Statue of Victory holding celestial disk with head of Tyche. Khirbet Tannur, circa first century a.d. © Cincinnati Art Museum

This important Nabataean statue was broken in two in antiquity and has been reunited for the first time in more than 1,500 years. The upper half of the statue (in the collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum) and the original lower half (in the collections of the National Archaeological Museum, Amman) were reassembled for the exhibition. The sculpture, a statue of Nike, or Winged Victory, holds atop her head a disk with the bust of the goddess Tyche, the Nabataean goddess of fortune, surrounded by the 12 symbols of the zodiac.

Inscribed Sandstone Stela .
Petra, circa first century a.d. Department of Antiquities, Amman, Jordan. © Cincinnati Art Museum;
Photo: Peter John Gates FBIPP, ARPS, Ashwell, UK

Found in the ancient Temple of the Winged Lions in Petra, this idol, a stone block with stylized human face, represents the chief goddess of Petra, Al-Huzza.

Monumental Roman Marble Vase with Panther-Shaped Handles. Petra, circa first century a.d. Department of Antiquities, Amman, Jordan.
© Cincinnati Art Museum; Photo: Peter John Gates FBIPP, ARPS, Ashwell, UK

This monumental vase of carved marble decorated with panther-shaped handles is the only example of its kind ever found. A luxury import to Petra, it was carved in a Roman imperial workshop, probably in Rome itself.

Architectural Relief with Head of Dushares-Dionysus. Petra, circa first century a.d. Department of Antiquities, Amman, Jordan. © Cincinnati Art Museum; Photo: Peter John Gates FBIPP, ARPS, Ashwell, UK

Art and religion in Nabataea were heavily influenced by Classical culture, as shown in this depiction of the Nabataean god Dushares depicted as the Greek wine god Dionysus.