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Definition
Ptolemaic Navy
Ptolemaic Egypt was a naval power that exerted influence throughout the Eastern Mediterranean from its foundation in 330 BCE until Cleopatra's defeat by Augustus at the Battle of Actium in 30 BCE. The Ptolemaic Kingdom produced some of the...

Article
Trade in the Phoenician World
The Phoenicians, based on a narrow coastal strip of the Levant, put their excellent seafaring skills to good use and created a network of colonies and trade centres across the ancient Mediterranean. Their major trade routes were by sea to...

Article
Parthia: Rome's Ablest Competitor
As a superpower in its own right and in competition with Rome, Parthia's empire - ruling from 247 BCE to 224 CE - stretched between the Mediterranean in the west to India in the east. Not only did the Parthians win battles against Rome they...

Interview
Oman: The Land of Frankincense - Tony Walsh
While Oman is perhaps the most mysterious corner of the Arabian peninsula to Westerners, the country retains a strong sense of identity, a pride in its ancient past, and unique surprises in the domain of cultural heritage. In this exclusive...

Definition
Ancient Jordan
Jordan is a country in the Near East bordered by Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The country's name comes from the Arabic Al Urdun, referencing a fortified site but also meaning "prominence", though various sources also claim the name...

Definition
Palestine
Palestine in the ancient world was part of the region known as Canaan where the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah were located. The term `Palestine' was originally a designation of an area of land in southern Canaan which the people known as the...

Definition
Kilwa
Kilwa, an island located off the coast of East Africa in modern-day southern Tanzania, was the most southern of the major Swahili Coast trading cities that dominated goods coming into and out of Africa from and to Arabia, Persia, and India...

Image
Prophetic Mosque in Medina, Ottoman Era
A 19th Century CE drawing of the Mosque of the Prophet (Arabic: Al-Masjid an-Nabawī) in Medina, Saudi Arabia. The Mosque of the Prophet was originally founded in 622 CE by Prophet Muhammad, and underwent numerous expansions and renovations...

Image
Nabatean Tomb at Hegra
Nabatean tomb at the archaeological site of Hegra, one of many found at AlUla in Saudi Arabia. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra was a key city of the Kingdom of Nabatea, whose capital was based at Petra in Jordan. The Nabateans were based...

Image
Gates of the Prophet's Mosque, Medina
Photo of the inscription on the gates of the Mosque of the Prophet (Arabic: Al-Masjid an-Nabawī) in Medina, Saudi Arabia. The inscription has the name of Prophet Muhammad, followed by his title "the apostle of God". A black vignette has...