The Guardianship of Jesus Son of Babatha: Roman and Local Law in the Province of Arabia

Abstract

The Babatha archive contains documents of a Jewish woman who lived in the village of Maoza situated on the southern shore of the Dead Sea, in what had been the kingdom of Nabataea and became in 106 C.E. the Roman province of Arabia. The first dated document in the archive dates to 22 Elul (August/September) 94 and the last to 19 August 132; some of the documents therefore precede the annexation of Arabia, but the majority follow it. This offers a rare opportunity to examine the consequences of Roman annexation: by examining in detail the changes effected by the Roman presence in the newly acquired province of Arabia, we may improve our picture of Roman provincial government and the relationship between Roman law and native local law, as well as our understanding of the reaction of the provincial population to Roman rule.