The Arabs of North Arabia in Later Pre-Islamic Times
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The Arabs of North Arabia in later Pre-Islamic Times: Qedar, Nebaioth, and Others A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2014 Marwan G. Shuaib School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2 The Contents List of Figures ……………………………………………………………….. 7 Abstract ………………………………………………………………………. 8 Declaration …………………………………………………………………… 9 Copyright Rules ……………………………………………………………… 9 Acknowledgements .….……………………………………………………… 10 General Introduction ……………………………………………………….. 11 Chapter One: Historiography ……………………………………….. 13 1.1 What is the Historian’s Mission? ……………………………………….. 14 1.1.1 History writing ………………………...……....……………….…... 15 1.1.2 Early Egyptian Historiography …………………………………….. 15 1.1.3 Israelite Historiography ……………………………………………. 16 1.1.4 Herodotus and Greek Historiography ……………………………… 17 1.1.5 Classical Medieval Historiography …………………….…………... 18 1.1.6 The Enlightenment and Historiography …………………………… 19 1.1.7 Modern Historiography ……………………………………………. 20 1.1.8 Positivism and Idealism in Nineteenth-Century Historiography…… 21 1.1.9 Problems encountered by the historian in the course of collecting material ……………………………………………………………………… 22 1.1.10 Orientalism and its contribution ………………………………….. 24 1.2 Methodology of study …………………………………………………… 26 1.2.1 The Chronological Framework ……………………………………. 27 1.2.2 Geographical ……………………………………………………….. 27 1.3 Methodological problems in the ancient sources…...………………….. 28 1.3.1 Inscriptions ………………………………………………………… 28 1.3.2 Annals ……………………………………………………………… 30 1.3.3 Biblical sources ...…………………………………………………... 33 a. Inherent ambiguities of the Bible ……………………………… 35 b. Is the Bible history at all? ……………………………………… 35 c. Difficulties in the texts …………………………………………. 36 3 1.4 Nature of the archaeological sources …………………………………... 37 1.4.1 Medieval attitudes to Antiquity ……………………………………. 37 1.4.2 Archaeology during the Renaissance era …………………………... 38 1.4.3 Archaeology and the Enlightenment ………………………………. 39 1.4.4 The nineteenth century and the history of Biblical archaeology……. 39 1.4.5 Digging in civilized areas …………………………………..………. 40 1.5 Important written sources for this research ……………………….… 42 1.5.1 Cuneiform and Related Sources …………………………………… 42 1.5.2 Classical sources ………………………………………………….. 44 1.5.3 Islamic sources ……………………………………………………. 45 1.5.4 Modern Studies of Arabs in Antiquity ……………………………... 46 Chapter two: Ethnicity, Social structure and Representation ....……… 49 2.1. Ethnicity ………………………………………………………………… 50 2.1.1 Interpreting Ethnicity ………………………………………………. 50 2.1.2 Foundations of the Ethnic Community ……………………………. 52 2.1.3 The Boundaries of Ethnicity Groups ………………………………. 54 2.1.4 Arab Ethnicity ……………………………………………………… 55 2.1.5 Ishmael and the Arabs in the Bible ………………………………… 59 2.1.6 Ibn Khald ūn’s perspective on the Ethnicity of the Arabs ..………… 60 2.1.7 Conclusion …………………………………………………………. 63 2.2 Social structure ………………………………………………………….. 65 2.2.1 Nomadic people ……………………………………………………. 65 2.2.2 Sedentary people …………………………………………………… 68 2.2.3 The relationship between Sedentaries and Nomads …..……………. 71 2.2.4. Kingship…………………………….……………………………… 74 2.3 Representation ………………………………………………………….. 87 2.3.1 The Assyrians and their view of others ……………………………. 87 2.3.2 Representation in the Roman world ……………………………….. 90 2.3.3 Western scholars and the representation of Orientals …………….... 92 4 Chapter Three: Historical Background ………………………………… 93 3.1 Assyrian Period …………………………………………………………. 94 3.1.1 The Great Kings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire ……………………... 95 3.1.2 Ashur-dan II ……………………………………………………….. 96 3.1.3 Adad-nirari II ………………………………………………………. 97 3.1.4 Tukulti-Ninurta II ………………………………………………….. 97 3.1.5 Ashurnasirpal II …………………………………………………….. 98 3.1.6 Shalmaneser III …………………………………………………….. 98 a. The Battle of Qarqar …………………………………………………... 99 3.2 The Period of Assyrian Expansion and Domination of the Near East 101 (745-610 BCE) 3.2.1 Tiglath-Pileser III ……………...…………………………………… 101 a. Tiglath-Pileser III’s dealings with the Arabs ...…………….………… 103 3.2.2 Sargon II …………………………………………………………. 110 a. Sargon II’s dealings with the Arabs ……………....…………………. 111 3.2.3 Sennacherib ………………………………………………………… 114 a. Sennacherib’s dealings with the Arabs ...…………..………………… 114 b. Notes on Assyrian Inscriptions during the Sennacherib Period …….. 118 3.2.4 Esarhaddon ………………………………………………………… 118 a. Esarhaddon’s dealings with the Arabs ...……………..………………. 119 3.2.5 Ashurbanipal ……………………………………………………….. 122 a. Ashurbanipal’s dealings with the Arabs ……..………………………. 122 3.3 The Neo-Babylonian Period (626-539 BCE) …………………………... 130 3.3.1 Nebuchadnezzar II …………………………………………………. 130 a. Nebuchadnezzar II’s dealings with the Arabs …... ……………..…….. 