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Arabian Peninsula, 1–500 A.D.

• 
  Head of a man, 3rd–4th century
  Southwestern Arabia
  Alabaster (gypsum)

  H. 9 7/16 in. (24 cm)
  Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Spear Jr. Gift, 1982 (1982.317.1)

Saba kingdom, ca. 950 b.c.–3rd century a.d.

Hadhramaut kingdom, ca. 4th century b.c.–3rd century a.d.

Himyar kingdom, ca. 2nd century b.c.–6th century a.d.

Maps

World Map / West Asia

Encompasses present-day Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen

• Overview
• Key Events
• Works of Art
• Related Content

The prosperity of South Arabia encourages the Romans to refer to it as Arabia Felix ("happy Arabia"). Increased trans-Arabian trade stimulates the growth of cities that service the trains of camels moving across the desert. The most prosperous of these—Petra in Jordan and Palmyra in Syria—are relatively close to markets in the Mediterranean region, but small caravan cities develop within the Arabian Peninsula as well. The most important is Mecca, which also owes its prosperity to certain shrines in the area visited by Arabs from all over the peninsula.

• 1st century A.D.In the south, the kingdom of Himyar conquers much of the region, amalgamating with part of Saba. Meanwhile, the rival kingdom of Hadhramaut destroys the capital of the Qataban kingdom. The Sabaeans reassert their independence and attack and conquer much of Himyar and Hadhramaut.
• 106 A.D.The Romans annex the kingdom of the Nabataeans, which becomes the province of Arabia.
• ca. 240 A.D.The Parthians are a major force in the region, at least according to accounts of the Sasanian military campaigns against eastern Arabia. The Sasanians become a political power in the region and remain so for the next four centuries.
• 3rd century A.D.Southwest Arabia is invaded by the ruler of Abyssinia, possibly introducing Christianity to the region. In 360 A.D., the king of Himyar is baptized. The Abyssinians are eventually driven out by the Sasanians at the invitation of the ruler of Himyar.
• after 400 A.D.The Roman and Sasanian empires pay Arab tribes to protect their southern borders and harass the borders of their adversaries.

	Head of a man, 3rd–4th century Southwestern Arabia Alabaster (gypsum); H. 9 7/16 in. (24 cm) Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Spear Jr. Gift, 1982 (1982.317.1)

Timelines

• Asia Minor (Anatolia and the Caucasus), 1–500 a.d.
• Central and North Asia, 1–500 a.d.
• Egypt, 1–500 a.d.
• Iran, 1–500 a.d.
• Mesopotamia, 1–500 a.d.
• Sudan, 1–500 a.d.
• The Eastern Mediterranean and Syria, 1–500 a.d.

Maps

• West Asia, 1–500 a.d.
• World, 1–500 a.d.

Lists of Rulers

• List of Rulers of Byzantium

Index Terms

Art Movement/Style

• Sasanian Empire of the Ancient Near East
• Early Imperial Art in Ancient Rome

Geography/Place

• Arabian Peninsula

Material and Technique

• Alabaster

Subject Matter/Theme

• Archaeology from West Asia
• Portrait Sculpture from West Asia

Thematic Essays

• Amulets and Talismans from the Islamic World
• Astronomy and Astrology in the Medieval Islamic World
• The Birth and Infancy of Christ in Italian Painting
• The Birth of Islam
• The Byzantine City of Amorium
• Byzantium (ca. 330–1453)
• Colossal Temples of the Roman Near East
• The Damascus Room
• Ethiopia's Enduring Cultural Heritage
• Foundations of Aksumite Civilization and Its Christian Legacy (1st–7th century)
• Jewish Art in Late Antiquity and Early Byzantium
• Life of Jesus of Nazareth
• The Lute
• Medicine in the Middle Ages
• Nabataean Kingdom and Petra
• Palmyra
• The Parthian Empire (247 b.c.–224 a.d.)
• Popular Religion: Magical Uses of Imagery in Byzantine Art
• Roman Egypt
• The Sasanian Empire (224–651 a.d.)
• The Shah Jahan Album
• The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp
• Trade between Arabia and the Empires of Rome and Asia
• Trade Routes between Europe and Asia during Antiquity
• The Year One

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Citation

"Arabian Peninsula, 1–500 A.D.". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=05®ion=wap (October 2000)

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