ABSTRACT
Sources for the second century AD The most important sources for the history of Arabs in the second century AD are the contemporary inscriptions, where Arabs now begin to appear for the first time since the days of the Achaemenids. Arabs are mentioned in two groups of inscriptions: texts from the northern Gazira (Hatra and Sumatar Harbesi) and the inscriptions in Yemen originating from kings and noblemen in the South Arabian kingdoms. We shall treat the history of the Arabs in the north and in the south separately, since they developed rather independently of each other during this period.
