ANCIENT KINGS OF ARABIA. 91^ 



CHAPTER IV. 



ANCIENT KINGS OF ARABIA. 



Subdivision of Arabian History — Want of Written Records- 

 Defective Information of the Greeks and Romans — Confused 

 Chronology of the Arabs — The Kings of Yemen, or D)'nasty 

 of the Hamyarites — The Flood of El Arem, and Destruction 

 of Mareb — Exploits of Abucarb — Revolution under Dunowas 

 — Persecution of the Christians — Invasion and Conquest of 

 Yemen by the Abyssinians — Expedition of Abraha — War of 

 the Elephant — Persians seize the Government of Yemen — 

 The Kingdom of Hira or Irak — Kingdom of Gassan — The 

 Nabathsan or Ishmaelite Arabs — Their Wars with the Jews 

 and Romans — Expedition of ^lius.Gallus — Perpetual Inde- 

 pendence of the Arabs — Reflections on Gibbon's Skepticism 

 —Recent Discovery of Petra— Description of its Magnificent 

 Ruins. 



The history of Arabia naturally divides itself into 

 three periods, the Ancient, the" Military, and the 

 Modern. The first carries us down to the age of 

 Mohammed, and is called by the Arabs the Times 

 of Ignorance. The second includes the wars of the 

 Saracens, and the empire of the cahphs. The third 

 embraces the events from the fall of the caliphate to 

 the present day. The native writers who treat of 

 the first period all flourished, as has been observed, 

 posterior to the era of the Prophet. It may seem 

 remarkable that, among an intellectual and opulent 

 people, no historians should have appeared to com- 

 memorate the events of their ow^l times ; but the 

 causes are to be ascribed chiefly to their national 

 character and habits. To the more civihzed tribes 

 the gains of commerce presented higher attractions 

 than literary occupations ; while the wanderinff 



Vol. I.— I 



