Rediscovering "Solymi", "Shalmai" or Soleym Settlements of the Levant, Mediterranean and Aegean But at that moment, the mighty

Earthshaker, returning from the Ethiopians, sa him from the distant mountains of the Solymi! "oseidon atched #dysseus sailing and his spirit gre enraged!$ %&omer, 'he #dyssey, translated (y )an *ohnston, +,,-, p .,/0 1heorilus2s description of the Solymi %3uoted in *osephus, Against Apion )!.-40 accords ith the account in the catalogue of 5er6es2 army %&erodotuss -!-,0 of the Eastern Ethiopians7 (oth 1hoerilus2s Solymi and &erodotus2s Eastern Ethiopians, strikingly, ear on their heads hides of horse heads!$ %*e and 8entile in the Ancient 9orld: Attitudes and )nteractions from Ale6ander to *ustinian .;;<, Louis &! =eldman, p! .;+0 'he 1ilicians and Solymi, as ell as the as the kindred "isidians and )saurians, ere peoples of the Semitic race7 ho entering Asia Minor (y the pass round the 8ulf of )ssus, overspread the sea>(oard (eneath the chain of 'aurus, and occupied its slopes and heights!$ %'he Ancient history of the East from the Earliest 'imes to the 1on3uest "hilip Smith! p ?-?0!

Modern vie

of the ancient orld

'he ethnic character of the Solymi depends mainly upon the assertion of 1haerilus that they spoke a "hoenician dialect! )t is confirmed (y their name hich connects them very remarka(ly ith the &e(re @ Salem and *erusalem, (y their ha(it of shaving the head ith the e6ception of a tuff, (y their special orship of Saturn, and (y the occurrence of a num(er of "hoenician ords in their country! )f e regard the Solymi as Semitic on this evidence, e must suppose an early Semitic occupation of the hole southern coast of Asia Minor, follo ed (y an )ndo>European invasion (efore hich the primitive inha(itants yielded losing the more desira(le territory and only maintaintng themselves in the mountains$ %Ra linson, 8! .A<+, 'he &istory of &erodotus, p! /?,0! 'he .Ath and .;th century Biscovery of the Solymi )n this post ill (e discussed the connection of modern Afro>semitic peoples of Ara(ia ith the medieval tri(es of &arrah named Sulaym or Soleym and their likely connection ith the "Solymi" of *osephus and earlier riters! )t ill (e sho n that once again, earlier 9estern scholars came closer to e6posing the facts a(out Ethiopic$ civiliCation in the Levant and Mediterranean, than some of our modern Bi(lical Archaeologists$ are a(le to do! =or e6ample, although some of these modern scholars have tried to malign the theoretical foundations of Martin Bernal2s Black Athena volumes, and suggestions that ancient dark>skinned$ Ethiopians$ and Egyptians must have had some su(stantial influence on these regions, Bernal as in fact far from the first, nor even the most prolific on the su(Dect! Similar suggestions, and in many cases, assertions, ere in fact directly made (y a num(er of #rientalist historians as ell as the ancient 8reeks and Romans, themselves! #ne encyclopedia in the last century makes note of the comments of a 8reek historian living near the end of the /th century, According to &esychius, the )sland of Les(os as anciently called Ethiopia, and its people Ethiopes7 having (een coloniCed, perhaps from the Syrian coast! 'he Leuco>Syri, or 9hite Syrians seem to have received the name as a distinctive term (y hich any confusion (et een them and their darker neigh(ours to the South might (e avoided$ %'his appeared in, Encyclopedia Metropolitana edited (y Smedley, Rose and Rose in .;?/, p! <?+! See also Ralph 8riffiths, Sept! .--?, 'he Monthly Revie $0! =urthermore, 1heikh Anta Biop and Bernal and more recent authors had only (een pointing out and thro ing light on hat as e6pressly and consistently repeated (y the ancient 8reeks

themselves > Stra(o, "liny, &esychius, and many others! 'o pretend that there is something radical, politically>motivated andEor Afro>centric$ a(out the suggestion that ancient (lack Africans or affiliated peoples once inha(ited and significantly influenced these regions has gone on un arrantedly, at the e6pense of not only the reputations of these scholars, (ut of the study of orld history! =rom the time of &omer until the period of Stra(o, Ethiopians$, or (lack peoples$ from the coasts of north Africa and the Levant %Syro FAra(ia0 ere considered (y the 8reeks to have at one time occupied other coasts of the Mediterranean and the Aegean, including such regions as 1rete, Lycia, the 'aurus, "isidia and 1ilicia, (efore the coming of their o n ancestors! 1heikh Anta Biop thus, rightly, remarked that earlier scholars had previously found that Boeotia, 1ilicia, Les(os, Lemnos, Lycia, Eu(oea and other countries of the coastal Mediterranean and Aegean had once (een classified (y the ancient 8reeks as formerly Ethiopian$! 8reek geographers like Stra(o still considered the remnants of the Solymi living in the 'aurus mountains and a fe other places as descendants of early or proto>8reek populations of Lycia and 1ilicia encompassing part of coastal Anatolia and northern Sryia! 'hese ere the very same places the 8reeks themselves said ere once designated Ethiopia (y their o n ancestors! )n the .Ath century, *aco( Bryant, another early specialist on ancient myth makes reference to ancient commentators2 remarks a(out 1assius and Belos, hose sons Aigyptos %the goat> footed$0 and Banaus, came to rule Egypt and 8reece respectively! *osephus claimed the people of 'yre in "hoenicia ere ruled (y Belus! 'he latter deity as in fact called king of Sidon$! 'he connection of *upiter or *ove to the semites is also illuminated in these myths! 'he author of "rimitive &istory, from the 1reation to 1admus, rote in .-A;, Biodorus Siculus %from Euhemerus0 says that G*ove as entertained (y Belus at Ba(ylon7 hen 1assius, hose name Mount 1assius (ears, ruled Syria, and 1ili6, 1ilicia2$ %9illiam, 9!, .-A;, p! +4?0! 'he mythological name of 1assius as connected to a deity named Heus &yksius or *upiter 1asius! "tolemy rote the name of the place here this 1assius as venerated as Iassion and Iassiotis! )t as situated (et een the city of "elusium a locale at the eastern e6tremity of the Jile Belta and a lake named Sir(onis! Bryant in .--< rote, ) have o(served that the sons of 1hus are said to have come under the titles of 1asus and Belus into Syria and "henicia$! And a little further he adds, in the account of the 1admians ho are styled Ara(ians@ ) have she n that Eu(eoea as the place to hich they first came and here as an Ethiopium!% Stra(o, li(! .,0 Samothrace as called Ethiopia! %&esych!0 Les(os had the name of Ethiopa and Macaria! %"lin! Li(! /!c! 4.!0! 'he e6treme settlement of this people as in Spain, upon the Baetis, near 'artessus and 8ades: and the account given (y the natives according to the historian Ephorus as that colonies of Ethiopians traversed a great part of Africa7 some of hich came and settled near 'artessus7 and others got possession of different parts of the sea>coast! %Stra(o li(!0 'hey lived near the )sland of Erythrea hich they held %Bionys! "erieg! K! //A0$ %Bryant, *!, .--<, p! .A40! 'artessos as located in Spain only t o days distant from 8i(raltar! Rightly or rongly, the a(ove author relates the name of 1asus to Iush and then proceeds to relate these Ethiopic coloniCers of Syria and the Aegean ith peoples ho ended up settling Jorth Africa! &e 3uotes Stra(o as saying, )t is on this account that e find some of the same family on the opposite coast of Mauritania! 9ho are represented as a people of great stature!$ &e then translates Stra(o2s ords as follo s ith regard to Mauritania or north est Africa across from Spain F the people of this country are Ethiopic and they are the largest of any stature ith hich e are ac3uainted2 %Bryant, .--<,! p! .4A0 'here are t o people once kno n to have d elt in this Mauretanian$ region F coastal north est Africa that ere (lack or considered Ethiopians$ and hose least modified descendants not infre3uently still reach or surpass heights of up - feet! #ne of them are the 9ooda(e or that original group of =ulani or "eul ho no inha(it mainly the region of Sahel! 'he other are the veiled 'uareg, once descri(ed (y some colonialists as giants of the Sahara$, ho ere still claiming descent from the "hoenicians$! 'heir! indigo>colored dress or coverings, like those of certain Lemenites %Mahra0 and the ancient Ara(s, are likely hat the 8reeks referred to as 'yrian$ or "hoenician purple$!

"hilip Smith rote: Stra(o regards (oth the Milyans and 1a(alians F another mountain>tri(e of Jorthern Lycia F as Solymi7 and he considers that a people of this name had once held the heights of 'aurus from Lycia to "isidia! 'he "isidians are also represented (y other riters as (eing Solymi! )t is clear that the Solymi ere driven (ack into the mountains (y the entrance of a ne race, hose long and arduous struggles ith the old inha(itants are indicated (y the conflicts of Bellerophon and other mythical heroes ith the Solymi@! %Smith, .A-., p! ?4+0! 'hus, the 1a(alians or 1a(alian Maeoneans$ of &erodotus ere considered a remnant of the Solymi that had as ell once occupied Lydial! At a certain point these populations are considered to have entered Jorth Africa here they are mentioned on the coast! %'he ord 1a(ali is said to derive from 3a(ila %and its variants0 simply meaning tri(e in the semitic or African>Asiatic dialects! #thers relate the name to Iy(ele, a mother goddess venerated in associated ith Attys or Attis another deity of Lydia0! According to legend, Solymus, ancestor of the Solymi as son of the nymph 1haldene$, a daughter of "isidus$! &is sister and ife as named Milyas$! Early on, the Solymians occupied a place called 'ermessos! "isidia as a little north of Lycia in Anatolia and corresponding also to the area of Sagalassos and 'ermessos, t o affiliated to ns in the region! 'hus, Stra(o notes that the mountain at the foot of 'ermessos as in his day called Mt! Solymos, here there as also a cult called Heus Solymos!