131 3.3.2 Nabonidus ………………………………………………………….. 132 a. Nabonidus in Tayma …………………………………………………. 132 b. Nabonidus’s dealings with the Arabs …..……………………………. 134 3.4 The Achaemenid Empire (550-330 BCE) ……………………………… 136 3.4.1 Cambyses II’s dealings with the Arabs …………………………….. 136 5 Chapter four: The groups of nomads in north Arabia ………………… 139 4.1 The Arabs as seen through analysis of their tributes as described in Assyrian inscriptions …….………………………………………………….. 140 4.2 The sources for Qedarite history ………………………………………. 149 4.2.1 Qedarites in biblical texts ………………………………………….. 149 4.2.2 Qedar in Minaean inscriptions …………………………………….. 151 4.2.3 Qedar in classical works ……………………………………………. 152 4.2.4 Qedar in Arabic sources …………………………………………. 153 4.3 Qedar …………………...………………………………………………... 155 4.3.1 The History of Qedar ………………………………………………. 155 4.3.2 Ashurbanipal’s first campaign against Qedar ……………………… 163 4.3.3 The second campaign of Ashurbanipal against Qedar …………….. 169 4.3.4 Nebuchadnezzar and Qedar ………………………………………… 173 4.3.5 Gashmu king of Qedar and his son Qaynu …………………………. 174 4.4 Nebaioth and Na-ba-a-a-ti and their relationship with the Nabataeans ………………………………………………………………....... 177 4.5 Massa’ …………………………………………………………………… 184 4.6 Sheba or Saba including the question of the queen of Sheba ………… 185 4.6.1 Sabaeans in the Biblical texts ………………………………………. 188 4.6.2 The Queen of Sheba and her visit to king Solomon ……………….. 193 Chapter five: The main settlement centres in the North of Arabia……. 198 5.1 The Oasis of Tayma …………………………………………………….. 201 5.1.1 Modern visitors to Tayma and Archaeological remains ..………….. 203 5.1.2 The Relationship between Tayma and Mesopotamia ……………… 206 5.1.3 Tayma in Classical and Islamic works ……………………………... 213 5.2 The Oasis of Adummatu……………………………………………..…. 216 5.2.1 The Relationship between Adummatu and Mesopotamia….………. 218 5.2.2 Adummatu in Classical and Islamic works………………..………... 224 6 5.2.3 Archaeological remains in Adummatu …………………………….. 226 5.3 The Oasis of Dedan ……………………………………………………... 229 5.3.1 Modern visitors to al-‘Ul ā oasis …………………………………… 230 5.3.2 Introduction to Dedan ……………………………………………… 230 5.3.3 Dedan in Biblical sources ………………………………………….. 232 5.3.4 Dedan through the inscriptions ……………………………………. 236 Chapter six: Society ………………………………………………………. 243 6.1 Social Structure …………………………………………………………. 244 6.1.1 Families and Clans …………………………………………………. 245 6.1.2 Men ………………………………………………………………… 246 6.1.3 Women ……………………………………………………………... 248 6.1.4 Children ……………………………………………………………. 250 6.1.5 The System of Succession to the Qedarite Throne ………………… 252 6.2 Religion ………………………………………………………………….. 254 6.3 Law ………………………………………………………………………. 261 6.4 Arts ………………………………………………………………………. 262 General Conclusion ……………………………………………...………… 271 Bibliography ………………………………………………………………… 277 Word Count: 79,540 7 List of Figures Section The Figure Page 2.2.4 Figure no. 1 Assurnasirpal Hunting Lions (British Museum) 85 2.2.4 Figure no. 2 Ramses II in His War Chariot (Abu Simbel) 86 3.4.1 Figure no. 3 Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III in the British 138 Museum 4.1 Figure no. 4 Major ancient routes and Caravan cities 142 4.3.5 Figure no. 5 one of the bowls from Tell El-Maskhuta bearing an 176 Aramaic inscription 5.1 Figure no.6 The location of Tayma 202 5.1.1 Figure no. 7 Tayma Stele 205 5.2 Figure no.8 The location of Dumat al-Jandal 216 5.3 Figure no. 9 The location of al-‘Ul ā oasis 229 6.4 Figure no. 10 The Hellenistic-style "Treasury" at Petra 265 6.4 Figure no. 11 tomb facade no. A 6 at Mad ā’in S ̩ ā lih 266 6.4 Figure no. 12 M ārib castle at Adummatu al-Jawf 267 6.4 Figure no. 13 Statue of a Li ḥyânite king from al-‘Ul ā 268 604 Figure no. 14 Anthropomorphic stele from al-‘Ulā 268 6.4 Figure no. 15: Anthropomorphic stele from Tayma 269 6.4 Figure no. 16: Petroglyph from the Arabian Peninsula 270 8 Abstract This study discusses the history of the Arabs of north Arabia in later pre-Islamic times. This study provides an in-depth discussion of Arab ethnicity, which contributes to the improvement of our knowledge regarding this controversial issue. This study argues that the Arab nation is, in fact, a very old one of great importance, but the Arabs themselves had no consciousness of their unity and did not leave inscriptions proclaiming their identity as Arabs or claim to be the rightful proprietors of specific territories. An examination is made of the reasons behind the emergence of kingship in different communities through the course of history, in order to determine the general features of kingship. This study demonstrates that kingship in north Arabia had almost every feature of kingship as it appeared in other places. Particular attention is paid in the study to delivering a full and coherent account of the history of Qedar. Although, some scholars have tried to