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Document Details :

Title: Nabataean Standing Stones and their Interpretation
Author(s): AVNER, Uzi
Journal: ARAM Periodical
Volume: 11    Date: 1999-2000   
Pages: 97-122
DOI: 10.2143/ARAM.11.1.504453

Abstract :
Standing stones, or maṣṣeboth in Biblical literature, are stones set into the ground, individually or in groups, and range from a few centimeters to several meters high. In the Near East they are primarily known from the Levant, but are found in Arabia and the Sahara deserts as well. In the Nabataean Culture they are called neṣṣibe or masgida. Large obelisks are known from Petra, and several sites contain niches carved into the sandstone rocks with pillar-like bas reliefs. Lesser known are many small standing stones found in the vast Nabataean domain. The author describes these stones and discusses their meaning.

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