Matthe 8onCales in his article on the cult of Ares rites: G)ndeed, in the land of the 'ermessians one could (e sho n the former camp of Bellerophon and the tom( of his son, cut do n (y the hand of Ares %Stra(! .4! ?!.<0, ho as the father of the Solymoi in some traditions %Etym! Magn! @0! %8onCales, p! +<; 0 Ares as also kno n as Aretas the name of the deity &areth related to the name Erithrea! 'he A6umite and other peoples of the &orn ere ell kno n to have orshipped Ares also under the name of Mahrem %"hillipson, B!9!, +,.+, pp!;/>;<0! "hilip Smith in his Ancient &istory of the East also noted the Solymian historical connection to the original semitic inha(itants of 1ilicia: 'he 1ilicians and Solymi, as ell as the kindred "isidians and )saurians, ere peoples of the Semitic race7 ho entering Asia Minor (y the pass round the 8ulf of )ssus, overspread the sea>(oard (eneath the chain of 'aurus, and occupied its slopes and heights!$ *osephus identified the founders of Lydia ith the Lud$ of 8enesis ., :++ % 8mirkin, +,,., p! .?+, fn! ./0! 'he (i(lical Lud in Ara(ic is Al>Aoud or 9add signifying the lion2s help$, a name of more than one famed ancient Ara(ian chief! Jot surprisingly, &erodotus relates that the original Lydians$ ere named from one of their ancient kings! 'he 1a(ali or Maonians of Lydia also ere kno n to have orshiped Atys$ or Attis$, a 8od hose associated mythos (ears similarities to that of the deity Ad, &adad or Adad of Ba(ylonia and Ara(ia on the one hand, and Adonis, Lord$ of the "hoenicians, on the other! &esiod in fact said Adonis as son of "hoeni6$ %Evelyn>9hite, &!, .;.?, p! .-.0! Atys is a 8od ho under ent crucifi6ion and resurrection$, like Adonis! Atys came to (e venerated (y the royal families of early "hrygia as ell! Attis and other deities of apparent semitic$ origin are most pro(a(ly testimony to a legacy of an Afro>semitic$ i!e! Ethiopic presence in Anatolia! Afro>Semites in 8reek Mythology: Minaean 1onnections to the Solymi of the Levant and Aegean =rom the Lud, Maon, and Maacath settled round "alestine, came the Ludoi, Maones and Makedones of Lydia!$ %#rigines 1elticae .AA4, p! ?,A (y Ed ard 8uest, 9illiam Stu((s and 1ecil Beeds0 According to &esychius, the )sland of Les(os as anciently called Ethiopia, and its people Ethiopes7 having (een coloniCed, perhaps from the Syrian coast! 'he Leuco>Syri, or 9hite

Syrians seem to have received the name as a distinctive term (y hich any confusion (et een them and their darker neigh(ours to the South might (e avoided!$ % EncyclopMdia Metropolitana7 or, Nniversal Bictionary of Ino ledge, .A?/, p! <?+0 Agenor sent his sons "heni6, 1eli6, and 1admus to find Europa: they failed (ut founded the "hoenician, 1ilician, and Boeotian %'he(an0 peoples!$ %1ited in the (ook of ritings (y 8a(rielle Suchon: A 9oman 9ho Befends All "ersons of &er Se6, p! 4,.!0 )n our past posts e discussed the archaeological and linguistic evidence connecting the Minim or Minaeans ith the Levites, or priestly caste of the Lehudim %*udaeans0! 'he apparent connection of the Maonians ith the Solymi is perhaps more testimony that the Solymi ere, in fact, Soleym! )n the Bi(le, the Ara(ian name of the Ma2an, Ma2in or Minaean, is also sometimes translated as Maonian$! A place called Ma2on is in fact called a city of *udah %See ) Sam! +/:+, 4, Smith, &ackett, A((ott, .A--, p! .A-/0! )t is thought that the ord Lud in the Bi(le had connection to Lydia!! As the (ook, #rigines 1elticae, pointed out in the .;th century, A(ulfeda is one of the Ara( riters ho identify Lud as the ancestor of the Amalekites, and many hints, gathered (oth from Scriptural and classical sources, lead us to the conclusion that several races, Amalek, Maon, and, claiming Lud for their ancestor, d elt south of "alestine! 'he &e(re ord rendered Mehunim in + 1hron! +<!- is merely the plural form of the ord Maon, hich appears in *udges .,! .+7 and therefore the same people must (e alluded to in (oth passages@'he Septuagint renders the Mehunim of + 1hron! By the term Minaioi, @$ =rom the (ook %#rigins 1elticae, .AA4, p! .-A0 'hus, hatever might (e said of the ethnicity and dialect of the inha(itants of Lydia in the time of Stra(o, it is highly likely the proto>Lydians of the region, and pro(a(ly the name of Lydia itself, originated amongst the descendants of the Afro>Semitic people the 8reeks considered of "hoenician i!e! 1anaanite, affiliation! Later, European> speaking 8reek invaders settled in the region amalgamating ith the Maonians, hile the name of Lydia or Lud, descendant of "Belos" and Jinos$ as retained for the people of that country!! 9hen all is said and done, to conceive of the Solymi of the 'aurus and Aegean as semitic$ is not as far>fetched as certain modern scholars have tried to make it appear! 'he ancient mythos surrounding the Solymi and #gygia and 8yges appears to relate them to the Amalekites, the "hoenician shepherds$ of *oseophus and the names of t o of their kings > "Agag"! )t is hard to to unravel these o(scure mythi, (ut the marriage of the mythical 'remilos ith #gygia seems to sho that the people hom the 'ermilai su(dued ere Agagi or Amalekites, and therefore that the Solumoi ere a (ranch of this people F a conclusion to hich e have (een already (rought (y other considerations$ %8uest et al!, .AA4, p! +4;0! According to 8reek mythology the son of the "hoenician Agenor, Iing of 'yre$, is 1admus! Agenor sent his son to search out his sister in Boeotia in 8reece! 1admus is considered the founder of 'he(es! &e is in fact called the father of #gygia in one tradition and in another, he is his son! "ausanius of the +nd century A,B, claimed 'he first to occupy the land of 'he(es are said to have (een the Ectenes, hose king as #gygus, an a(original$! %"ausanius ; !/!.!0 Aeschylus ho lived in the <th F /th century B!1! also makes reference to 'he(es as the #gygian 'he(es$! 'he names of 8yges and #gyia occur, not surprisingly, in (oth Lycia and Lydia! Apparently a lake in Lydia as named 8ygia named for a nymph that inha(ited it! #gygos is called Iing of the 'itans$ in one tradition and he had at one time fled to 'artessus a%mentioned a(ove0 after his defeat (y Heus! According to Stephen of ByCantium the early Lydians themselves ere called #gygioi %=ontenrose, .;/;, p! +4-, fn! +-0! 'he history of settlement of peoples in Egypt and the Jilo>Saharan affiliation of peoples in the Mediterranean is also captured, or represented in the many myths surrounding the legendary figure of king Minos and his family! And the original proto> Minoan people of 8aramantian %Jilo>Saharan0 affiliation seem to have settled in the Mediterranean along ith the Ethiopic semitic>speaking peoples that came (y ay of the Levant or Aegean to Li(ya! 'he daughter of Minos named Akakallis %sometimes called a nymph0 is

