History
Main article: History of the Arabs
Relief from Aššur-bāni-apli's palace depicting Assyrian soldiers pursuing camel-riding Qedarite Arab
warriors.
The nomads of Arabia have been spreading through the desert fringes of the Fertile Crescent since at
least 3000 BCE, but the first known reference to the Arabs as a distinct group is from an Assyrian scribe
recording a battle in 853 BCE.[171][172] The history of the Arabs during the pre-Islamic period in various
regions, including Arabia, Levant, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. The Arabs were mentioned by their
neighbors, such as Assyrian and Babylonian Royal Inscriptions from 9th to 6th century BCE, mention the
king of Qedar as king of the Arabs and King of the Ishmaelites.[173][174][175][176] Of the names of the sons of
Ishmael the names "Nabat, Kedar, Abdeel, Dumah, Massa, and Teman" were mentioned in the Assyrian
Royal Inscriptions as tribes of the Ishmaelites. Jesur was mentioned in Greek inscriptions in the 1st
century BCE.[177] There are also records from Sargon's reign that mention sellers of iron to people called
Arabs in Ḫuzaza in Babylon, causing Sargon to prohibit such trade out of fear that the Arabs might use
the resource to manufacture weapons against the Assyrian army. The history of the Arabs in relation to
the Bible shows that they were a significant part of the region and played a role in the lives of the
Israelites. The study asserts that the Arab nation is an ancient and significant entity; however, it
highlights that the Arabs lacked a collective awareness of their unity. They did not inscribe their identity
as Arabs or assert exclusive ownership over specific territories.[178]
Arab soldier of the Achaemenid army, c. 480 BCE. Xerxes I tomb relief.[179]