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In the late 1990s, Stephan G. Schmid published a chronological typology of Nabataean Painted Fine Ware (NPFW) that was widely accepted by scholars of Nabataea and Roman Arabia. Tali Erickson-Gini has since raised concerns about parts of his NPFW typology, specifically related to two decoration types dating to the end of the 1st century and the beginning of the 2nd century CE (Dekorphases 3b and 3c). This article is a response to Erickson-Gini's critique, published in this volume. We find that there is sufficient evidence to broadly validate Schmid's proposed dating for the beginning of production of Dekorphases 3b and 3c to the late 1st century and early 2nd century CE, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Nabataean Painted Fine Ware (NPFW) has been examined in light of Stephan Schmid's chronological typology since the late 1990s, few stratified contexts with NPFW from outside Petra have been published, and none derived from contexts occupied continuously from the Nabataean through Byzantine periods. Questions remain about the dating of later Dekorphases (3-4) due to a lack of contexts. This paucity is remedied, however, by Area K at Roman Aqaba/Aila, Jordan. Area K was a domestic complex, just inside the later Byzantine city wall, excavated from 1994 through 2002. Using associated numismatic evidence and imported fine wares (primarily Eastern Sigillata A and African Red Slip), this paper argues that NPFW Dekorphase 3b appeared at Aila in the second half of the 1st century CE, and Dekorphase 3c appeared shortly afterwards, around the time of the Roman annexation in the beginning of the 2nd century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]