Citizendia

Image:Ge'ez.PNG This article contains Ethiopic text. Ge'ez (gez ግዕዝ) also called Ethiopic, is an Abugida script that was originally developed to write Ge'ez, a Semitic language
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Ethiopian fresco of the Queen of Sheba on her way to Jerusalem, shown riding with sword and lance
Ethiopian fresco of the Queen of Sheba on her way to Jerusalem, shown riding with sword and lance

The Queen of Sheba (Ge'ez: ንግሥተ ሳባ Nigista Saba, Hebrew: 'מלכת שבא‎ Malkat Shva, Arabic: ملكة سبأ‎ Malikat Sabaʾ), refers in Ethiopian history, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an to the woman who was the ruler of the ancient kingdom of Sheba. Ge'ez (ግዕዝ, ɡɨʕɨz also transliterated Gi'iz, and referred to as Ethiopic) is an ancient South Semitic Language Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Sheba ( Hebrew: שבא, Sh'va, Arabic: سبأ Sabaʼ, Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigrinya: ሳባ Saba The location of the historical kingdom may have included both Ethiopia and Yemen. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya

Known to the Ethiopian people as Makeda (ማክዳ mākidā), this queen has been called a variety of names by different peoples in different times. To King Solomon of Israel she was the Queen of Sheba. King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. In Islamic tradition she was Bilqis. The Roman historian Josephus calls her, Nicaula. Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus She is thought to have lived in the 10th century BC.

In the Hebrew Bible, a tradition of the history of nations is preserved in Beresh't 10 (Genesis 10). The Table of Nations or Sons of Noah is an extensive list of descendants of Noah appearing within the Torah at Genesis 10 representing In Beresh't 10:7 there is a reference to Sheba, the son of Raamah, the son of Cush, the son of Ham, son of Noah. Sheba ( Hebrew: שבא, Sh'va, Arabic: سبأ Sabaʼ, Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigrinya: ሳባ Saba Raamah is a name found in the Bible that may mean "thunder" See also Kush Cush ( kuʃ) was the eldest son of Ham, brother of Canaan and the father of Nimrod, mentioned Ham (; Greek Χαμ, Cham; Arabic: ar حام, xam, "hot" according to the Table of Nations in Genesis, was a Noah (or Noe, Noach;; Nūḥ; Arabic: نوح; "Rest") was according to the Bible, the tenth and last of In Beresh't 10:26-29 there is a reference to another person named Sheba, listed along with Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab as the descendants of Joktan, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Arphaxad, the descendant of Shem, another son of Noah. Sheba ( Hebrew: שבא, Sh'va, Arabic: سبأ Sabaʼ, Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigrinya: ሳባ Saba Almodad, was a descendant of Noah and the first named son of Joktan in and. Sheleph was a son of Joktan, of the family of Shem. (Gen 1026 Hazarmaveth is the third of thirteen sons of Joktan, who was a son of Eber, son of Shem in the table of the Sons of Noah in Genesis This list contains persons named in The Bible of minor notability about whom either nothing or very little is known aside from any family connections Hadoram is the son of Joktan mentioned in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible. Uzal in the Hebrew Bible, descendant of Joktan whose clan supposedly settled in Saudi Arabia. This list contains persons named in The Bible of minor notability about whom either nothing or very little is known aside from any family connections Joktan or Yoktan ( was the second of the two sons of Eber (Gen This list contains persons named in The Bible of minor notability about whom either nothing or very little is known aside from any family connections Ophir ( is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth Havilah is a land mentioned in the Bible first described in Genesis 211 in relation to the Garden of Eden: "The name of the first is the Pishon This list contains persons named in The Bible of minor notability about whom either nothing or very little is known aside from any family connections Joktan or Yoktan ( was the second of the two sons of Eber (Gen Eber ( עֵבֶר, Standard Hebrew ʿÉver, Tiberian Hebrew ʿĒḇer, Arabic: ھود is a person from the Hebrew This list contains persons named in The Bible of minor notability about whom either nothing or very little is known aside from any family connections Arpachshad or Arphaxad or Arphacsad (; Arabic: أرفخشذ, Ārfakhshad; "healer" "releaser" was one of the Shem (; Greek: Σημ, Sēm; Arabic: ar سام; Ge'ez: ሴም Sēm; "renown prosperity name"

The Middle East through the eyes of the ancient Israelites, reconstructed according to the documentary hypothesis
The Middle East through the eyes of the ancient Israelites, reconstructed according to the documentary hypothesis

