Overview
Sheba, or Saba, was an ancient South Arabian kingdom that existed in Yemen before 275 CE. It likely began to exist between c. 1000 BCE and c. 800 BCE. Its inhabitants were the Sabaeans, who, as a people, were indissociable from the kingdom itself for much of the 1st millennium BCE. Modern historians agree that the heartland of the Sabaean civilization was located in the region around Marib and Sirwah. In some periods, they expanded to much of modern Yemen and even parts of the Horn of Africa, particularly Eritrea and Ethiopia. The kingdom's native language was Sabaic, which was a variety of Old South Arabian. Among South Arabians and Abyssinians, Sheba's name carried prestige, as it was widely considered.
Historical Periods
Sabaeans (-800–-701)
800 BCE – 701 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 14,931 km²
Sabaeans (-700–-676)
700 BCE – 676 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 16,923 km²
Sabaeans (-675–-551)
675 BCE – 551 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 55,243 km²
Sabaeans (-550–-451)
550 BCE – 451 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 63,948 km²
Sabaeans (-450–-384)
450 BCE – 384 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 63,948 km²
Sabaeans (-383–-351)
383 BCE – 351 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 36,027 km²
Sabaeans (-350–-280)
350 BCE – 280 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 35,605 km²
Sabaeans (-264–-111)
264 BCE – 111 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 35,605 km²
Sabaeans (-110–-67)
110 BCE – 67 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 35,661 km²
Sabaeans (-36–-32)
36 BCE – 32 BCE
Capital: MaribArea: 35,942 km²
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