Main
Ma'in ( old South Arabic mʿn , vocalized Maʿīn ) was a kingdom of the Mineans in Yemen since the 6th century BC. Chr.
history
Nothing is known about the early history of this northern Yemeni kingdom. The area of the later Ma'in first appeared at the time of the Sabaean Mukarrib Karib'il Watar I and at that time consisted of several small city-states that were under strong Sabaean influence. The inscriptions from the city-state of Haram from this period show, in addition to a clear Sabaean influence, also Minean language features. The Ma'in Empire came into being in the 6th century BC. BC, but was initially under the rule of Saba . Not until 400 BC The Mineans were able to break away from Saba in an alliance with Hadramaut . In the 4th century, Ma'in and Hadramaut were ruled by the same ruling family, but this close relationship was probably broken in the second half of this century. The capital of the empire was initially Yathill (today Baraqish ) and later Qarnawu (today Ma'in). The country experienced its heyday in the 3rd century BC. When it was able to expand its influence along the Incense Route by subjugating Najran , Asirs and the Hejaz . From Waqah'il Sadiq I ( Hermann von Wissmann : 360 BC; Kenneth A. Kitchen : around 190-175 BC) the Mina rule extended to Dedan . The far-reaching trade relations are also evidenced by the fact that the presence of Minean traders in the Aegean Sea is attested to at this time . With the expansion of Ma'in to the Red Sea, maritime trade could also be carried out. At the end of the second century BC Ma'in came under the rule of Qataban , after the collapse of the Qataban empire a few decades later the Minean empire fell apart, its territory was no later than the campaign of Aelius Gallus 25/24 BC. Under Sabaean rule.
Kings
The order and dating of the individual Minean kings is extremely uncertain; the following table shows the reconstruction by Kenneth A. Kitchen . It should be noted, however, that the reconstruction by Hermann von Wissmann differs significantly and can nevertheless be considered just as likely.
| Surname | (Secure) dating | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 'Ammyitha Nabat | Author of the first known Minaean royal inscription | |
| Abyada I. | ||
| Hufn Sadiq | ||
| Ilyafa Yafusch | ||
| Abyada II. Yitha | around 343 BC Chr. | |
| Waqah'il Riyam | ||
| Hoofs | ||
| Abkarib II. Sadiq | ||
| Yitha'il Riyam | Vassals of Sabas | |
| Tubba'karib | ||
| Hayu | ||
| Abyada III. Riyam | ||
| Ilyafa Yitha | ||
| Abyada IV. | ||
| Chalkarib Sadiq | built the temple of Rasf in Qarnawu | |
| Hoof Yitha | ||
| Ilyafa Riyam | first proof of mastery of the frankincense route | |
| Haufi'athat | ||
| Ilyafa Waqah | ||
| Waqah'il Sadiq I. | First king with inscriptions from Dedan | |
| Abkarib III. Yitha | initially co-regent of his father | |
| Waqah'il Sadiq II. | temporarily co-regent of his predecessor | |
| Ilyafa Yashur | ||
| Waqah'il Nabat | Last king with inscriptions from Dedan | |
| Hufn Riyam | ||
| Yitha'il Sadiq | ||
| Waqah'il Yitha | before 25 BC Chr. | Vassals of the Qataban king Shahr Yigal Yuhargib II. |
| Ilyafa Yashur |
Individual evidence
- ↑ The dates are based on the Long Chronology .
literature
- For more general literature see the bibliography of the article Old South Arabia .
- Mounir Arbach: Le madhabien: lexique, onomastique et grammaire d'une langue de l'Arabie méridionale préislamique. Tome 4: Réexamen de la chronologie des rois de Ma'in d'après les nouvelles donnéées . Aix-en-Provence, 1993
- KA Kitchen: The World of Ancient Arabia Series. Documentation for Ancient Arabia. Part I. Chronological Framework & Historical Sources. Liverpool, 1994
- Jacqueline Pirenne : Paléographie des Inscriptions sud-arabes, Tome I. ( Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten van België . Class of letters. Negotiating No. 26 ) Brussels, 1956
- Albert Dietrich: Minaioi. In: The Little Pauly (KlP). Volume 3, Stuttgart 1969, column 1315 f.
- Hermann von Wissmann : The history of the Sabaean empire and the campaign of Aelius Gallus , in: Hildegard Temporini: Rise and decline of the Roman world. II. Principate. Volume ninth, first half volume , De Gruyter, Berlin, New York 1976, ISBN 3-11-006876-1 , pp. 308-544
Web links
- Minaei in Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854)