Aharoni, Avi-Yonah, Rainey, and Safrai placed the Semitic Sheba in Southern Arabia in geographic proximity to the location of the tribes descended from their ancestor, Joktan. Rainey is a surname and may refer to Charles "Chuck" Walter Rainey (III David "Puck" Rainey Ford Rainey In addition to Sheba, Hazarmaveth and Ophir were identified. Semitic Havilah was located in Eastern Africa, modern day Ethiopia. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Semitic Havilah (Beresh't 10:29) is to be distinguished from Cushite Havilah (Beresh't 10:7), the descendant of Cush, descendant of Ham; both locations for Havilah are thought by these scholars to have been located in present day Ethiopia. [1]

The multiple references to Havilah may indicate historical Semitic migration from the southern Arabian peninsula to the African continent. An alternative account would place the origins of the Semites and the ancient Israelites in Ethiopia. The ancient Roman historian, Tacitus, wrote that “many, again, say that they [the Israelites] were a race of Ethiopian origin” (Histories (Tacitus), Book 5, Paragraphs 2 & 3). Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. Histories ( Latin: Historiae) is a book by Tacitus, written c [2] Thus, the Queen of Sheba would rightly be placed as a descendant of the Semitic Sheba people located in southern Arabia, but with more than likely origins from Ethiopia.

Contents

Hebrew biblical account

Claude Lorrain, The Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba
Claude Lorrain, The Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba

According to the Hebrew Bible, the unnamed queen of the land of Sheba heard of the great wisdom of King Solomon of Israel and journeyed there with gifts of spices, gold, precious stones, and beautiful wood and to test him with questions, as recorded in First Kings 10:1-13 (largely copied in 2 Chronicles 9:1–12). Claude Lorrain (also Claude Gellée or Le Lorrain) ( Lorraine, c Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The Books of Kings ( Sefer Melachim, ספר מלכים are a part of Judaism 's Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. The Books of Chronicles ( Hebrew Divrei Hayyamim, דברי הימים Greek Paraleipomêna) are part of the Hebrew Bible (Jewish

It is related further that the queen was awed by Solomon's great wisdom and wealth, and pronounced a blessing on Solomon's deity. Solomon reciprocated with gifts and "everything she desired," whereupon the queen returned to her country. The queen was apparently quite rich, however, as she brought 4. 5 tons of gold with her to give to Solomon (1 Kings 10:10).

In the biblical passages which refer explicitly to the Queen of Sheba there is no hint of love or sexual attraction between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The two are depicted merely as fellow monarchs engaged in the affairs of state.

The biblical text, Song of Solomon (Song of Songs), contains some references, which at various times, have been interpreted as referring to love between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The young woman of the Song of Songs, however, continues to deny the romantic advances of her suitor, whom many commentators identify as King Solomon. In any case, there is little to identify this speaker in the text with the rich and powerful foreign queen depicted in the Book of Kings. The woman of the text of the song clearly does regard "The Daughters of Jerusalem" as her peer group. A peer group is a group of approximately the same age Social status, and interests

Later Ethiopian tradition firmly asserts that King Solomon did seduce and impregnate his guest, and provides a detailed story of how he went about it (see later section) - a matter of considerable importance to Ethiopians - as their emperors traced their lineage to that union. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Solomonic dynasty is the traditional royal house of Ethiopia, claiming descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, who is said

Qur'anic account

Main article: Islamic view of the Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba, Bilqis, shown reclining in a garden - tinted drawing on paper c. 1595
The Queen of Sheba, Bilqis, shown reclining in a garden - tinted drawing on paper c. The Queen of Sheba, known in Islamic tradition as Bilquis was invited by Solomon to Islam and thus submitted to God 1595

The Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, never mentions the Queen of Sheba by name, although Arab sources name her Balqis or Bilqis. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Qur'an account is similar to the one in the Bible. The Qur'anic narrative has Solomon getting reports of a kingdom ruled by a queen whose people worship the sun. "Sun god" redirects here For the Ramsey Lewis album see Sun Goddess (album. He sent a letter inviting her to visit him and to discuss his deity, related as Allah, the Lord of the Worlds (Alamin) in the Islamic text. Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' In Islamic philosophy Alamin (عالمين (lit worlds) refers to the Universe or Worlds or all that exists She accepted the invitation and prepared riddles to test his wisdom and knowledge. A riddle is a Statement or Question having a double or veiled meaning put forth as a Puzzle to be solved Wisdom is a concept of personal gaining of Knowledge, Understanding, Experience, discretion and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity Knowledge is defined ( Oxford English Dictionary) variously as (i expertise and skills acquired by a person through experience or education the theoretical or practical understanding Then one of the ministers of Solomon (who had knowledge of the "Book") proposed to bring him the throne of Sheba 'in the twinkling of an eye' (27:40). Tay al-Ard ( Arabic: طيّ الأرض - literally "folding up of the earth" is the name for thaumaturgical Teleportation in the mystical The queen arrived at his court, was shown her throne, entered his crystal palace, and started asking the questions. A court is a forum used by a power base to adjudicate disputes and dispense civil, labour administrative and criminal Justice under its This article is about royal thrones for the order of Angels by the same name see Thrones. She was impressed by his wisdom and praised his deity. See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always Reportedly, she eventually accepted Abrahamic monotheism. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: For the Celtic Frost album see Monotheist (album In Theology, monotheism (from Greek grc [[wiktμόνος μόνος]]

Ethiopian account

Modern book cover of the 700-year-old text, Kebra Nagast: The Glory of the Kings
Modern book cover of the 700-year-old text, Kebra Nagast: The Glory of the Kings

The imperial family of Ethiopia claims its origin directly from the offspring of the Queen of Sheba by King Solomon. The Kebra Nagast (var Kebra Negast, Ge'ez,ክብረ ነገሥት kəbrä nägäst or the Book of the NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" [3] The Queen of Sheba (ንግሥተ ሣብአ nigiśta Śab'a), is named Makeda (ማክዳ) in the Ethiopian account (which from the Ethiopic languages translates literally to English as "pillow").

The etymology of her name is uncertain, but there are two principal opinions about its Ethiopian source. One group, which includes the British scholar Edward Ullendorff, holds that it is a corruption of "Candace", the Ethiopian queen mentioned in the New Testament Acts; the other group connects the name with Macedonia, and relates this story to the later Ethiopian legends about Alexander the Great and the era of 330 B. Edward Ullendorff (born 1920 is a British academic and an authority on Semitic languages and Ethiopia. Kandake or Kentake, also known as Candace, was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African empire of Kush (also known as Nubia The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' C.

The Italian scholar Carlo Conti Rossini, however, was unconvinced by either of these theories and, in 1954 stated that he believed the matter unresolved. [4]

An ancient compilation of Ethiopian legends, Kebra Negast ('the Glory of Kings'), is dated to seven hundred years ago and relates a history of Makeda and her descendants. The Kebra Nagast (var Kebra Negast, Ge'ez,ክብረ ነገሥት kəbrä nägäst or the Book of the In this account King Solomon is said to have seduced the Queen of Sheba and sired her son, Menelik I, who would become the first Emperor of Ethiopia. Menelik I (originally named Ebna la-Hakim, "Son of the Wise" first Jewish Emperor of Ethiopia, is traditionally believed to be the son of King Solomon

The narrative given in the Kebra Negast - which has no parallel in the Hebrew Biblical story - is that King Solomon invited the Queen of Sheba to a banquet, serving spicy food to induce her thirst, and inviting her to stay in his palace overnight. The Queen asked him to swear that he would not take her by force. He accepted upon the condition that she, in turn, would not take anything from his house by force. The Queen assured that she would not, slightly offended by this intimation that she, a rich and powerful monarch, would engage in stealing. However, as she woke up in the middle of the night, she was very thirsty. Just as she reached for a jar of water placed close to her bed, King Solomon appeared, warning her that she was breaking her oath, water being the most valuable of all material possessions. Thus, while quenching her thirst, she set the king free from his promise and they spent the night together.

Other Ethiopian accounts make her the daughter of a king named Agabo or Agabos, in some legends said to have become king after slaying the mythological serpent Arwe; in others, to have been the 28th ruler of the Agazyan tribe. In either event, he is said to have extended his Empire to both sides of the Red Sea.