supposed to have had a son named 8aramas %other ise called Amphithemis0, ancestor of the 8aramantes %8reen, "!, +,,-, p! 4?A0 > i!e!, inha(itants of 8arama or BDerma in Li(ya! )t as said that Jasamon$, another son of Amphithemis$, as ancestor of the Jasamonians, a people hom e have discussed in earlier posts that possessed similar customs and ith o(vious links to the 'uareg! 'hese myths all seem to suggest that African>Semitic$ populations of the Levant %Solymi, 1a(ali>Maonians0 had met and intermingled ith other African people in the Mediterranean, Aegean and in Jorth Africa or Li(yan$ landscape, giving rise to early populations there! Minos, himself, as son of the "hoenician princess "Europa" and thus a considered coloniCer of Egypt! "'he Lycians ere from 1rete in ancient times %for in the past none that lived on 1rete ere 8reek0! Jo there as a dispute in 1rete a(out the royal po er (et een Sarpedon and Minos, sons of Europa7 Minos prevailed in this dispute and drove out Sarpedon and his partisans7 ho, after (eing driven out, came to the Milyan land in Asia! 9hat is no possessed (y the Lycians as in the past Milyan, and the Milyans ere then called Solymi! .!.-4!4 =or a hile Sarpedon ruled them, and the people ere called 'ermilae, hich as the name that they had (rought ith them @$ % &erodotus: 'he &istories0 'he people ruled (y Minos may have (een the 1arians or 8aramantes, hile Sarpedon appears to have come to rule over the original Milyans then called Solymi$! Although there as conflict (et een them early on, these peoples of Minos and Sarpedon, t o sons of Europa, appear to have (een vie ed as affiliated ith the Levant! Later of course, the descendants of classical 8reeks ere to claim descent from all of these earlier "elasgic$ peoples, though "elasgians ere said to have (een a dark>skinned race or "melanthes@genus"! &erodotus did maintain the (elief that almost all of the names of the 8ods had come to 8reece from Egypt (y ay of the "elasgians to the 8reeks! Another early .;th century te6t entitled, A 8eographical and &istorical Bescription of Asia Minor, reads as follo s: Je6t to the "elasgic migrations, e must place the settlements formed (y Minos, ho seems to have reigned, not only over 1rete and the 1yclades, (ut to have had possessions on the coast of 1aria and Lycia! )n the former country, Sarpedon, his (rother, is said to have founded Miletus7 in the latter the same chief esta(lished his 1retan (ands, named 'ermilae, after having driven from the coasts or e6terminated the Milyae and Solymi, the first possessors of the country, and descended, as appears most pro(a(le from the Syrians or "hoenicians$! %1ramer, p! +?0 'he .;th century historian una(ashedly recogniCed that the ancient 8reeks considered there to (e a close ethnic connection (et een the Solymi and the original "hoenician inha(itants of 1ilicia! Stra(o speaking of the small district 1a(alis, hich must certainly (e referred to this people, remarks, that many authors looked upon it as the seat of the ancient Solymi of &omer, ho ere dou(tless of "hoenician origin@ their arms and accoutrements ere precisely those of the 1ilicians!$ %&erod! K))!--!0 % 1ramer, p! ?+.0 'he appearance of Afrosemitic people in the Aegean is likely linked to the rise of the "&yksos" and their appearance in the Syria, the Aegean and Egypt! An artistic style associated ith the flying gallop appears deep ithin the Sahara in the Ahaggar and 'assili regions around the same time it does in the Mediterranean and Aegean! )n the Sahara it is found at a certain period in association ith 'uareg inscriptions called 'ifinagh! 'he representations recall the Mycenaean and 1retan models, rather than the Egyptian type according to the author of An Early &istory of &orsemanship %.;A/0! "'he style "seems to have dominated the art of the Sahara for fe centuries starting roughly .,,, B!1!" Also of note are the similarities in chariot styles associated ith the art! ' o>shafted chariots similar to those from the

eastern Mediterranean appear among those of the =eCCan %ACarolli, A! .;A/, p! /;0! Evidently, the "great route" of the 8aramantes from the Mediterranean coast to the Adrar region of the )foras is also marked ith rock paintings of flying gallop representations %ACCarolli, A!,.;A/, p! <.0! Martin Bernal offerred the follo ing ith regards to the inha(itants of 'hera! "'he presence of (oth the griffin an its flying gallop is fascinating! As argued in the last chapter and a(ove (oth the mythical animal and its motion appear to have (een hallmarks of the &yksos princes in Syria and the Aegean" %Bernal, .;A-, p! 4AA0!

"=LL)J8 8ALL#"" representation of stags on ancient fresco from the isle of 'hera in the Mediterranean 8reek archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos rote of the a(ove art found on 'hera that this "OAfricanO fresco should (e assigned for preference to the tur(ulent &yskos period ith hich some scholars have connected the legend of Banaus and Aigyptos!O" %Bernal, p! 4AA0!

Man of Mycenae %mainland 8reece0 dated to the .+th century B!1!

ML1EJAEAJ =LL)J8 8ALL#" AJB 1&AR)#'EER RE"RESEJ'A')#J

'he popular flying gallop representations in "1a(alline" %horseman0 rock art of the 'assili region of Sahara! Although the 8reeks seem to have implied the Solymi ere semites, i!e! "hoenicians, it as &omer that appears to have first implied that the Solymi or "hoenicians ere an Ethiopic$ population! Alluding to the trident>(earing Jeptune or "oseidon, the author of the #dyssey rites Jo the lord, the shaker of the earth, on his ay from the Ethiopians espied him afar off from the mountains of the Solymi: even thence he sa #dysseus as he sailed over the deep7 and he as mightily angered in spirit, and shaking his head he communed ith his o n heart! GLo no , it must (e that the gods at the last have changed their purpose concerning #dysseus, hile ) as a ay among the Ethiopians$ %Book K, 'he #dyssey0! &omer, ho ever, asn2t the only author hose ritings suggest that the Solymi ere ancestral Ethiopians$! 'he Solymi are implied to (e Ethiopians$ in the ritings of 1heorilus as ell! =eldman noted (oth the Solymi of 1hoerilus ritings and the Eastern Ethiopians ore said to have orn horse hides on their heads %=eldman, L, .;;<, p! .;+0! *ohn Ienrick in his (ook, "hoenicia, also notes this: 'he epic poet 1heoerilus, contemporary ith &erodotus, descri(ing the armies of 5er6es, says, GBehind these came a race of men onderful to (ehold, speaking the "hoenician tongue7 they d elt on the Solymian mountains, (eside the (road lake! 9ith s3ualid heads, shaven round, and a(ove they ore the stripped>off skins of horses2 heads, hardened in the smoke %Ienrick, pp! A<> A-0! Some have tried to dismiss the o(vious connection the ancients ere making (et een the Aegean Solymians, the Ethiopians, and founders of *erusalem! 1hoerilus says that they ore helmets of hide, made out of horses2 heads! 'hat is the distinctive

(adge of the eastern Ethiopian levies in &erodotus P-!-,Q7 and &omer P#d! /!+A4Q provides the link (et een Solymi and Ethiopians F hen "oseidon paused and surveyed the seas from the vantage>point on the Solyma mountains he as returning from Ethiopian festivies! 1hoerilus must (e a(andoned, though not ithout reluctance %Syme Anatolica .A;0! Smith in his Ancient &istory of the East also notes that the description of the ay the Solymi shaved their hair as typically Ara(ian, and adds! All this agrees ith the theory that the Solymi ere a semitic people, perhaps of that ancient type hich is (lended ith &amitic characters! 'he chief direct testimony to this effect is that of 1hoerilus of Samos, the contemporary of &erodotus, ho rote a poem on the "ersian 9ar, in hich he mentions the Solymi as serving in the army of 5er6es, and says that their language as "hoenician! 'his statement is confirmed (y their ha(it of shaving the head ith the e6ception of a tuft F a custom ascri(ed (y &erodotus to the Ara(ians, and mentioned in Scripture as practiced (y the Edomites, Moa(ites and Ammonites@$ %"hilip Smith .AA., p! ?440 9hile the contention that the Bead Sea Solymi of the time of *osephus had "Ethiopic" or Eastern Ethiopian$ connections can hardly (e dou(ted, more recent o(servers have (een hesitant in making the same connection! Ancient historians sa the Solymi as peoples settled centuries earlier amongst populations in Lycia in Anataolia, a long ay off from )srael and the Bead Sea! &istorians of "the classics" and (i(lical archaeologists vie this as pro(lematic$ F as usual > even though Stra(o in the .st century cites Ephorus of the ?th century B!1! as claiming that the southern sea(oards or southern coasts of Asia % hich includes Asia Minor0 ere once occupied in their entirety (y Ethiopians$, i!e! (lack populations! By the time of Stra(o, ho ever, the Solymi had for the most part disappeared from many of their coastal ha(itats in Anatolia and the Aegean! According to Book K of "liny Jatural &istory %.st c! A!B!0, the 8reek Erastosthenes of the 4rd century B! 1! of 1yrene stated that "the nations of the Solymi, Leleges, Be(rices, 1olycantii, and 'repsedores, are utterly perished from Asia!" Still long after the coming of the &ellenic 8reeks, *osephus had made the claim that the Solymi ere connected to the Bead Sea region and ere responsi(le for the foundations of a to n called *erusalem!

