ANTINOUS IN PETRA

TRAVELING across the Arabian desert along the caravan routes, and the border road constructed for the Legions to patrol the frontier with Parthia, Hadrian and Antinous went south from Palmyra towards Arabia, crossing the country that is now called Jordan. They visited the city of Gerasha where a monumental arch of Hadrian was constructed to celebrate his visit.

They followed the trade routes to the capitol of the province of Arabia, the famous city of Petra, where merchants arrived from Yemen, carrying sacred frankincense, the most important religious offering in the Roman religion.

The great temples of Petra, carved out of rock, were dedicated to their primary god, Al Qaum, who is compared to Mars, the war god, and was said to be the protector of the Caravans. Al Quam was never depicted, but was represented as an un-worked, cone-shaped stone set on a golden pedestal, that somewhat resembles a phallus.

The Nabateans of Petra were conquered by Pompey, but were allowed independent rule, until Trajan made their kingdom a Roman Province.

Hadrian was so pleased with Petra and the reception he received that he lavished great sums on the people, and he elevated the city to the status of a Metropolis after which the city was called Hadrian's Petra.

The importance of the Nabateans and their fantastic city of rock is that they are the ancestors of the Arabian culture as we know it, their language and writing is what evolved into Arabic. 

Their entire culture and religious foundation were embraced by the tribes of the whole Arabian Desert, Medina and Mecca were outposts of Nabatean culture along the trade routes to the south.

The elegance, love for poetry and war of the pagan Arab people extends from the Nabatean culture that so impressed Hadrian.

It was in Hadrian's Petra that Antinous was immersed into the Arabian culture which would in centuries to come overtake half of the Roman world especially the cities and provinces where the Antinous religion was strongest, leaving little trace of his cult behind.

We pray that the wisdom of the pagan Nabateans of Arabia Petra will return to calm the crisis of our modern age. We offer sacred olibanum of Petra in honor of the ancient gods and as a symbol of our faith in Antinous the gay god.

Ave Antinous of Petra!