The tradition that the Biblical Queen of Sheba was a ruler of Ethiopia who visited King Solomon in Jerusalem, in ancient Israel, is supported by the first century AD Roman (of Jewish origin) historian Flavius Josephus, who identified Solomon’s visitor as a "Queen of Egypt and Ethiopia". The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus

While there are no known traditions of matriarchal rule in Yemen during the early first millennium BC, the earliest inscriptions of the rulers of Dʿmt in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea mention queens of very high status, possibly equal to their kings. Matriarchy is a term which is applied to gynocentric form of Society, in which the leading role is by the Female and especially by the Mothers Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya The 1st millennium BC encompasses the Iron Age and sees the rise of successive empires Dʿmt ( ESA: Himjar ajinPNG|10px]]Himjar ta2PNG|10px]] was a kingdom located in current region of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia that existed Eritrea () ( Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾErtrā, Arabic: إرتريا Iritriya) officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in [5]

For the Ethiopian monarchy, the Solomonic and Sheban lineage was of considerable political and cultural importance. Ethiopia had been converted to Christianity by Egyptian Copts, and the Coptic Church strove for centuries to keep the Ethiopians in a dependent and subservient condition, which the Ethiopian emperors greatly resented. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. A Copt ( Coptic: ouRemenkīmi enEkhristianos, literally Egyptian Christian) is a native Egyptian Christian. History of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria Apostolic foundation Egypt is identified in the Bible as the place of refuge that the

Possible Egyptian derivation

Sheba may be derived from the ancient Egyptian word for star. A star is a massive luminous ball of plasma. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the Energy on Earth According to the eleventh century geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi, the star-worshippers of Harran in Turkey and those from Yemen, went on special pilgrimages to the pyramids of Giza. A geographer is a Scientist whose area of study is Geography, the study of Earth 's physical environment and Human habitat Yaqut ibn-'Abdullah al-Rumi al-Hamawi) (1179-1229 (ياقوت الحموي الرومي was a Syrian Biographer and Geographer. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. The Queen of Sheba may have referred to the Kandake's title when acting as the chief astronomer or high priestess of a star-venerating religion that was centered in Africa, with satellite centers in Arabia, Asia, and Europe. Kandake or Kentake, also known as Candace, was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African empire of Kush (also known as Nubia Historically Astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky while Astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities

The "star-worshippers" also studied or venerated the sun and moon and, roots of their practice dates back to well before 5000 B.C. Evidence for a level of sophistication and knowledge of astronomy has been found at several archaeological sites in Africa, including the complex at Nabta Playa in southern Egypt. The 5th millennium BC saw the spread of Agriculture from the Near East throughout southern and central Europe Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Nabta Playa was once a large Basin in the Nubian Desert, located approximately 500 miles south of modern day Cairo or about 100 kilometers west of The structure at Nabta is almost 7,000 years old, and is the oldest astronomical complex in the world. (see Kandake}

Other astronomical sites in Africa include: Namoratunga II, near Lake Turkana, in Kenya, which was in use around 300 B. Kandake or Kentake, also known as Candace, was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African empire of Kush (also known as Nubia Lake Turkana (tər-kăn'ə tʊr-kä'nə formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a Lake in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, with its far northern The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south C. ; the Senegambian stone circles; and the Bouar megaliths in what is now the Central African Republic. The Senegambian stone circles lie in Gambia north of Janjanbureh and in central Senegal. Bouar is a Market town in the western Central African Republic, lying on the main road from Bangui (437km to the frontier with Cameroon Central Africa|Central African FederationThe Central African Republic ( CAR) République Centrafricaine ʀepyblik sɑ̃tʀafʀikɛn or Centrafrique) is a Landlocked

There also have been claims by some scholars that the ancient Egyptian name Hatshepsut translates as "Queen of Sheba". Hatshepsut (or Hatchepsut, hætˈʃɛpsʊt meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies, was the fifth Pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of [6] Hatshepsut was a pharaoh of Egypt, born c. 1508 and died 1458 B. C,, who revived active trade with neighboring kingdoms and created a flourishing and prosperous economy for her eighteenth dynasty kingdom. She is recorded as having traveled widely as well.

