Robert Wenning

• University of Münster

This paper presents the second type of representation of the 'lord' of the Nabataean stonemasons, a male figure standing with betyls. This type is found in five rock-cut reliefs in Petra, usually high in the walls of quarries or monuments. It is argued that, like the so-called 'sword deity' figures presented in Part I, this second type was also car...

During the 2000 Season of the Brown University excavations of the so-called Great Temple at Petra, an elusive rock-cut figure (termed the ‘Sword Deity’) was discovered in the southern perimeter wall. Since then, the current authors have identified other such figures as belonging to this previously unknown type, which has similarities with the Greek...

The Nabataeans venerated their deities in betyls (aniconic stone slabs). This contribution, based primarily on a survey carried out by the author in Petra, offers an overview of the main aspects of these betyls. After a discussion of the terminology of the term "betyl," the deities connected with betyls in Nabataean inscriptions are listed, resulti...