The People of Petra examines the origins of the Nabataeans, a group of Arabian nomads who began settling in Petra sometime in the third century B.C. and who had acquired control of the ancient incense and spice trade throughout the Arabian Peninsula by the first century B.C. This section features a number of objects related tothe Nabataeans, including a striking gravestone with a stylized male head whose style provides evidence that the Nabataeans interacted with the kingdoms of southern Arabia.