Why does the Cincinnati Art Museum have so much Nabataean artwork?
Cincinnati has the largest collection of Nabataean artifacts outside of Jordan, the bulk of which are architectural sculptures from the sanctuary of Khirbet et-Tannur, located about 70 miles north of Petra. The site was excavated by a Cincinnati Biblical archaeologist, Nelson Glueck, in 1937, and the finds were divided between Jordan and the United States. In 1939, the Cincinnati community purchased the American share of the artifacts for the Cincinnati Museum of Art.
