Sheba

QUEEN OF SHEBA AND BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP 121
African Muslims that in Pemba Island the Virgin Mary was mistaken for a
war goddess). In other cases a modern political ideology may become
discredited for any number of reasons, and its former adherents would be
hostile to its memory. Both ancient Israel and Judah fell to invaders, and at
the very least their hierarchies were taken into exile, leaving the bulk of
their subjects behind. In the case of Judah, the tenacity of the Zadokite
priesthood enabled them to launch a revival, although there is no evidence
to suggest it occurred in their original homeland. Nevertheless, through
them remnants of the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, not only survived but
revived and modified the old religion. While nothing is known what
happened of the other ten, very powerful clues exist.
Old Testament history commentators who accept the historical record
nevertheless do not attempt to explain how an impoverished drought
stricken marginalized piece of territory like tenth century B.C.E. Judah
could have suddenly created a wealthy and powerful empire. There is
simply no economic reason why it should have occurred in such a place. At
the same time there were indeed immense economic reasons for such a
state to rise not in Palestine but to the south in western Arabia.
The life blood of Middle Eastern states in the 10th century B.C.E. was
agriculture, trade and Iron Age technology. Immense profits could be made
in luxury items – gold, ivory, incense, perfumes, gemstones, exotic animals,
and slaves. Domestication of the camel enabled long-distance trade to
traverse inhospitable regions. The trade routes from Mesopotamia to Egypt
and to the Levant passed along two great crescent-shaped routes, avoiding
the Syrian Desert (see Map 5). The southern crescent route was the major
highway from Mesopotamia to western Arabia until the twentieth century
A.D. and the route that pilgrims took to Mecca after A.D. 632. Old
Testament history speaks of one major raid by Egypt on Judah and Israel
but conquest and destruction by Assyria and Babylon. The Egyptians were
badly located to intervene in western Arabia but not in Palestine. The
Assyrian and Babylonian attacks on Judah and Israel suggest it was more
likely they were on the major western Arabian trade routes to Mesopotamia
rather than in Palestine. With its sparse pastures Palestine had no
commercial importance and was unable to control any major trade routes.
On the other hand Arabia contained several major routes, and it was here
not Palestine that large cities developed at oases and grew wealthy from
taxing and serving the camel caravans. Solomon and Omri’s states could
only have achieved rapid wealth through control of lucrative trade routes,
losing it when those trade routes changed direction or were taken over by