Stories of the great ___23___of Petra soon reached the ears of the Romans, and two or three attempts to capture the city failed. But___24___its inaccessibility, it could not hold out against the might of the Roman Empire, and in A.D. 106 , Petra with all its territory became a Roman province. Under Roman rule, Petra___25___greatly. Abandonment by the Arabian caravans of the land route in favor of the easier route by the Red sea.