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Art. VI.— The Campaign of Ælius Gallus in Arabia
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
Extract
In the year 18 B.C. Ælius Gallus, a Roman knight, then Governor of Egypt, undertook, by order of Augustus, a campaign into Arabia. Strabo, p. 780, says, “Observing that the Red Sea is extremely narrow, and forms an inconsiderable barrier between the Æthiopians and the Arabs, the Emperor ordered Gallus to ‘explore’ both countries, being determined either to make these nations his friends and allies, or to subdue them. As they had from time immemorial been selling the spices and precious stones of their countries for cash, and never imported goods from foreign parts, they were proverbial for their wealth; and this was the principal inducement for making an attempt to win them as friends, or to subdue them in case of resistance. The Emperor was, moreover, encouraged by the Nabatæans, who were allies of the Romans, and promised to further his views.”
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References
page 121 note 1 The words of Pliny are: in hae tamen parte arma Eomana sequi placet nobis Jubamque regem. ad eundem Caium Caesarem scriptis voluminibus de eadem expeditione Arabica.
page 128 note 1 We may reject the reading “Ilyâs,” and adhere to the common reading, “return to the practice of the people” 
In this case we give up the authority of the Qorân for the existence of a tribe or person of the name of Ilyâs; but there remains the authority of Sa'yd bin Jobayr, which is quite as valuable as that of the Qorân.
page 129 note 1 It is important to establish the proximity of Qarn and Ghamr-dzy-Kinda (
), it being one of the arguments for the identity of the Minæans of Greek authors, with the Kindites of Arabic and Byzantine historians. Qarnal-Manâzil is, according to Hamdâny, 18+22 = 40 miles from Mekka; and Ghamr-dzy-Kinda, according to Ibn Khordâdbah, p. 107, 41 miles. Both places lie either on the same road, or on parallel roads closely approaching to one another.
page 136 note 1 This hypothesis receives some confirmation from a passage of Pliny. He sums up the intelligence brought back by Gallus regarding some Arabic tribes, and says: “Ceubanos (var. Cerbanos, Cæubanos) et Agræos armis præstare.” The Agræi of this passage may be supposed to be the inhabitants of Agarene, and Ceubani the Banû ['Abd] al-Qays.