Dr. Issam Halayqa publishes new research paper on Nabataean bronze coins

Dr. Issam Halayqa, associate professor in the Department of History and Archaeology at Birzeit University, published a new research paper titled “Nabataean Bronze Coins in the Hold of the Department of Palestinian Antiquities” in the peer-reviewed and edited anthology “Cultural Heritage: At the Intersection of the Humanities and the Sciences.”

Edited by Dr. Hani Hayajneh, professor of ancient near-eastern languages and civilizations at Yarmouk University, Jordan, the anthology was published by the LIT Verlag, a German academic publisher.

The research paper summaries the work on Nabataean bronze coins originating from various sites throughout the Palestinian Territories, and dating back to 9 BC-106 AD. The material does not come from legal excavations. It has been illegally dug up by antiquity looters on many different sites with the intention of selling it on the black market of illicit antiquities. According to the testimony of the team of the Department of Palestinian Antiquities, the coins, 161 pieces in number, were uncovered in 2013 by antiquity looters in and around Bethlehem (138 coins), Hebron (22 coins), Nablus (2 coins) and Ramallah (1 coin). Since the coins have no clear archaeological context, the researcher will rely on the texts they bear and on their decorative patterns to classify them and place them within their historical context. The coins were inscribed with Nabataean texts and they display decorative elements inspired from the Nabataean cultural repertory. The obverses of the coins portray jugate busts with laureate heads of the last three Nabataean kings (Aretas IV, Malichus Il and Rabbel II) associated with their wives: the king on left and his wife, the queen, on the right field. Reverses present crossed double cornucopiae designed within a dotted circular borderline and a two to three-line Nabataean text placed above and below the two horns of the cornucopias. The texts usually give the king's name and that of his consort.

Dr. Issam Halayqa has authored and co-authored several national and international publications. He also works as a reviewer for reputed professional journals and is actively associated with different societies and academic communities around the world. With a research interest in arts, social sciences and anthropology, Dr. Issam Halayqa has received several awards for his contributions to the scientific community.