Deserted Arabia

The deserted Arabia is the name given by Ptolémée to an area of the ancient Middle East.

The qualifier of deserted is intended to distinguish it from the happy Arabia and the pétrée Arabia. Deserted Arabia in spite of its name did not cover an area only occupied by nomads: Ptolémée counted 39 cities there. The area must perhaps be comparable with the territory that Pline old the placed between Dumatha (Jawf) and the Persian Gulf ( Natural history , VI, 32,146).

It should be recalled that the important presence and continues Arab people is well attested in antiquity apart from the Arabic peninsula and to in Mésopotamie, around the town of Hatra and towards Doura Europos. These people were thus not either all nomads, even if the ancient sources speak sometimes about Arabic skenitai “who lives in tents” or take pleasure to describe the Saraceni like savage nomads. The presence of Arabs is also well attested in Egypt at the time Roman, in particular within the Roman army.

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