Citation with stable link: Philip A. Harland, 'Arabians and Nabateans: Strabo on their supposedly uncivilized sexual and burial customs (early first century CE),' Ethnic Relations and Migration in the Ancient World, last modified September 1, 2024, https://philipharland.com/Blog/?p=21800.

Ancient author: Strabo, Geography 16.4.25-26 (link).

Comments: After dealing with Syrians and Phoenicians, Strabo turns his attention to Arabians and Nabateans specifically, sketching out some of their supposed customs. By means of ostensibly paradoxical sexual practices that turn Greek practices on their heads, Strabo exoticizes and apparently demeans as uncivilized Arabians generally. However, his separate treatment of Nabateans suggests he favours this sub-group among Arabians. There, too, though, the connection Strabo makes between how Nabateans deal with the dead and dung also rings of an uncivilized characterization.

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[For Strabo’s preceding discussion of Aelius Gallus’ imperial expedition into Arabia, go to this link].

[Peoples in Arabia the Blessed]

(16.4.25) Now writers divide the country that produces aromatics into four parts, as I have said before. Among the aromatics, they say that frankincense and myrrh are produced from trees and that cassia is produced from marshes.​ Some say that most of the latter comes from India and that the best frankincense is produced near Persis.

However, according to another division, Arabia the Blessed (Arabia Felix) is split up into five dominions (basileiai): one comprises the warriors, who fight for everyone; another is the farmers, who supply food to all the rest; another is those who engage in the mechanical skills; another is the myrrh-bearing country; and, another the frankincense-bearing country, although the same countries produce cassia, cinnamon, and nard.

[Customs]

Occupations are not changed from one class to another, but each and all keep to those of their fathers. The greater part of their wine is made from the palm. Brothers are held in higher honour than children. The descendants of the royal family not only reign as kings, but also hold other offices, in accordance with seniority of birth; and property is held in common by all kinsmen, though the eldest is lord of all.

[Sexual customs]

One woman is also wife for all. The person who first enters the house before any other has sexual intercourse with her, having first placed his staff before the door because, by custom, each man must carry a staff. But she spends the night with the oldest man. So all children are brothers. They also have sexual intercourse with their mothers. The penalty for an adulterer is death. However, only the person from another family is an adulterer.​

A daughter of one of the kings who was admired for her beauty had fifteen brothers, who were all in love with her, and therefore visited her unceasingly, one after another. At last, being tired out by their visits, she used the following device: she had wooden staffs made like theirs and, when one of them left her, she always put a staff like his in front of the door, a little later another, then another. Her aim was that the one who was likely to visit her next might not have a staff similar to the one in front of the door. So once, when all the brothers were together at the market-place, one of them, going to her door and seeing the staff in front of it, surmised that someone was with her. From the fact that he had left all his brothers in the market-place, he suspected that her visitor was an adulterer. But after running to his father and bringing him into the house, he was proved to have falsely accused his sister.

[Nabateans and their customs]

(16.4.26) The Nabateans are a sensible people, and are so much inclined to acquire possessions that they publicly fine anyone who has diminished his possessions and also confer honours on anyone who has increased them. Since they have only a few slaves, they are served by their kinsfolk for the most part, or by one another, or by themselves. That the custom extends even to their kings. They prepare common meals together in groups of thirteen persons, and they have two girl-singers for each banquet.

The king holds many drinking-bouts in magnificent style, but no one drinks more than eleven cupfuls, each time using a different golden cup. The king is so democratic that, in addition to serving himself, he sometimes even serves the rest himself in his turn. He often renders an account of his kingship in the popular assembly. Sometimes his mode of life is examined.

Their homes, through the use of stone, are costly. However, on account of peace, the cities are not walled. Most of the country is well supplied with fruits except the olive; they use sesame-oil instead. The sheep are white-fleeced and the oxen are large, but the country produces no horses. Camels afford the service they require instead of horses. They go out without tunics, with girdles about their loins, and with slippers on their feet. Even the kings do this, though in their case the colour is purple.

Some things are imported completely from other countries, but others not altogether so, especially in the case of those that are native products, including gold and silver and most of the aromatics. On the other hand, brass, iron, purple cloth, styrax, crocus, costaria, embossed works, paintings, and moulded works are not produced in their country.

They have the same regard for the dead as for dung, as Herakleitos says: “Dead bodies more fit to be cast out than dung.” Therefore they bury even their kings beside dung-heaps. They worship the sun, building an altar on the top of the house, and pouring libations on it daily and burning frankincense.

[For Strabo’s subsequent discussion of Erembians in Homer and Arabians, go to this link].

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Source of translation: H.L. Jones, Strabo, 8 volumes, LCL (Cambridge, MA: HUP, 1917-28), public domain (passed away in 1932), adapted by Harland.