Nubia - another possible location

The tradition of the Candaces is well documented in Nubia, where the rule of its many queens recedes into prehistoric times there and the Kentakes is a term used to describe the long tradition of leadership in Nubia by warrior queens. Kandake or Kentake, also known as Candace, was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African empire of Kush (also known as Nubia This article is about the region in Africa for other uses see Nubia (disambiguation. Nubia was south of Ancient Egypt, also divided by the Nile River and bordered by the Red Sea and, it another candidate for the location of Sheba and the famous queen. The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The history of Nubia provides examples of a tradition and a wealthy kingdom that could be the original kingdom of the Queen of Sheba. The economics of the culture was based upon trade. David Jones, in Women Warriors: a History, relates that in 332 BC Alexander the Great attempted to lead his army into Nubia. Events By place Persian Empire The Persian King Darius III twice sends Alexander letters of friendship Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' At its border, he was confronted with the brilliant military formation devised by their warrior queen, Candace of Meroë. Candace of Meroe was the queen of Nubia at the time of the conquests of Alexander the Great. She led her army in the opposition from on top of an elephant. Alexander withdrew and redirected his forces to enter Egypt instead. [7] It should be noted that this story is thought by scholars to be legendary, and Alexander appears never to have attacked Nubia. The whole story of Alexander and Candace's encounter appears to be legendary. [8] [9] That was the beginning of the Greek rule of Egypt that would last for three hundred years until the Roman occupation in 30 B. C.

Strabo also describes a similar clash with the Romans, in which the Roman army was defeated by Nubian archers under the leadership of another queen of Nubia. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial List of current queens regnant A queen regnant (plural "queens regnant" is qualifying reference to a female Monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchal This queen was described as "one-eyed", being blind in one eye or represented only in profile. [10] The strategic formations used by this second queen are well documented in Strabo's description of her victory.

Old Kingdom Egyptian accounts of trade missions first mentioned Nubia in 2300 BC. The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BCE when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement The 23rd century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 2300 BC to 2201 BC Egyptians imported gold, incense, ebony, ivory, and exotic animals from tropical Africa through Nubia. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Incense is composed of Aromatic biotic materials It releases fragrant Smoke when burned Ebony ( Diospyros ebenum) also known as India Ebony or Ceylon Ebony depending on its origin is a Tree in the genus Diospyros Ivory is formed from Dentine and constitutes the bulk of the Teeth and Tusks of animals such as the Elephant, Hippopotamus, An introduced species (also known as naturalized species or exotic species) is an Organism that is not indigenous to a given location but Aswan, right above the First Cataract, marked the southern limit of Egyptian control. As trade between Egypt and Nubia increased, so did wealth and stability.

By the sixth dynasty of Egypt, Nubia was divided into a series of small kingdoms. Scholars debate whether these peoples, who flourished from c. 2240 BC to c. 2150 BC, were the result of another internal evolution, wars, or invaders. The Sahara Desert was becoming too arid to support human beings. During the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (c. 2040–1640 BC), Egypt began expanding into Nubia to gain more control over the trade routes in Northern Nubia and direct access to trade with southern Nubia. They erected a chain of forts down the Nile below the Second Cataract in the river. These garrisons seemed to have had peaceful relations with the local Nubian people, but little interaction during the period.

A contemporaneous, but distinct, culture was the Pan Grave culture, so called because of their shallow graves. Shallow graves produced mummies naturally. The Pan Graves are associated with the eastern bank of the Nile, but the Pan Graves and western groups definitely interacted. The Kingdom of Kerma arose as the first kingdom to unify much of the region. It was named for its presumed capital at Kerma, one of the earliest urban centers in tropical Africa. By 1750 BC, the rulers of Kerma were powerful enough to organize the labor for monumental walls and structures of mud brick. The 18th century BC was the Century which lasted from 1800 BC to 1701 BC They created rich tombs with possessions for the afterlife and large human sacrifices. The craftsmen were skilled in metalworking and their pottery surpassed in skill that of Egypt. Excavated sites at Kerma yielded large tombs and a palace-like structure ('Deffufa'), alluding to the early stability in the region. Kerma (now known as Doukki Gel -- a Nubian term which can be roughly translated as "red mound" was the capital city of the Kingdom of Kerma, in present day

The early tradition of astronomical observations in Nubia is reflected by the presence of megaliths discovered at Nabta Playa that are examples of what seem to be the world's first Archaeoastronomy devices, predating Stonehenge by at least 1000 years. Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Nabta Playa was once a large Basin in the Nubian Desert, located approximately 500 miles south of modern day Cairo or about 100 kilometers west of Archaeoastronomy (also spelled archeoastronomy) is the study of how peoples in the past "have understood the phenomena in the sky how they used phenomena Stonehenge is a Prehistoric Monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury [11] According to one authority, the complexity observed at Nabta Playa, likely formed the basis for the structure of both the Neolithic society at Nabta and the Old Kingdom of Egypt. The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BCE when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement [12] Hence the long tradition of studying the stars and the sun such as the references in the Old Testament, and the knowledge of new phenomena provoking the travel of the Magi. The Magi (singular Magus, from Latin via Greek μάγος; Old English: Mage; from Persian maguš and Kurdish