'&E BEAB SEA S#LELM): Evolution of the modern Solymi or Sulaym (in Mansur in their Ancient A(odes

)J'R#BN1')#J: 9rites one the authors of 'he &istory of )srael %.A-?0, @the old 8reek poet 1hoerilus descri(ing the nationalities marching against the 8reeks in the great army of 5er6es, sketches Ga ondrous race, the "hoenician>speaking Solymi, d elling upon the mountains and (y the (road sea, ith sun>(urned heads, hair clipped all round, and earing visors on them of smoke cured horse>hide!2 'hese Solymi *osephus tacitly assumes to (e the inha(itants of *erusalem in the neigh(ourhood of the Bead Sea" %E ald, 1arpenter, Martineau, .A-?, p! ..A0! Roman author 'acitus of the .st century, made note that certain peoples in his day attri(uted a famous ancestry for the *e s in the Solymi ho are mentioned ith respect in the epics of &omer: this tri(e is supposed to have founded *erusalem and named it after themselves$ %'acitus, 'he &istories, Book K0! Iamal Sali(i in his controversial, 'he Bi(le 1ame from Ara(ia, made the follo ing suggestion ith regard to the naming of *erusalem, hich has up until the present (een regarded as enigmatic$! &e rote, Most pro(a(ly it means the a(ode of Slym %cf! the surviving Ara(ic tri(al name Sulaym , or slym, in the Asir highlands$! 'acitus, (efore mentioning that the Solymi or Solumoi ere thought to have founded

*erusalem, states Many assure us that the *e s %*udaeans0 are descended from those Ethiopians ho ere driven (y fear and hatred to emigrate from their home country hen 1epheus as king!$ 1epheus as (y tradition, king of Ethiopia$, (rother of "hinehas or "hineus, and in some sources the name of Epaphus sometimes replaces the name 1epheus$ as hus(and of the 3ueen 1assiopeia! Both 1epheus and and "hineus are called sons of Belos (y Euripides%Ridge ay et al!, .;,., p! +.-0, and it ill (e sho n in this post that most pro(a(ly, the Solymi, the Ethiopians of 1epheus ruler of *oppaELaffa$, a to n of (oth Lemen and of modern )sraelE"alestine % here it is no called 'ell Aviv0, ere all one and the same 1anaaniteEMidianitish, i!e! Ethiopic people! =or, hile the modern orld pretends the ancient Ara( or peoples the ancient Levant appeared as they do no a mi6ed population neither truly fair nor (lack, the Syrians and )ranians themselves at least made clear hat the ancient Ara(s and 1anaanites and Ja(ataeans ere > and perhaps more importantly hat they ere not! )n the .;+,s, a Scotsman named Arthur Evelyn 9augh, author of novels and travel literature logged in his diary notes on a Jegro physician$ named Br! &o ie, hom he had met on tour through 8len(uchat %a Scottish glenn or narro valley0! 'he diary entry as made in .;+< on the ;th of August! According to the archivist familiar ith 9augh2s Dournal, this doctor, referred to as a Jegro$, as in fact a man (orn into a &o eitat (edouin clan in Ara(ia! %'his name &o eitat is seen variously in te6ts as &a eit2at, &u eitat, &o eytat, &u aytat, etc0 'o (e e6act, As a (a(y, Br &o ie had (een found a(andoned in a desert (eyond the *ordan after a Bedouin tri(al (attle7 he as saved and adopted (y Scottish missionaries ho named him &o ie after his native tri(e, the &o eitat@$ http:EE !glen(uchatheritage!comEpictureEnum(erA<A!asp

Modern &u aytOatE&a eitat men in *ordan 'he &o eitat or &u ayt2at > as it is often ritten today > ere formerly a nomadic tri(e stretching over several countries (et een the 'ihama and the Bead Sea, (ut are no mostly settled agriculturalists! Speaking of the 9adi Bamah in the country of *ordan, Sir Richard Burton mentioned, its &u ayti o ners, the Sulaymiyyin, the Sulaymat, @$! %Burton, R! =!, .A-;, p! A0 in his Land of Midian, and other clans! 8eorge Murray in his te6t, Sons of )shmael, mentions the "Sulaymiyyan" of Burton as the Salamiyan$, categoriCed as a (ranch of the Hu ayid or Su ayd> &u aytat %Murray, 8! 9!, +,.+, p! +?<0! 'hese clans of the &u aytat>Sulaymiyyan are mentioned here (ecause they, along ith a fe other predominantly dark>skinned (edouin among the Bedouin of the 'ransDordan and Sinai areas, assuredly represent to a large degree the least modified remnant of the early )slamic and pre>1hristian peoples of the Ara(ian harra and JeDd %1entral Ara(ia0 called Sulaym or Soleym (in Mansur, ho in turn are likely the peoples called Solymi$ > spoken of (y the ancients as of "hoenician$ in affiliation! Most of the &a eitat clans ere so dark, Burton and certain other scholars simply thought they ere Egyptian fellaheen! *osephus connected the Solymi to the inha(itants of the Bead Sea in )srael! 'hus as E ald stated, 'hese Solymi *osephus tacitly assumes to (e the inha(itants of *erusalem in the neigh(ourhood of the Bead Sea$ %E ald, p!.A-?0! Another historian noted, *osephus, @ considers the Solymian mountains as those of *erusalem, the lake as the Bead Sea and the people, as *e s serving in the army of 5er6es$! %Ienrick, pp! A<>A-0! 'he Bead Sea, hich *osephus calls Asphaltitus as apparently kno n as the Assyrian Lake$ after Ashur, the Midianitish people hom according to *osephus, had not only harassed and con3uered, (ut ALS# JAMEB the country called Assyria, along ith coloniCing the land of the trogodytes$ in Africa and Ara(ia! %See previous (logposts0 9hether these Solymi of *osephus ere an e6tension of the Aegean Solymi of 1hoerilus, Stra(o and &omer may (e up for de(ate, (ut it should not take a giant leap of logic or faith to presume that the modern and medieval clans of Soleymi or Sulaymiyyan>&a eitat, Sulaymat and Suleimani and their kinsmen stretching from east of the river *ordan to the region of the Bead

Sea are descendants of the Bead Sea Solymi$ spoken of (y *osephus! 'hese &a eitat, ho up until recently, dominated the 'ransDordan, are thought to (e one of the indigenous peoples of this area %Eilon, p! .<+0! "hilip &itti riting in his history of Syria said the Ja(ataeans are represented (y the lo ly &u aytat Bedouins, ho still rove here their ancestors once flourished and pitch their tents outside of their Grose>red city half as old as time2$ % &itti, +,,?, p! 4<A0! 'heir land especially of "etra as later settled (y Romans! )t is dou(tless such Ja(ataeans hom are spoken of in the ..th century Akh(ar al> Haman here it is said, Among the children of 1anaan are the Ja(it, Ja(it signifies (lack@$ %8olden(erg,+,,;, p! +/4, fn! +40! )(n al>Jadim of .,th century Baghdad, 3uoting a Ja(ataean of his time, said "the Ja(ataean people ere O ith (lack comple6ionO and that one of their contemporary Ja(ataean personalities, )(n al 9ahshiya al> Iildani, had translated many Ja(ataean te6ts to the Ara(ic of his time" %A(ulha(, S! B!, +,.4, p! .,0! %'he ord al>Iildani means 1haldaean!0 Biodours Siculus attri(utes the control of the collection and conveyance of asphalt ne6t to the Bead Sea %Aphalitis0 to the Ja(ataeans! Nnder the name "Ja(ataean", they controlled the important roads to the south of the Bead Sea %&ammond, "! 1!, .;/;, ?,0!

Sculptures of 8reeks and Romans dressed in their togas dating from the period of their settlements in *ordan can fre3uently (e seen amongst the ruins of ancient Ja(ataea! Romans and the Ara(ian Ja(ataeans ere, ho ever, t o separate people! 'he &a eitat ere rather ar>like, pro(a(ly much like their Soleymi ancestors in the early )slamic period roaming (et een the Bead Sea, the e6pansive Syro>Ara(ian volcanic harrah and 1entral Ara(ia %JeDd0 and far to the south in the Asir 'ihama! 'hus, e read in a (ook of the ritings of La rence of Ara(ia, 'he great &o eitat tri(e, hich roams the country (et een the head of the 8ulf of Aka(a and the lo er end of the Bead Sea and 1entral Ara(ia, has more enemies, causes more trou(le and takes part in more (lood feuds than any other group of tent>d ellers! #ne can meet no more o(stinate, unruly and 3uarrelsome people! 'hey seem to have no fear! #ne small &o eitat (oy ill take a rifle and engage in (attle against t enty men$ %'homas, L! .;+,, p! +<+0! As mentioned, due to the often (lackish comple6ion of many &a eitat, some authors had speculated or supposed that they ere originally of Egyptian origin or mi6ed ith Jegroes$, (ut in fact, their coloring and appearance is pro(a(ly like that of their ancient Ara(ian ancestors! 'he Sulaym or Solaym (! Mansur! like all the (edouin inha(itants of the Ara(ian peninsula, had once (een noted for their near (lack appearance! As mentioned in the previous posts, the ;th century *ahiC and others made comments on the Soleym in fact saying ALL the other tri(es of the &arrah$ ere as (lack$ like the color of the lava of their &iDaCi homeland! According to *ahiC, the Banu Sulaym @ live in the lava lands of north Ara(ia and are rendered (lack>skinned like their environment$ %S ain, S! and Boys>Stones, 8!, +,,-, p! +//0! And this appears to have (een no mere e6aggeration as evidenced (y the still (lackish appearance of many modern Sulaymi> &a eitat! )(n Athir in the ..th in his Iurdish folktale makes the Sulaymi he names "Sa2ad, the (lack", ask Muhammad, the "rophet of )slam > ho ironically himself as of Sulaym descent maternally and pro(a(ly of the same color as every other Iinahna man > hether he ould (e allo ed into heaven ith his (lackness and ugliness! Muhammad had said, ) am the son of the A ateks from the tri(e of SulaymO %OAtika Bint &ilal, OAtika Bint Murra and OAtika Bint El>A kass ere all omen of his tri(e0! %See al>Saada i, J!,.;;-, p! -? 0! 'he first of the Atikas or Al>Atik or A atek %plural for Atika0 in reality ere derived from the tri(e of ACd according to genealogy %Boullata, +,.., p! +A?7 Ihanam, +,,/, p! <<0! An e6cerpt from the AthirOs para(le a(out "Sa2ad al>As ad" as told recently (y a Shaykh Hulfi3ar Ahmad appears (elo ! )t displays the typical ignorance in much Middle Eastern literature regarding the appearance of the Ara(ian peoples of that period, as ell as the usual attitude of aversion to ards a (lack comple6ion!

