Aretas III

Aretas III commissioned the first silver Nabataean coins. He ordered that his name appear in Greek, rather than Nabataean Aramaic.
Aretas III bronze coin

Aretas III (/ˈærɪtəs/;[1] Nabataean Aramaic: 𐢊𐢛𐢞𐢞‎ Ḥārītaṯ; Ancient Greek: Αρέτας Arétās) was king of the Nabataean kingdom from 87 to 62 BCE. Aretas ascended to the throne upon the death of his brother, Obodas I, in 87 BCE.[2] During his reign, he extended his kingdom to cover what now forms the northern area of Jordan, the south of Syria, and part of Saudi Arabia. Probably the greatest of Aretas' conquests was that of Damascus, which secured his country's place as a serious political power of its time. Nabataea reached its greatest territorial extent under Aretas' leadership.[3]

  1. ^ Walker, John (1798). A Key to the Classical Pronunciation of Greek and Latin Proper Names. London: Robinsons. p. 100.
  2. ^ CIS II 422
  3. ^ G. Horsfield & A. Conway, "Historical and Topographical Notes on Edom: With an Account of the First Excavations at Petra", The Geographical Journal, 76 (1930), pp. 369-388. (JSTOR link)