They are the ancient people who dominated trade, thrived in one of the world’s harshest environments and established a rich culture that has left behind a wealth of archaeological evidence, including the spectacular city of Petra, but if you haven’t heard of the Nabataeans, you are not alone. The Nabatu, as they were also known, might have built a powerful trading empire, but time has, in many ways, robbed them of the recognition they deserve.
Sit down with acclaimed British historian and documentarian to discuss the Nabataeans, however, and it’s impossible to not want to know more of their story.
“For me, it’s finding the gaps in history,’ Hughes tells SBS.
“Whether that’s an underrepresented group of people (like the Nabataeans), or women even. They are there, but nobody has heard of them, and they should be household names. That’s a historian’s job: to find the gaps and fill them. Honestly, that’s what we do.”
Hughes sets about exploring and sharing the story of these giants of history in her documentary series Bettany Hughes' Lost Worlds: The Nabataeans. Over three immersive episodes, Hughes takes audiences on a path less travelled, following Nabataean incense trade routes from the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean, accessing new research across Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Greece, Italy and Oman along the way.
Bettany Hughes with camels in the deserts of Saudi Arabia in episode one of 'Bettany Hughes' Lost Worlds: The Nabataeans'. Credit: SandStone Global Productions
Though Hughes is no stranger to the Nabataeans, having come across references to them throughout her career, only now has she been afforded the opportunity to let their spectacular story take centre stage. From towering tombs to underwater temples, Hughes captures the far-reaching nature of this mysterious empire and reveals the legacy of an enigmatic and influential civilisation that was as important as Ancient Rome, Greece or Egypt.
“There are lots of new discoveries in this documentary,” Hughes says.
“We always start right at the beginning because there’s always a different group of people, a different story, a different civilisation, a different culture, that’s the foundation of what you see in the 21st century, and to get to the roots of a story, you have to start deep.”
Bettany Hughes and archaeologist, Wissam Khalil with fragments of 2400-year-old statues found at Umm Daraj, AlUla. Credit: SandStone Global Productions
Hughes begins her investigation at the remarkable site of Ancient Hegra in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, the frontline of research into the Nabataean world. Here, she meets geophysicists and archaeologists, and shares how highly sophisticated technology is being used to create an impressive and detailed reconstruction of the Nabataean world.
“I always love the fact that technology comes from a Greek root, and then before that a Proto-Indo-European root, and that its original root actually meant a kind of binding together,” Hughes tells SBS. “Isn’t it great, then, that technology can bind together the past, the present and the future?”
Armed with new insight into Nabataean life, Hughes follows their routes from Oman, across the Red Sea, into Greece and Italy, tracing their monopoly on a prized luxury – incense. The realisation that the modern-day descendants of the Nabataeans might be more geographically dispersed than first thought due to this remarkable trading empire reaffirms for Hughes the need to better understand their role in the ancient world. Episode two sees her visit the Bay of Naples, where underwater archeologists have found exciting evidence of the Nabataean presence.
“From the divers outside Pompeii identifying sunken temples and the incense warehouses, it’s clear that they really had a whole community of people there,” Hughes explains.
“If there was a community of people, that would have meant they would have intermarried, which would mean that even some of the people living in Italy today are descendants of the Nabataeans.”
Returning to the city of Petra, the capital of the Nabataean world, Hughes revisits the overarching question of the series: why did this power of the ancient world vanish from history? Never one to shy away from an adventure, Hughes leaves no stone unturned as she journeys across land, sea and sky, and connects with local communities to find out, once and for all, what happened to this impressive civilisation.
Bettany Hughes at Petra. Credit: SandStone Global Productions
It is Hughes’ ability to weave together compelling storytelling with complex archaeological findings that makes Bettany Hughes' Lost Worlds: The Nabataeans a visual and historical feast. The genuine joy and awe Hughes feels at immersing herself in their world is evident at every stage, and every discovery, no matter how small, is savoured.
“I was just walking around with one of the archaeologists and we saw this decorated dagger on the ground, and you touch it and you’re the first person for 2000 years to have touched that,” Hughes recounts.
As for reigniting interest in the Nabataean world and bringing the incredible feats of this ancient people back into focus, Hughes says it is both a once in a lifetime opportunity and a privilege.
“It’s both inspiring and humbling,” she tells SBS.
“It makes you understand both how little we are in the big story of the world but also how we can all add to it. Even in small ways we are all part of that continuum.”
Bettany Hughes' Lost Worlds: The Nabataeans premieres Friday 28 March on SBS and SBS On Demand. Episodes air weekly on SBS starting Friday at 8.30pm, with new episodes also added weekly at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Bettany Hughes' Lost Worlds: The Nabataeans
series • documentary • Arabic
PG
series • documentary • Arabic
PG
Explore more of the world's history in the at SBS On Demand, and look out for a new season of Treasures of the World, brand new series Seven Wonders of the World and more coming later this year. Love history? Explore more of the ancient and modern past in the .
Stream free On Demand
Treasures Of The World with Bettany Hughes
