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Water Control

Recent archaeological research using satellite imagery and ground penetrating radar has confirmed what scholars had long suspected: the Nabataeans ruled over the Arabian deserts because of they engineered a massive water control system, which had its beginnings in cisterns hewn near desert road systems.

The complex water system included dams, cisterns, and an extensive, interlaced above-ground ceramic pipeline system that moved water into the city from springs such as Ain Musa as many as 8 kilometers (five miles) away.


Estimates are that 2 liters (about .5 gallon) per person per day was required for the city to continue: and it flourished, with underground systems supporting ornamental pools and lush agricultural gardens to support its people.

The Spice Trade

There's no doubt about it: the immense wealth that led to the construction of Petra and the dominance of the Nabataeans over the eastern Mediterranean and the Arabian peninsula was their control of the spice and aromatics trade. The aromatics trade involved the commercial exploitation and transfer of frankincense and myrrh into the Roman world and other Mediterranean customers.

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This article is a part of the About.com guide to Ancient World History, and the Dictionary of Archaeology.

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