'he "rophet2s Mercy enveloped Sa2ad! &ave you married yetR$ Jo one ill give his daughter to a (lack man! 'here is a girl in my uncle2s &ouse, (ut every time ) make an offer, ) am repelled and thro n out of the house! 9hat do ) have to offer hen ) am dark and poorR$ &earing these ords, the Messenger of Allah said, Sa2ad, today ) have set your marriage, go and tell your uncle!$ Sa2ad set off hurriedly! 'he uncle came out orried, &o can this (e your fortuneR 'hat ) give my daughter to such a one as youR 8o a ay other ise ) ill (eat youS$ Sa2ad said, ) have not come at my o n ill, Mustafa sent me and to him ) return!$ Sa2ad came (ack distressed and scared! &is uncle ent (ack angry! 'he daughter heard everything and asked her father, 9hat is the matterR 9hy are you so angryR$ Sa2ad came to my door ith a proposal of marriage! &e is (lack and poor, Bishonoring my ealth and status! )t is impossi(le that ) give my daughter 'o such a man! &e cannot (e my son>in>la !$ =rom 'he Love of the =emale 1ompanions > e6cerpted from Love for the "rophet Jo , ironically this Sa2d, according to the author, himself, as of pure Ara($ lineage and as, in fact, (lack (ecause of it! But, as ith the para(les and stories of other commentators from the Middle East and 1entral Asia, this is one fanciful inconsistency that arose concerning the appearance of early Ara(s due to attitudes a(out (lackness! Most modern (edouin in "alestine, "etra and northern *ordan in general represent a uni3ue mi6ture of the early 8reeks, Romans, Syrians, 'urks and other populations that came to the region amalgamating ith the indigenous Ara( peoples! 'he area as settled (y .4th century ith encampments of Mamluks %slaves soldiers$ of mainly 1ircassian and Iurdish origin0 and later #ttoman 'urkish peoples (rought many slaves including the much favored 1ircassian omen into the area! 'he presence of these red$ men or Mamluks$ ho themselves ere a result of the rampant hite slave$ trade in men and omen over several hundred years, had helped modify the face of the Ara( (edouin of the regions of SyriaE "alestine, Jorthern Egypt and Sinai! 8enoese merchants of )taly played a maDor role in the Slavic$ trade from the Black Sea up until the ./th century and long after ards hen the trade (ecame diverted to Africa! A good portion of the slaves from this Black Sea trade also ended up in the Levant %SyriaE"alestine0 and Jorth Africa! 'he indigenous Ara(s, ho ever, ere themselves originally almost entirely derived of &iDaCi %including al>&arra0, Tuda2a, and other Lemenite populations! &ere is another characteristic tale or para(le possessed (y the multicolored clans of modern Sinai and pu(lished (y 8! Murray! )t2s o(vious function among the Bedouins as of e6plaining the differing comple6ions of the tri(es of 'erra(in and 9uheidah, t o tri(es hich are other ise considered closely related! "the 'era(in ere originally descended from an ancestor called JaDm, ho came to Sinai ith a companion called el 9iheidi, G a descendant of &asan the (rother of &usein2! Both ere guests of a great sheikh of the Beni 9asil, in the Sinai mountains! 'his sheikh had no sons, (ut t o daughters, one ith an ugly face and kinky hair, and the other (eautiful girl a ith fine hair! JaDm as a great hero, (ut an ugly man, (ro n in colour, hile the 9iheidi as a hndsome youth ith a fair comple6ion! 'he old sheikh gave his daughers in marriage to his guests, the ugly girl to JaDm, and the other oto the 9iheidi7 and so JaDm (ecame the ancestor of the 'era(in ho are famous for their ugly faces and their (ravery, hile 9iheidi (ecame the ancestor of the 9iheidat,

ho are reno ned for their good looks! JaDm as the son of Sheikh GAtiya, ho is (uried in the adi called after him near Ain *oCi$ %Murray, +,.+, p! +/?0

9oman of the 'era(in

'he SoleymESulaym clans among the &ar( As sho n a(ove, today many of the clans called &a eitat or &u aytat in *ordan are categoriCed as part of the confederation kno n as the Banu &ar( (et een Mecca and Medina, the Muslim &oly Land$! )t is significant to find that during the early )slamic and Medieval periods the &a eitat>related clans ere kno n in general as Banu Sulaym or Soleymi, a people stretching (et een 1entral and Syro>Ara(ia including the &iDaC and as far south as the (order of modern Lemen in JeDran! 'he volcanic area especially in the vicinity of Al>Madina as one of the strongholds of the tri(e of Sulaym %Bonner, +,.,, p! ;<0! )t as called harrat Banu Sulaym! 8! Murray also noted that the Ara(ian archaeologist and anti3uarian Bavid 8eorge &ogarth claimed that the Beni Sulaym ere the direct ancestors to the great modern tri(e of &ar( further south %Murray, +,.+, p! +-40! And in fact, &ogarth, foremost estern authority on Ara(ia in his time, appears to have (een a(solutely correct in his assessment! But, it is not only numerous clans of early )slamic Sulaym (! Mansur, (ut those of their (rethren of &a aCin (! Mansur, and Elias %El Las0 or Iinahna and ACd that are found today among the &ar( confederation! 'he Banu Auf of the Salim or Sulaym %depending on the translator0 mentioned (y 'a(ari are today part of the Safar, also called the Safureh or Sifra clan, (elonging to the Masruh %Misra0 (ranch of the &ar( %Lorimer, p! <4/, &ogarth, p! 4A> 4;0! )t as previously discussed that the name of Hipporah, hom the Ara(s call Saffurah$ is associated ith the Midianite follo ers of MuCaikiyya from Mari( %Meri(a of the (ook of E6odus, .- of the 'orah0! 'he &ar( ere in more recent times divided into the Salim and Masruh (ranches! Bescendants of the Sulaym included among the &ar( and &a eitat peoples are the clan of Iur2an or Tura2an! 'hus, )sfahani rote that north of the Tur2an valley ere the mountains of the Sulaym! Al Samhudi "similarly descri(es the Banu Sulaym mine as in the valley of Turan, (eside N(laO, on the JaDd road, a(out .,, miles from al>Madinah" %"hillips, Rodney, p! <?0! &arold MacMichael commented that the name IuraOan also occurs in Ara(ia as a section of &u aytat0 %MacMichael +,.. reprint p! 4.0, hile more recently the Tura2an have (een descri(ed as a su(>clan of the Banu Ali or %Ala iEAl anEAla in0 clan of &ar( %&amCah, =!, p! .+0! A group of Iura2an>&u aytat$ are also mentioned (y Richard Burton in his Land of Midian %Burton, .A-;, p! +<A0! Burton also classifies the Sa aid %Sa2idi0 and Ala in %Al an0>&a eitat as (elonging to the Masruh su(>group of &ar(, hile he calls Aulad Salim division of the Beni Salim (ranch of &ar(, the Salaymah$! %Burton, .;,<, p! .+,0! 'he Benu Salim he again speaks of as composed of A su(divisions including the &a aCim$ %&a aCin0 divided into the MuCayna and Hahiri %Ha ahir0! 'he Miamun or Maimouna are another group listed as &ar( in recent times! &ogarth indicates the Bani Salim division are also called Beni Meimun! %&ogarth, p! 4;0! )(n A(d Ra((ih of the ..th century mentions them as from the Beni &ilal clan of the &a aCin riting > OAmir i(n SaOsaOa i(n MuOa iya i(n Bakr i(n &a aCin! #f the clans of OAmir ere the Banui &ilal i(n OAmir i(n SaOsaOa! #f them as Maimuna %Boullata, +,.+, p! +<.0! 'he So(h, and Rahala are &ar( in BurtonOs ritings, hile he classifies the Sa aid %Sa2idi0 and Ala i %Al an0 under the Masruh group%Burton, .A/-, p! 4<-0! 'he "&ar(" entry to the Encyclopaedia of Middle East and 1entral Asia, also reads 'o the B! Salim (elong amongst other clans, al>&amda, al>Su(h, OAmr, MuOara, 9alad Salim, 'amim %not the cele(rated great tri(e of this name0, MuCayna, al &a aCin, %A aCim, &aCim0, @$ %Ihanam, +,,/, p! +</0! Lorimer also rote that the Highai(at %the Haghe( ere a ell>kno n clan of Sulaym0 and Aulad Salaim, (elonged to the Maimun (ranch of Banu Salim division of the &ar( in his 8aCeteer of the "ersian 8ulf %Lorimer, .;,A, p! <4/0! 'hus, it can (e seen that the tri(es kno n as &a aCin and Sulaym (! Mansour in the early )slamic period are found as the names of the &ar( and

