Which country was ruled by the legendary queen of Sheba? When did the Arabs first appear as a people? Although the Arabs are mentioned in biblical and Assyrian texts from the 9th to the 5th century BC, where they appear as nomadic shepherds and warriors living in the Syrian Desert, the centuries of pre-Islamic Arab history are little known (not just in the West).

Robert G. Hoyland combines elements from different sources - texts, poems, historical references, archaeological findings, etc. - to present this unknown historical period and to provide us with details about the economy, society, language, religion, arts, and architecture of Arabia and its inhabitants.