Aretas III (/ˈærɪtəs/; Nabataean Aramaic: 𐢊𐢛𐢞𐢞, romanized: Ḥārītaṯ; Ancient Greek: Αρέτας, romanized: Arétās) was king of the Arab Nabataean kingdom from 87 to 62 BCE. Aretas ascended to the throne upon the death of his brother, Obodas I, in 87 BCE. During his reign, he extended his kingdom to cover what now forms the northern area of Jordan, the south of Syria, and part of Saudi Arabia. Probably the greatest of Aretas' conquests was that of Damascus, which secured his country's place as a serious political power of its time. Nabataea reached its greatest territorial extent under Aretas' leadership. Like his predecessors, the king's name as transcribed in Arabic is الحارث, Al-Ḥāriṯ, or الحارثة, Al-Ḥāriṯa, stemming from Harith which means "the collector, provider; plowman; cultivator".
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Aretas III in the context of Hasmonean Civil War
The Hasmonean civil war was a succession war fought in Judea between Salome Alexandra's sons, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, over the Hasmonean crown. What began as a civil war, Hyrcanus backed by Antipater and Nabataean king Aretas III, Aristobulus holding Jerusalem, drew in the Roman Republic when Pompey intervened, besieged the Temple precincts in 63 BCE, and captured Jerusalem. Pompey reinstated Hyrcanus as high priest but stripped royal power, reduced Judea's territory, imposed tribute, and carried Aristobulus to Rome, ending the independence of Judea.
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