Christian interpretations

The Queen of Sheba is mentioned as the "Queen of the South" in the Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31 in the New Testament, where Jesus indicates that she and the Ninevites will judge the generation of Jesus' contemporaries who rejected him. The Gospel of Matthew (Gk Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιον is one of the four Canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a Synoptic gospel The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Nineveh ( Akkadian: Ninua; Aramaic: ܢܝܢܘܐ Hebrew נינוה Nīnewē; Arabic نينوى Naīnuwa)

Christian interpretations of the scriptures mentioning the Queen of Sheba in the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, typically have emphasized both the historical and metaphorical values in the story. The account of the Queen of Sheba thereby is interpreted as Christian metaphor and analogy: the Queen's visit to Solomon has been compared to the metaphorical marriage of the Church to Christ where Solomon is the anointed one or messiah and Sheba represents a Gentile population submitting to the messiah; the Queen of Sheba's chastity also has been depicted as a foreshadowing of the Virgin Mary; and the three gifts that she brought (gold, spices, and stones) have been seen as analogous to the gifts of the Magi (gold, frankincense, and myrrh). The term Gentile (from Latin, gentilis, meaning of or belonging to a clan or tribe refers to non- Israelite tribes or nations in the Bible. The Magi (singular Magus, from Latin via Greek μάγος; Old English: Mage; from Persian maguš and Kurdish The latter is emphasized as consistent with a passage from Isaiah 60:6; And they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring forth gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived [13] This last connection is interpreted as relating to the Maji, the learned astronomers of Sheba who saw a new star and set off on a journey to find a new ruler connected to the new star, that led them to Bethlehem.

Medieval depictions

Art in the Middle Ages depicting the visit of the Queen of Sheba includes the Portal of the Mother of God at the 13th century Amiens Cathedral, which is included as an analogy as part of a larger depiction of the gifts of the Magi. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (French Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens) or simply Amiens Cathedral, is the tallest complete Cathedral in [14]. The 12th century cathedrals at Strasbourg, Chartres, Rochester and Canterbury include artistic renditions in such elements as stained glass windows and door jamb decorations. Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg is a Roman Catholic Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester Kent. Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a [15]

Renaissance depictions

Renaissance relief of the Queen of Sheba meeting Salomo - gate of Florence Baptistry
Renaissance relief of the Queen of Sheba meeting Salomo - gate of Florence Baptistry

Boccaccio's On Famous Women (Latin: De Mulieribus Claris) follows Josephus in calling the Queen of Sheba, Nicaula. The Florence Baptistry or Battistero di San Giovanni ( Baptistery of St On Famous Women ( Latin: De mulieribus claris) is one of two such collections of biographies of famous people written by Giovanni Boccaccio, the Florentine Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Boccaccio goes on to explain that not only was she the Queen of Ethiopia and Egypt, but also the queen of Arabia. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) She also is related to have had a grand palace on "a very large island" called Meroe, located someplace near the Nile river, "practically on the other side of the world. Meroë ( Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi; Arabic: ar مرواه ar-Latn Meruwah) is the name of an ancient city on the east bank of the The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River " From there Nicaula crossed the deserts of Arabia, through Ethiopia and Egypt, and up the the coast of the Red Sea, to come to Jerusalem to see "the great King Solomon". The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" [16]

Christine de Pizan's The Book of the City of Ladies continues the convention of calling the Queen of Sheba, Nicaula. Christine de Pizan ( also seen as de Pisan) (1363–c1434 was a writer of the Medieval era who strongly challenged Misogyny and stereotypes that The Book of the City of Ladies (1405 was Christine de Pizan 's response to Jean de Meun ’s The Romance of the Rose. Piero della Francesca's frescoes in Arezzo (ca 1466) on the Legend of the True Cross, contain two panels on the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon. Piero della Francesca (c 1412 &ndash October 12, 1492) was an Italian artist of the Early Renaissance. Fresco (plural either frescos or frescoes) is any of several related Painting types done on Plaster on walls or Arezzo ( Latin Arretium) is a city in central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in The History of the True Cross or The Legend of the True Cross is a sequence of Frescoes painted by Piero della Francesca in the The legend links the beams of Solomon's palace (adored by Queen of Sheba) to the wood of the crucifixion. The Renaissance continuation of the metaphorical view of the Queen of Sheba as an analogy to the gifts of the Magi also is clearly evident in the Triptych of the Adoration of the Magi (c. The Epiphany is a Triptych painted by Hieronymus Bosch around the year 1495 1510), by Hieronymus Bosch. Hieronymus Bosch ( Dutch, born Jeroen Anthonissen van Aken c 1450 &ndash August 9, 1516) was an Early Netherlandish Bosch chooses to depict a scene of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon in an ornately decorated collar worn by one of the Magi. [17]

Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus refers to the Queen of Sheba as Saba, when Mephistopheles is trying to persuade Faustus of the wisdom of the women with whom he supposedly shall be presented every morning. The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe, based on the Faust story in which a man sells his soul to the devil Mephistopheles (also Mephistophilus Mephistophilis Mephostopheles Mephisto and variants is a name often given to one representation of The devil or Satan [18]

Modern Arab academic view

Some modern Arab academics have placed the Queen of Sheba as a ruler of a trading colony in Northwest Arabia, established by South Arabian kingdoms. The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) Modern archaeological finds do confirm the fact that such colonies existed with South Arabian script and artifacts, although nothing specific to Balqis or Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, has been uncovered. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The ancient South Arabian alphabet (also known as musnad المُسند branched from the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet in about the 9th century BC.

Other modern theories

A theory has been voiced that the meeting between the Queen of Sheba and Solomon was not for love or admiration, but a discussion about trade. According to the Bible Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Ezion-Geber or Asiongaber ( Classical Hebrew: עֶצְיֹן גֶּבֶר pronounced "Etzyón-Gaver" was a city of Idumea, a biblical seaport The theory is that Solomon intended to sail to East Africa routinely and there trade, bypassing the South Arabian kingdom of Sheba which previously acted as middleman in this trade. East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent. Sheba ( Hebrew: שבא, Sh'va, Arabic: سبأ Sabaʼ, Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigrinya: ሳባ Saba Middle Man is an Album by Boz Scaggs released on Columbia Records in 1980

The revisionist historian Ralph Ellis suggests that the Queen of Sheba (Seba) may have been the queen of Pharaoh Psusennes II, who ruled in Lower Egypt in this same era and whose Egyptian name was Pa-Seba-Khaen-Nuit. Pseudohistory is a term applied to texts which purport to be historical in nature but which depart from standard historiographical conventions in a way which undermines Ralph Gordon Ellis (1885-1963 was an English painter and designer of inn signs Titkheperure or Tyetkheperre Psusennes II language|Greek] Ψουσέννης] or Hor-Pasebakhaenniut II language|Egyptian] ḥr-p3-sb3-ḫˁỉ--nỉwt He suggests that the link between this queen and Ethiopia may have been derived from the Kebra Negast, which indicates that the eastern borders of Ethiopia terminated at Gaza and Jerusalem (KN 92). NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Kebra Nagast (var Kebra Negast, Ge'ez,ክብረ ነገሥት kəbrä nägäst or the Book of the Gaza (غزة, עַזָּה ʕazzā is the largest city in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the

Recent archaeological discoveries

The Bar'an temple in Ma'rib - built in the eighth century BC and functioning for nearly a 1000 years
The Bar'an temple in Ma'rib - built in the eighth century BC and functioning for nearly a 1000 years

Recent archaeological discoveries in the Mahram Bilqis (Mahram Bilkees, "Temple of the Moon Deity") in Mareb, Yemen support the view that the Queen Sheba ruled over southern Arabia, with evidence suggesting the area to be the capital of the Kingdom of Sheba. See also Ancient history of Yemen Ma'rib (مأرب or Marib is the capital town of the Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen and was the capital See also Ancient history of Yemen Ma'rib (مأرب or Marib is the capital town of the Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen and was the capital Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya

A team of researchers funded by the American Foundation for the Study of Man (AFSM) and led by University of Calgary archaeology professor, Dr. The University of Calgary is a research-intensive Public university in Calgary Alberta, Canada. Bill Glanzman, has been working to "unlock the secrets of a 3,000-year-old temple in Yemen. Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya " "We have an enormous job ahead of us," said Glanzman in 2007. "Our first task is to wrest the sanctuary from the desert sands, documenting our findings as we go. We're trying to determine how the temple was associated with the Queen of Sheba, how the sanctuary was used throughout history, and how it came to play such an important role in Arab folklore. " [19]

The Queen of Sheba in popular culture

In Britain, and Canada, there is a common colloquial remark ". . . and I'm the Queen of Sheba" or "If (that is so), then I'm the Queen of Sheba. ", as a retort to something that is obviously false or meaning "I do not believe that statement. "

Another common colloquial usage in the UK and North America is to poke fun at another person who has dressed up fancily, or has perhaps displayed superior behavioral traits, resulting in someone remarking, "Who does s(he) think s(he) is, The Queen of Sheba?".