&a eitat of today! 'he names Aulad Salim, Banu Salim, Salaymah, Salamat, Suleymani, Salamiyyan, Musalimah are all remnant of the peoples once kno n as Sulaym or Soleym, and further (ack as Solymi in the pre>)slamic and pre>1hristian eras to 8reek riters as the Solymi or Solumoi, a race$ of the "hoenicians, i!e! Ethiopians ruled (y 1epheus! 9e ill note here in the ;th century AB, *ahiC descri(ed the early fauna and animals of the harra %lava lands0 %sheep, cattle, etc0 in hich the Sulaym people ere d elling, the camel and cattle of the peoples no called &ar( are descri(ed often as very (lack in color, like the comple6ion of the people that possessed them! 1harles Boughty also rote in his 'ravels in Ara(ia Beserta in the late .;th century that the camels of the &ar( tri(e, and adds, the great cattle of the south and middle tri(es, &ar(, Meteyr, Atey(an, are commonly s arthy or (lack and none of them dun>colored$ %Boughty, .AAA, p! +A.0! 1harles Boughty concerning the people, &ar( settlers of the full (lood, in those many hot oases (et i6t the &arameyn, @ are (lackish as Africans$ %Boughty, 1!, +,.,, p! .?,0! 'he name of &arameyn %or &aramiyyin0 refers to the sacred (oundaries of Mecca and Medina 0! 9hile Lorimer also rites, )n comple6ion the &ar( are e6tremely dark, (ut they have the features of true Ara(s,$ and adds that their camels ere nearly all s arthy or (lack, and some of their sheep are (lack also %Lorimer, p! <4,0! Burton descri(es the Salim and &amidah %or &amdah clans0 among the Banu &ar( in his "ersonal Jarrative to of a "ilgrimage to al>Madinah and Mecca as small chocolate colored (eings ith mops of (ushy hair, stunted and thin@$ and thus calls them that great heDaCi tri(e that has kept his (lood pure for the last .4 centuries$ %Burton, .A/<, p! ./A0! Although he compares their appearance to that of the Egyptian fellaheen, (ut the description of the &ar( also sounds strikingly similar to that of the BeDa as ell! 'he Banu Sulaym are mentioned in Syria as ell in the .,th century A!B! hen their leader Muhammed (! Ahmad is said to have led a re(ellion of the Sulaym and other Ara( tri(es in 'ransDordan, hich as put do n (y an Ethiopian regent then in charge of Egypt kno n as Iafur! )t is not much later that the Sulaym along ith the related &a aCin are said to have spread over Jorth Africa like locusts$ (ecoming the maDority of early Ara( inha(itants of 1yrenaica and Li(ya %'ripolitania0! 'hey are considered largely responsi(le for the Ara(iCation of the Maghre( %north estern African region0! 'he modern day 'rarCa and &assaniyya of the Maghre( %Morocco, Senegal, Mauritania0 are some of the lesser modified peoples considered descendants of Sulaym and the Ma2a3il and &ilal of the &a aCin (! Mansur! 'hey are no adays the people most often called Moors$ %LevtCion, .;-/, p! +++0! 'heir d elling is from southern Morocco to Senegal and they are thought to (e partly Ber(er in stock!

A &ASSAJ)LLA MAJ #= '&E MA8&REB

Richard Burton also spoke of &o eitat clans called Sulaymat$, Sulaymiyyun$ living southeast of the SueC in Sinai! #ne encyclopedia reads, 'he SaOidiyyun of the depression of al>OAra(a south of the Bead Sea, no a virtually independent tri(e, reveal their origin in their ar> cry: Su(yan al> &u aytat$ %Ihanam, +,,/, p! +AA0! But the Sa2idiyyun categoriCed as &a eitat of Al>Ara(ah south of the Bead Sea are also classified as &ar( further south %Lorimer, p! <4?0! )n addition are the Al an or Ala i north and east of A3a(ah, )mran, also called Amran or Amareen %the (edouin clan that named Amarna in Egypt0 of the &a eitatE&u aytat %on the SueC Road and south and east of A3a(ah0, and the Su ay2id or Su ayd, said to descend from the &u aytat, and are e3ually classified as clans in the $ &ar($ confederation further south %9ilkinson, *!8!, .A?4, p! 4A,0! Burton mentions that &u ayt left four sons ho ere progenitors of the Midianite &u aytat! 'heir names ere: )mran, Al an, Su ay2id and Sa2id$ % Burton, .A-;, p! .<40! 'he Su ayid F&u eitat apparently claimed to have originated in Lemen in a valley called Lif! %p! +/-0!

Banu Amran %or "Ammarin"0 (edouin hom Burton called ")mran>&u aytat" of "the land of Midian", lived east of Aka(a and on the SueC Road Soleymi smith clans$ of BaOal>Iain: #r, 'he Ienites$ > Iing Solomon2s Miners "Most of the copper and iron ore deposits ere in the Ara(ah Rift Kalley south of the Bead Sea !!! mineral deposits in the 9adi Ara(ah ere ell kno n and mines ere e6ploited there (y the Ienites and Edomites! " *ack R! Lund(omm, Beutoronomy: A 1ommentary, +,.4, p! 4/+!

'he medieval Sulaym or Soleymi, sometimes descri(ed as a sister tri(e$ to the &a aCin, ere great miners! Many of the mines on the commercial and pilgrimage routes stretching from )ra3 to &iDaC ere under the control of the Sulaym ell into the medieval period! Many of the mines on the commercial al>Lemamah and Al IharD in JeDd or 1entral Ara(ia ere under their control as ell! 9a3idi, al>Samhudi, )(n Sa2ad, and al>&ar(i in turn, descri(e sites on a main medieval commercial and pilgrimage route %Bar( Hu(aydah0 running northeast ard from Makkah to ard )ra3 kno n as the Sulaym mines, G and (elonging to the Sulaym tri(e %Gma2adin al dhaha( alati (i> ard (ani Sulaym20! Actually, as al>9a3idi and other sources make clear, this operation also as not a single mine, (ut rather a series of mines dispersed through the region$ %"hillips, +,,;, p! <40! #ne tri(e once classified as Sulaym genealogically are the =aran or =aran (in Baliy, ho named the 9adi =aran %Kalley of =aran0 in &iDaC and ho descend largely from the &a(i( clan of Sulaym %"hilips, +,,;, p! <? and </0! )nterestingly the =aran (! Baliy hose name (etrays their connection as ell to the &imyarite Tudha2a tri(e ere called Banu al>Iuyun or l2Iain or sons of the smiths$! )(n A(d Ra((ih a man of 1ordo(a put it this ay! #f Tuda2a is al>Tayn i(n *asr i(n Shay2al> Lat i(n Asad i(n 9a(ra$ from al>&af i(n Tuda2a of the &imyarites %+,.+, p! +-/0! 'he tri(es recorded as Iuda2a or Tudha2a in early Ara( sources ere Ial(, *uhaynah, Bali, Bahra, Iha lan, Mahra, Ihushayn, *arm, Ndhra, Balkain, 'anukh and Salih!$ %Ihanam, +,,/, p! ?<40 'he Balkain or Tayn descended from the 'haur i(n Ial( (! 9u(ara %or 9a(ra0! 'his *uhaynah appears to (e a clan mentioned (y A(d Ra((ihu, as a tri(e of Tuda2a to hom ere related the Su ayd! &e rites, *uhayna i(n Layth i(n Su id i(n Aslam i(n Al>&af i(n TudaOa > #f them is Su ayd i(n Amr i(n *udhayma i(n Sa(ra i(n !!!i(n *uhayna! #f Tuda2a are Pthe BanuQ Jahd i(n Hayd i(n Su id i(n Aslam i(n al>&af i(n Tuda2a, and of them is al>Sa2i3 ho is *usham i(n Amr i(n Sa2d and ho as the chieftain of Jahd in his time7 he as short, (lack and ugly$% Boullatta, p! +--0 %'hese "Jahd" are possi(ly the people of the (i(lical "land of Jod" associated ith the "Ienites"! 'hus it is ritten "OAnd Iain ent out from the presence of the Lord, and d elt in the land of JodO" 8enesis )K: .<0 'he Brill2s Encyclopaedia of )slam article reads that there as a place named MaOdin =arin %called after the su(ordinate tri(e of =aran0 at the mines of the Sulaim east of Mecca! And )rfan Shahid rites, these tri(es from Bali used to ork as 3uyun among the tri(e of Solaym forging iron2 %Shahid, .;A;, p! 4.,0, and in fact it looks like earlier o(servers had already figured out not only their connection to the Tuda2a clans of the &imyarites of southern Ara(ia, (ut the connection of their clan of BalIain or Banu2l Iain to the Ienites, ho ere an Edomite smith caste among the Midianite, Amalekite and IeniCCite peoples mentioned in the 'orah or Bi(le! Another entry from the Encyclopedia of )slam reads: 'he Banu l2Iain formed a (ranch of the great system of tri(es of the Iuda2a ho, in origin pro(a(ly South Ara(ian, ere settled in the historical period in the upper north, in Syria, in Mesopotamia and in the G)rak and to all appearance had gone over entirely, or at least for the most part to 1hristianity there@'heir tri(al area F corresponding roughly to Ara(ia petraea F

