The ceramic oil lamp as an indicator of cultural change within Nabataean society in Petra and its environs circa CE 106 (Roman Empire)

How did the Nabataeans view their world at the time of the Roman annexation in CE 106? Indeed, did their material culture reveal an altered perception after their monarchy was dissolved? If it is possible to detect a change in their artifact record, can we be sure it is authentic and not a veneer, masking the identity of a disaffected people? One approach might be to examine religious practice as a diagnostic for identity within Nabataean society, because religion is interwoven with a community's worldview, shaping and reflecting its system of values and consequently playing an important role in defining identity.; Herein three ancient Nabataean sites are investigated: the Great Temple and North Ridge Tombs in Petra, and the sanctuary of Khirbet et-Tannur. Their diversity in sacred use is examined via the ceramic oil lamp---a vessel that can portray socio-political and religious symbolism.; This dissertation presents two major discoveries within the three sites. The first is the evidence for hybridization: an adaptation to the Roman presence at the time of the annexation. The second is the specific manufacture and use of lamps strictly for religious purposes. Hybridization is determined at the end of the first century CE by two factors: the phasing out of Roman imported lamps and their replacement by local copies, and the disappearance of the most prevalent Nabataean indigenous lamp---the volute type. The presence of unusual wheelmade socketed lamps, and round lamps in the sanctuary of Khirbet et-Tannur provides evidence for specific lamp choices in religious use, lamps not found in the corpus at the Petra North Ridge Tombs nor at the Great Temple. Yet there is also a striking absence at Khirbet et-Tannur, that of the volute lamp, common during the first century CE at the Great Temple, the North Ridge Tombs and at most Nabataean sites.; Lamps are artifacts that acquire layers of meaning through their use and subsequent deposition and are, therefore, reminders of a narrative of place. In seeking this narrative within the three sites, I have attempted to locate a Nabataean re-negotiated identity, forged during the dissolution of their kingdom.