Songs

Television

The final episode of British sitcom The Royle Family broadcast on the 26th of October was entitled "The Queen Of Sheba"

Ballets

Films

Books

Poems

Sport

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Yohanan Aharoni, Michael Avi-Yonah, Anson F. Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni (born June 7 1943 is a Grammy -nominated American Poet, activist and author Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries in south-west Scotland Sheba ( Hebrew: שבא, Sh'va, Arabic: سبأ Sabaʼ, Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigrinya: ሳባ Saba The Minaeans from Arabic ( المعينيون Maeeneyyoon or ( معين Maeen (also spelled Ma`in) were an ancient Arab group in King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. The Queen of Sheba, known in Islamic tradition as Bilquis was invited by Solomon to Islam and thus submitted to God Tay al-Ard ( Arabic: طيّ الأرض - literally "folding up of the earth" is the name for thaumaturgical Teleportation in the mystical Bilocation, or sometimes multilocation, is a term used to describe the ability/instances in which an individual or object is said to be or appears to be located in two distinct Rainey, and Ze'ev Safrai, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1993) 21.
  2. ^ http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/tac/h05000.htm
  3. ^ Comay, Joan; Ronald Brownrigg (1993). Who's Who in the Bible:The Old Testament and the Apocrypha, The New Testament (in English). New York: Wing Books, Old Testament, 351. ISBN 0-517-32170-X.  
  4. ^ David Allen Hubbard, "The Literary Sources of the Kebra Nagast", doctoral thesis (St. Andrews, 1954), pp. 303f.
  5. ^ Rodolfo Fattovich, "The 'Pre-Aksumite' State in Northern Ethiopia and Eritrea Reconsidered" in Paul Lunde and Alexandra Porter ed. , Trade and Travel in the Red Sea Region, in D. Kennet & St J. Simpson ed. , Society for Arabian Studies Monographs No. 2. BAR International Series 1269. Archaeopress, Oxford: 2004, p. 73.
  6. ^ Hatshepsut, the Queen of Sheba, and Immanuel Velikovsky
  7. ^ Jones, David E. , Women Warriors: A History, Brasseys, Inc. ; (2000)
  8. ^ Gutenberg, David M. (2003). The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Princeton University Press.  
  9. ^ Morgan, J. R. and Stoneman, Richard (1994). Greek Fiction: The Greek Novel in Context. Routledge, p. 117-118. ISBN 0415085071.  
  10. ^ Nubian Queens in the Nile Valley and Afro-Asiatic Cultural History - Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban, Professor of Anthropology, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston U. S. A, August 20-26, 1998
  11. ^ PlanetQuest: The History of Astronomy - Retrieved on 2007-08-29
  12. ^ Late Neolithic megalithic structures at Nabta Playa - by Fred Wendorf (1998)
  13. ^ Byrd, Vickie, editor; Queen of Sheba: Legend and Reality, (Santa Ana, California: The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2004), p. Founded in 1869 Santa Ana ( is the most populous city in Orange County California and is the County seat and a city of about 353184 people. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 17.
  14. ^ Murray, Stephen, The Portals:Access to Redemption, http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/Mcahweb/facade/body.html, webpage, accessed August 6, 2006.
  15. ^ Byrd, Vickie, editor; Queen of Sheba: Legend and Reality, (Santa Ana, California: The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2004), p. Founded in 1869 Santa Ana ( is the most populous city in Orange County California and is the County seat and a city of about 353184 people. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 17.
  16. ^ Giovanni Boccaccio, Famous Women translated by Virginia Brown 2001, p. 90; Cambridge and London, Harvard University Press; ISBN 0-674-01130-9;
  17. ^ Web Gallery of Art, http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/b/bosch/91adorat/01tripty.html, website accessed August 2, 2006
  18. ^ Marlowe, Christopher; Doctor Faustus and other plays: Oxford World Classics, p. 155.
  19. ^ University of Calgary, http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/events/unicomm/NewsReleases/queen.htm, website accessed November 18, 2007

Primary sources

Secondary sources

Bibliography

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