e6tended from the Sinai "eninsula along the Syrian frontiers far into the land east of *ordan@!$ %=ischer, A!, .;;4, p! <??0 See, E! *! Brill2s =irst Encyclopaedia of )slam7 Kolume ?!0 'he same entry continuing reads F E ald @has ith all reserve connected the #ld 'estament Iayin %U Iain0 or Ienites @ ith our Iain! Joldeke has follo ed him, at first only as a possi(le hypothesis (ut later ith more confidence@ 'he Ienites ere settled in the south of "alestine in the ancient Jege(, the later )dumaea7 this ould actually (e the region here e find the Balkain @$ %=ischer, p! <?/0! )n Ara(ic, the (i(lical ord "aran$ is pronounced "=aran" or "=eiran" as in the =eiran #asis of Sinai! Apparently, "tolemy mentioned a place called =aran in Sinai as did other early 1hristian riters! And, another colonialist author asserts the country of the Lapis "haranites of "liny, hich is identified ith the modern =eiran, in the vicinity of the copper and tur3uoise mines, is indeed deemed (y "rofessor Lepsius and also (y "rofessor "almer to (e an evident reminiscence of the ancient Bi(lical name "aran!$ %See 'he Late Br! 1harles Beke2s Biscoveries of Sinai in Ara(ia AndE#r Midian .A-A!0 )rfan Shahid, ByCantium and the Ara(s in the =ourth 1entury, rites the follo ing: 'he si6th century tradition 3uoted (y Anonymous of "lacentia to the effect that "haran as Midian and the "haranites ere descended from *ethro raises a num(er of important 3uestions on (oth sides of the same gulf, "haran in &iDaC, hich (elonged to the Sulaym tri(e and "haran, the oasis in Sinai! Since the "haranites of Sinai considered themselves Midianites, the e6istence of another "haran in &iDaC, Ara(ian Midian, could suggest some connection (et een the t o areas that involved migration from Ara(ia to Sinai, and conse3uently t o Midians$ %Shahid, .;A?, p! 4+?0! And though Shahid as certainly correct in his association of =eiran of Sinai ith the =aran of the &iDaC and the Sulaym tri(e, seemingly confirming the link (et een Banu2l Iain and the Ienite smiths of the Midianites, and the Afran$ or Aphran$, the said (rother or son of Midian$, e are still left ith the more important matter that the Baliyy (ranch of the Tuda2a don2t appear to have arrived in those regions of modern Sinai until a relatively late period! 'he Tuda2a clan of Baliy or Bala i from hich the clan of Balkain ere derived ere only e6iled from the Lemen only in the time of the ACdite Lakhmids %Banu Lakhm0 ho took control of Syrian desert ! 'hus, again the ancient =aran or "aran$ and Edom spoken of in the 'orahEBi(le again could not have (een the )dumaea founded (y the 'hamud of Buma2at al *andal settled in *ordan or in the modern Sinai, (ut as more pro(a(ly near the other lands named Edom, Sinai and 1anaan further south! #n the other hand "tolemy stated these people the )dumaeans ere O"hoenicians and SyriansO in origin!$ and Stra(o claimed in his 8eography Bk .<, 1hapter +, 'he )dumaeans are Ja(ataeans@! and shared in the same customs ith the *udaeans$ thus, implying the )dumaeans %Bumah0, "hoenicians, Ja(ataeans and the Adite 'hamudenioi ere all considered the same Ethiopic$ people in that period! 'he connection of the Banu SoleymESalim tri(es ith the Ja(ataeans is possi(ly referred to in early (i(lical references to the "tri(e of Iedar" and "curtains of the Solomon"! 1ertain recent Bi(le commentators such as Alfred *eremias assure their readers that the ord Solomon should (e read as "Salamians"! *eremias rote in, 'he #ld 'estament in the Light of the Ancient Jear East that the te6t should read "the curtains of the Salamians %not Solomon0 the sister tri(e to the Ja(ataeans!!! "! More recently a *aroslav Stetkevych commented as follo s in Muhammad and the 8olden Bough: "9ithin the scholarly and other ise many>faceted literary fascination ith the Song of Songs,

stanCa ., verse /, of this poetic cluster has (egotten its particular share of concerns precisely (ecause of the am(iguity of the name "Shalomoh" in it! *ulius 9ellhausen o(serves that this nameOs pre>e6egetic reference is actually not to Iing Solomon (ut to a tri(e or people kno n as the Salmaeans ho appear in 1anticles %i! /, the tents of Iedar, the curtains of Salmah!!!and also as the name of a Ja(ataean tri(e in "liny" %Stetkevych, .;;<, .4-0! 'o (e more e6act, 9ellhausen states in his "relogema to the &istory of )srael > ")n the 'argum, 1ale(Os kindred the Ienites are designated as Salmaeans: the name also occurs in 1anticles %i!/, the tents of Iedar, the curtains of Salmah0!!!"! 9e are informed in another Encyclopaedia that 1anticles < in the #ld 'estament reads! "Jo the tri(es of Iedar after ards tennanted the region appropriated (y the Salmaeans, and the Salmaeans ere follo ed (y the Ja(ataeans! 'he t o latter people are mentioned together in a Ja(ataean inscription!!!"liny mentions the Salamaean et! Masei Ara(s!" %See under the entry "Salma" Encyclopaedia Bi(lica > 'homas I! 1heyne and *ohn Black Editor, Kol! ?, p! ?+?<!0 Michael Maher also points out that the 'argum #nkelos and other 'argums and ra((inic te6ts identify the Shalmaites %slmyyh0 of Jum(ers +?:+. as Ienites and IeniCCites! &e adds, "'hey are Salmani, the Ara(ian people in or near Mesopotamia mentioned (y "liny, Jat &ist!, <, +<, V4,, salmenoi of Stephen of ByCantium!!!"! %Maher, M! 'he Aramaic Bi(le 'argum "seudo> *onathan, .;;? 'hus, in the time "liny and *osephus, the Soleym or "Solymiyyan" of Ara(iyya ere considered affiliated ith "Ienites" ho have already (een identifies as the Bal Iain or Tuyyun miners and smiths of the TudhaOa &imyarites! Again Moshe 8il rote > "'he 'argum calls the Ienites, sons of *ethro, Salamians: Othe sons of SalmaOa! Moses father in la ent up from the city of *ericho together ith the sons of *udah to the ilderness of *udah hich is south of Arad!!!Salmah is included in the lists of the sons of *udah %.1hr ))0 as the father of Bethlehem and perhaps also father of the Ienites ho are mentioned further in those lists!!!much like the 1hristian sources mentioned a(ove!!! )n other ords the 'argum vie ed *ethroOs tri(es as Ara(s, " %8il, M!, +,,?, p! .<0! All of this sho s there little room for dou(t that the Banu or Beni Salim, Salamat, Suleimani, Sulaym and Soleym tri(es of early medieval and modern &iDaC and 'ransDordan are the same people mentioned in the 'argum as the "Salamians" ho founded Bethlehem", and in 1anticles as "Salmaeans" and in the histories of *osephus and 'acitus as "Solymi", the said "founders of *erusalem" living (y the Bead Sea > hose kinsmen ere the "Ienites" and "Ja(ataeans"! Nnder the entry "Ja(ataean", 'he =irst Encyclopaedia of )slam .;.4>.;4< pu(lished in .;;4 , reads "Salamians %Ara(! Sulaim7!!!Sulaim (! Mansur0" %See Kol! <, p! A,.0! Again and again earlier 9estern scholars themselves seem al ays to have confirmed hat more recent (i(lical archaeologists have long tried to deny > the undenia(le! 'o add more confirmation ho ever, *osephus apparently considered the Ienites a people of the tri(e of Shechemites in his %Ant!, K)!vii!40, and the latter ere considered in the (i(lical (ook of Jum(ers +<:+;>4. a su(>tri(e of Manasseh, hom e have sho n in previous (logs as the eponym of Mansur or ManasseOir in the Ara(ian traditional genealogy of the tri(e of Sulaym (in Mansur! %Sali(i identified Shechem ith a to n far to the south in the Asir0! "erhaps more importantly 8il provides evidence that the authors of the 'argum (elieved or ere fully a are, rather, that these "Salamians" ere full>fledged )sraelites of the clan of Levi! A 'argum e6planation to . 1hronicles, ))! //, mentions them as "the Salamians, sons of Sippora, ho are from the tri(e of Levi, of the seed of Moses!!!" %8il, p! .-, fn! .<0! Salma is also mentioned as a son of *udah in ) 1hronicles, ))! So did or did not, the Levites inha(it *erusalemR Bid or did not, the 'argum say the Salamians ere the Levites! )f )srael ever e6isted, these Salamian and Ienite people ere its descendants! )f a *erusalem ever e6isted in the time of Moses, these people ere its founders, and e have Dust discovered as ith our last fe (logpostings, e6actly ho these descendants are! 'he persistent reference to these Sulaymiyyan people or &a eitat and &ar( as Midianites$ and from &a eit son of &am$ is also ell arranted! #ne of the clans named as (elonging to the Masruh &ar( (y Lorimer is the A(idah$, hich is incidently identical to the name of MidianOs son in 8enesis +/ %Lorimer, .;,A, p! <4?0! As pointed out in the last (logpos,t they appear to (e mentioned anciently as Apitami ho lived along ith the 8hassan %*okhsan0 in the same region

