The case of the Nabataeans present us with a significant example of a people at the crossroads between the Roman-Greek and the oriental cultures. This people owed his rise to power to the control it exerted over the trade routes between Arabia and the Mediterraean; their capital Petra, located in today's Jordan, is a record of their importance in stone.

"Quellen zur Geschichte der Nabatäer" brings together the sources about the Nabataeans, written in Greek, Latin, Nabataean and other Semitic languages, providing the original texts as well as a German translation and commentary. This unique collection of source material makes it possible to compare the very diverse testimonials and allows the reader to gain a better and in any cases a new understanding of their way of live.