Kingdom of Saba

Kingdom of Saba was a state in Arabia (Middle East) that lasted from c. 1000 BCE to 275 CE, about 1,274 years. Its people spoke Semitic languages (Akkadian, Amorite, Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician, Ge'ez, Amharic, Tigrinya).

Biblical Sheba, the leading incense kingdom of South Arabia, whose Great Dam at Marib watered a vast oasis. Karib'il Watar dominated Yemen in the 7th century BCE. Himyar absorbed Saba around 275 CE.

See Kingdom of Saba on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

c. 1000 BCE to 275 CE

Duration

1,274 years

Type

State

Region

Arabia, Middle East

Language family

Semitic

Capital

Marib

Came from

• South Semitic peoples of Yemen c. 3200 to 1000 BCE

Became

• Himyarite Kingdom c. 110 BCE to 525 CE

Events in Middle East during its time

• 853 BCE Battle of Qarqar
• 722 BCE Assyria conquers Samaria
• 612 BCE Fall of Nineveh
• 587 BCE Destruction of Jerusalem
• 539 BCE Cyrus takes Babylon
• 331 BCE Battle of Gaugamela
• 53 BCE Battle of Carrhae
• 30 Crucifixion of Jesus

Neighbours in Middle East

• Parthian Empire 247 BCE to 224 CE
• Sasanian Empire 224 to 651 CE
• Neo-Assyrian Empire 911 to 609 BCE
• Achaemenid Empire 550 to 330 BCE
• Empire of Alexander the Great 334 to 312 BCE
• Greek cities of Asia Minor c. 1050 to 129 BCE
• Kingdom of Iberia (Kartli) c. 302 BCE to 580 CE
• Phoenician city-states c. 1200 to 332 BCE
• Himyarite Kingdom c. 110 BCE to 525 CE
• Roman Anatolia 133 BCE to 395 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Kingdom of Aksum c. 100 to 940 CE, North and West Africa
• Moche (Mochica) c. 100 to 800 CE, South America
• Carthage c. 814 to 146 BCE, North and West Africa
• Teotihuacan c. 100 BCE to 550 CE, Mesoamerica and Caribbean
• Roman Republic 509 to 27 BCE, Europe
• Greek city-states c. 800 to 338 BCE, Europe
• Roman Empire 27 BCE to 395 CE, Europe
• Kushan Empire c. 30 to 375 CE, South Asia
• Xiongnu Empire c. 209 BCE to 93 CE, Central and North Asia
• Ptolemaic Kingdom 305 to 30 BCE, North and West Africa

Questions