or ne6t door to the ancient and present &amidah or &amdah &ar(! According to Burton the .st century "liny rote of the shore of &ammaeum %var! Mammaeum and Mamaeum, no the coast of &amidha or El>&amidah0, in hich there are gold mines7 the region of 1anauna : the nations of the Apitami, and the 1assani$ %See BurtonOs, 8old>mines of Midian, .A-A, p! +/?, fn!0! Burton in the same note rites that the "1assani" is a variant of 8assanitae or the Banu 8assan or 8hassan of the ACd, and that 9ady Ianunah enters the sea in J! lat! .; degrees A near modern Tunfudah in the Lemen! 'he names "Apitami" and "1assani" %8hassan0 refer to A(ida and *okshan or Iushanof the family of Midian in 8enesis, hile &ammaeum is another ord for &am hich the Bi(le connects to the people called "Misraim", i!e! the Musra &ar(! )n this conte6t another people of the &ar(, the Laha(a, can not (e anything less than the "Leha(im" ho are called children of Misraim in 8enesis! According to (oth &arold MacMichaels %A &istory of the Ara(s of Sudan0 and orientalist Ro(ertson Smith "'he Masruh tree splits into t o great (ranches, Benu Auf and Benu Amur! 'he former is a large clan, e6tending from 9ady Jakia near JiDd, to Ra(igh and Al>Madinah!$ %Burton, .;,<, p! .+,0! Among these clans he mentions the Laha(a, the Iassanin %1assan0 along ith the Ala in, and Sa aid, ho as e have seen are also considered parts of the &a eitat in *ordan % p! .+,0! 'he &ar(, like the &a eitat ho consider themselves descendants of the Ja(ataeans claim descent from the south! As suggested (y Sali(i the origin all of these people must have (een south est Ara(ia, and either ithin and south ard of the AsirE*iCan region here so many of the clan names of the Edomites ere once located %see the preceding (logposts0 among the ACd confederation that left SanaOa %Mari(0! 'he matter is further supported (y tradition that the Midianitish>1anaanite populations spoken of in the #ld 'estament, such as Al>'a sim %Letushim0 and the other Amalekites$ ere peoples of the Asir, south 1entral Ara(ia %Lamamah0 and Lemen, %see previous posts0 ho (rought their tri(al names north in a much later period after catastrophes in the south! Sali(i as pro(a(ly correct in correlating the name of the tri(e of =aran$ ith the village of 9afrayn$ in the Asir as ell! At the (eginning of the 1hristian era, Baliyy of the TudhaOa had settled on the Syrian (order near 'ema or %'aima 0! By the /th century AB, they ere a 1hristian tri(e settled in Ayla %near the 8ulf of Elah > near the Elanitic or Ailanitic 8ulf0! And (y the early )slamic era these Baliyy also had come to look much different from the Baliyy and other Tuda2a further south in Lemen and Africa due to their connections ith Syria! 9hile those in the Syro>"alestinian era had (ecome fair in comple6ion, those in the Ara(ian peninsula and in Africa remained in appearance like the &imyarite Ara(s! )n the ..th century Al> )drisi mentions them as follo s! 'his country is sometimes su(Dect to incursions of (lack cavaliers kno n as al Baliyyun! )t is said they are Rum ho have professed the 1hristian religion since the time of the Iipt (efore the coming of )slam @'hey ander in the country of the BedDa and A(yssinians and come as far as Ju(ia@$ As in Ara(ia and Syria they came to (e kno n in the Ju(ian region as Balau or Bela i %plural0, and it has (een suggested that they ere the ancient Blemmyes mentioned in 4rd century sources %"almer, R! .A-,, p! +,- 7 8olden(erg, B!, .;;A, p! 4.A0 =rom the time of the Lakhmids, the Tudha2a tri(esmen of the Ial( hose eponymic ancestor is undou(tedly 1ale( of the &e(re Bi(le, had (een settled as far north as southern Syria! Ial( ho is from TudhaOa kinsmen to Banu Iain of the Banu TudaOa or "the Ienite" as considered one of the most po erful of the tri(es of northern Ara(ia among the Tuda2a group! 'hose in &iDaC ere later considered as (elonging to the Beni Amr section of &ar( (y some authorities %Burton, .;,<, p! .++, fn! .0! )t as said 1ale( as one of .+ men ho ere sent from the Besert of "aran to e6plore 1anaan$, the land hich in Ara( tradition as south of Mecca! 'hey came to inha(it the region (et een Syria and Mesopotamia, (ut only after the start 1hristian era! Along ith the ACd descended Lakhm and *odhamE8udham, they roved along the steppes separating Syria and Ara(ia (y the /th century A!B! Because of such tri(es settled among the Syrians, many if not most people in Syria consider themselves Ara(s$ today! Remnants of Solymi or Banu Soleym, Midian and 1anaani in modern Sinai

9e have sho n a(ove that the numerous clans today kno n as &a eitat or &u aytat and &ar( are comprised of many of the remnants of Soleym %or Sulaym0 and &a aCin (in Mansur, and that their client smith tri(es of TudaOa ere the miners hom the #ld 'estament calls "Ienites"! 9e have also esta(lished that the Soleym and earlier Solymi of the Bead Sea ere likely the same population! )t is the Soleym populations of the Bead Sea, &iDaC and Asir that Sali(i suggested may have founded the *erusalem of the #ld 'estament, pro(a(ly una are of their connection to the ancient Solymi of *osephus! 'he tri(es of &ar( and &a eitat are also mentioned among the clans of the 'u ara$ or 'o arah$ of Sinai hose name is said to have come from the mountain there hich is named 'ur , 'haur or 'or %meaning (ull0! 'hese ere the Ara(s encountered in Sinai documented (y many 9estern colonialists! #ne 8erman (i(lical historian rote of the Sinai Ara(s in a (ook 'ravels in the East, pu(lished in .A?- saying, upon returning to my tent ) found a multitude of dark (ro n Ara(s collected in front of it! 'hey urged upon me that they ere the true guides to Sinai, that their o n domicile as upon Sinai, and that they had the most complete kno ledge of every nook and corner of the desert$$ %Kon 'ischendorf, 1!, .A?-, p! -,0!

Sinai (edouin 'hese 'u ara$ are the Ara(s also spoken of (y anthropologist &enry =ield ho citing another authror rote that they ere called 'uroniani, Madianites %Midianites0, and Beduins (y Brocardus %Burchard0 during the thirteenth century! Maundeville, riting in the follo ing century, calls them Bedoynes and Ascopardes!" %=ield, &, .;/+, p! --0! )n another passage Ritter states that 1outelle descri(ed the 'o ara as Gsun(urnt, very (ro n, almost (lack@their height from ?2.,$ F /2?$@$ % =ield, p! --0! Ritter actually claimed they ere called Madianites and could (e traced (y to the *odham Ara(s %of the ACd0 of the "rophet Muhammad2s time, on the east side of the 8ulf of Aka(a, hich as then called Midian! 'hey are divided into sections hich correspond to modern &ar( and &a eit2at %&u aytat0 tri(es, as ell as ACd! 'hey include the Salih or Sa alihah, the Aleygat or Alai3a, MuCayna, Aulad Suleiman, 9assil, and some include the Aulad Sa2id %Bradley, *! R!, +,,;, p! .,/7 Ritter, 1!, .A<<, p! AA-0! 'he Aleygat or &ali3, Salim and Saidi ere considered sons of Salih %Tuda2a0 until recently as ell %Eckenstein, L! .;+., p! .;,0! )nterestingly the "rophet of )slam2s tri(e, Turaysh of the IinanahEIinahna, is named the most po erful of the 'u ara clans (y author *ohn 9ilson in his 'he Lands of the Bi(le Kisited and Bescri(ed %9ilson, .A?-, p! -,A0! #ne o(server perhaps un ittingly rites their name 8arrasheh$! 'hey are settled in the neigh(orhood of the 9adi =eiran %Eickenstein, L!, .;+., p! .A;0! 9hile in the northern plains of Sinai lived the stronger (uilt Atiyah or 'iyahah and 'erre(in and the &ei at or Nhey at, > the latter said to (e ancestral to the &a eitOat! 'he Banu Salih of the tri(e of Tuda2a are mentioned in Sinai (y the <th century 1hristian riter Eutychius ho considers them affiliated ith the ACd tri(e of Lakhm %Shahid, .;A?, p! 4A/0! 'he Banu Salih ere still in the nineteenth century the protectors of the monastery of Mt! Sinai carrying the same name Sa aliha$ hich is the plural for Salih %Shahid, p! 4A/, fn! .440! 'hese Salih %Sa alih0 of the Tuda2a and Lakhm (ear the name of Saleh or Shelah, the personage of the 'orah and Turan ho as related to the )shmaelite or Adite Samud$ or 'hamud$ > Bumah founder of Buma2ath al>*andal and the )dumaeans$! 'hus Shahid rites, 'he patronymic suggests@ they could have (elonged to the group of the "rophet Salih, namely, 'hamud$ %Shahid, .;A?, p! 4A/0! As mentioned in our previous posts this Salih is the Shelah$ of 8enesis, father of E(er$! And E(er$ is the A(ir of Ara(ian tradition ho is called the father of 'hamud! 'he genealogy runs 'hamud (! A(ir (! )ram (! Sam (! Juh$ %1ros(y, E! +,,-, p! .?.0, and this )ram is of course Aram$, son of Shem %8enesis .,0!