30097

Finlayson, Cynthia. 2012. “New Excavations and a Reexamination of the Great Roman Theater at Apamea, Syria, Seasons 1–3 (2008–2010).” American Journal of Archaeology 116.2: 377–319.  https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3764/aja.116.2.0277

Garello, Francesca. 2004. “Sport or Showbiz? The Naumachiae in the Flavian Amphitheatre.” In Games and Festivals in Classical Antiquity: Proceedings of the Conference held in Edinburgh 10-12 July 2000, edited by Sinclair Bell and Glenys Davies, 115–124. BAR International Series 1220. Oxford: Archaeopress.  https://www.academia.edu/36714429/Sport_or_Showbiz_The_Naumachiae_in_the_Flavian_Anphiteatre

Retzleff, Alexandra. 2003. “Near Eastern Theatres in Late Antiquity.” Phoenix 57.1/2: 115–138.  https://www.jstor.org/stable/3648491

Segal, Arthur. 1995. Theatres in Roman Palestine and Provincia Arabia. Leiden: E.J. Brill.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/1013368523

Reign of Trajan

Jackson, Nicholas. 2022. Trajan: Rome’s Last Conqueror. Barnsley: GreenHill Books.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/1301903464

Aramaic and Greek languages

Gzella, Holger. 2015. “Aramaic in the Hellenistic and Early Roman Near East.” In A Cultural History of Aramaic: From the Beginnings to the Advent of Islam, by Holger Gzella, 212–280. Leiden: Brill.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/900277039

Healey, John F. 2009. Aramaic Inscriptions and Documents of the Roman Period. Textbook of Syrian Semitic Inscriptions 4. Oxford: Oxford University Press.  https://search.worldcat.org/title/423583195

Longacre, Drew. 2021. “Comparative Hellenistic and Roman Manuscript Studies (CHRoMS): Script Interactions and Hebrew/Aramaic Writing Culture.” Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies Bulletin 7.1: 7–50.  https://www.academia.edu/87878333/Comparative_Hellenistic_and_Roman_Manuscript_Studies_CHRoMS_Script_Interactions_and_Hebrew_Aramaic_Writing_Culture

The imperial cult

Brodd, Jeffrey and Jonathan L. Reed. 2011. Rome and Religion: A Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue on the Imperial Cult. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.  https://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/pubs/064205P.front.pdf

Dirven, Lucinda. 2011. “Imperial Cult in the Cities of the Decapolis, Caesarea Maritima and Palmyra: A Note on the Development of Imperial Cults in the Roman Near East.” ARAM 23: 141–156.  https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/97617178/157497_Dirven_Imperial_Cult_ARAM23_libre-libre.pdf?1674342334=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DThe_Imperial_Cult_in_Cities_of_the_Decap.pdf&Expires=1730395240&Signature=CUHiKhUjTYg7YAKdrzoF0VK3vLQhShkV6j894q0xXurVkbPmM0mekCVCsMhza66HTGXOv5wi-YPt9rrqYLT-e-LTFKr4~QyXukoSKA6eIfzL~hLbKpkSQY4kVQLSIHWtxs8bZ12CsWzwrFB143Ox3SVdhWBo~-rLToOrDw5KMHB4REgXbMh2dKKya0FbRn4EGe~iHRDPdpHGO3KhzgaB7ZD2gAXxbdQrWct~YJI4M16zSShF3vrrd~68YngegMB2nBT-UKZmvK7Q49IKH44Ht3R523PTHQubEnn~JSQ1q1udiNJGHTcZXjh76Ycd~O59p2EDkCTC2sxUQniwTGf5AA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA

Madsen, Jesper Majbom. 2016. “Joining the Empire: The Imperial Cult as a Marker of a Shared Imperial Identity.” In Imperial Identities in the Roman World, edited by Wouter Vanacker and Arjan Zuiderhoek. Abingdon: Routledge  https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315587950-13/joining-empire-imperial-cult-marker-shared-imperial-identity-jesper-majbom-madsen

McIntyre, Gwynaeth. 2019. Imperial Cult. Brill Research Perspectives/Ancient History. Leiden: Brill.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/1087502614

The Small Temple in Petra

Bodel, John and Sara Karz Reid. 2002. “A Dedicatory Inscription to the Emperor Trajan from the Small Temple at Petra, Jordan.” Near Eastern Archaeology 65.4: 249–250.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270360089_A_Dedicatory_Inscription_to_the_Emperor_Trajan_from_the_Small_Temple_at_Petra_Jordan

Reid, Sara Karz. 2013. The Small Temple: A Roman Imperial Cult Building in Petra, Jordan. Piscataway: Gorgias Press.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/882242936

Nabataeans at the harbor of Puteoli (and related topics)

Hosawi, Salma Mohammed B. 2017. “The Role of Trade in the Evolution of the Nabataean Religious Belief.” Journal of Middle East Research 42: 34–60.  https://mercj.journals.ekb.eg/article_76870_af851a1c1ee4468b88967ca779d2a6f3.pdf

Killgrove, Kristina and LiveScience. 2024. “Sunken Temple of Ancient Arabian Civilization Found off Italy.” Scientific American, 29 October 2024.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/underwater-temple-from-indiana-jones-civilization-discovered/

Stefanile, Michele, Michele Silani, and Maria Luisa Tardugno. 2024. “The Submerged Nabataean Temple in Puteoli at Pozzuoli, Italy: First Campaign of Underwater Research.” Antiquity 98.400: e20.  https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.107

Terpstra, Taco. 2015. “Roman Trade with the Far East: Evidence for Nabataean Middlemen in Puteoli.” In Across the Ocean: Nine Essays on Indo-Mediterranean Trade, edited by Federico De Romanis and Marco Maiuro, 73–94. Leiden: Brill.  https://www.academia.edu/1978586/Roman_trade_with_the_Far_East_Evidence_for_Nabataean_middlemen_in_Puteoli

Dushara/Dusares (Nabataean god)

Bowersock, G. W. 1994. “The Cult and Representation of Dusares in Roman Arabia.” In Studies on the Eastern Roman Empire, by G. W. Bowersock, 245–252. Bibliotheca eruditorum 9. Kelp: Goldbach.  https://search.worldcat.org/title/32223682

Kropp, Andreas J. M. 2011. “Nabataen Dushara (Dusares)—An Overlooked Cuirassed God.” Palestine Exploration Quarterly 143.3: 176–197.  https://www.academia.edu/1850853/Nabataean_Dushara_Dusares_an_overlooked_cuirassed_god

Wenning, Robert. 2016. “The Many Faces of Dushara—A Critical Review of the Evidence.” Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan 12: 189–210.  https://publication.doa.gov.jo/Publications/ViewChapterPublic/339

The Roman and Sassanian Empires

Dignas, Beate and Engelbert Winter. 2007. Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbours and Rivals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/123374647

Drijvers, Jan Willem. 2009. “Rome and the Sasanid Empire: Confrontation and Coexistence.” In A Companion to Late Antiquity, edited by Philip Rousseau, 441–454. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.  https://www.academia.edu/329117/Rome_and_the_Sassanid_Empire_Confrontation_and_Coexistence

Edwell, Peter M. 2021. Rome and Persia at War: Imperial Competition and Contact, 193–363 CE. Abingdon: Routledge.  https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/1162208094

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