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Temple Deity
Who did the Nabateans worship in this
temple at Dhat Ras? We do not know for sure. The site’s name
may provide a clue. “Dhat Ras” is feminine and means “goddess
of the mountain,” assuming the name is an ancient name, which
often is the case. Nelson Glueck suggests the deity was
Atargatis or Allat (Deities and Dolphins, p. 56), two names
for the same deity. Atargatis was one of the most prominent
deities of the Nabatean pantheon, according to Glueck (Deities
and Dolphins, p. 359). She was the creator and sustainer of
life. Life was impossible without the life generating power of
water. She was the goddess of vegetation and a moist sky
goddess. The dolphin, an image inseparable from water,
symbolized her. Sometimes, she is depicted as a mermaid.
According to Glueck, she was represented in a relief at et-Tannur
as having ears of grain above and beside her head. He calls
her the “grain goddess” and “fish goddess.” Dhat Ras was a
well-suited area for grain production, as it continues to be
today. Glueck says Atargatis combined with
the native deity of Allat when the Nabateans settled down from
traveling merchants to become an agricultural civilization. Thus
both names refer to the same goddess.
Although no images have been found at Dhat
Ras, the small temple was designed to collect water. A deity
associated with water, such as Atargatis, seems appropriate.
Atargatis’ association with grain also fits well with the
temple given the fertile grain fields around Dhat Ras. For
more information about Atargatis,
click here and select “Atargatis” under the “Phoenician”
category.
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