Who Was the Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba is a biblical character: a powerful queen who visited King Solomon. Whether she actually existed and who she was is still in question. The Hebrew Scriptures The Queen of Sheba is one of the most famous figures in the Bible, yet nobody knows exactly who she was or where she came from. According to I Kings 10:1-13 of the Hebrew scriptures, she visited King Solomon in Jerusalem after hearing of his great wisdom. However, the Bible does not mention either her given name or the location of her kingdom. In Genesis 10:7, in the so-called Table of Nations, two individuals are mentioned who some scholars have connected with the implied place name of the Queen of Sheba. Seba is mentioned as a grandson of Hams son Noah via Cush, and Sheba is mentioned as a grandson of Cush via Raamah in the same list. Cush or Kush has been associated with the empire of Kush, a land south of Egypt. Archaeological Evidence Two primary strands of history connect to the Queen of Sheba, from opposite sides of the Red Sea. According to Arab and other Islamic sources, the Queen of Sheba was called Bilqis, and ruled over a kingdom on the southern Arabian Peninsula in what is now Yemen. Ethiopian records, on the other hand, claim that the Queen of Sheba was a monarch called Makeda, who ruled the Axumite Empire based in northern Ethiopia. Interestingly enough, archaeological evidence indicates that as early as the tenth century B.C.E.—about when the Queen of Sheba is said to have lived—Ethiopia and Yemen were ruled by a single dynasty, probably based in Yemen. Four centuries later, the two regions were both under the sway of the city of Axum. Since the political and cultural ties between ancient Yemen and Ethiopia seem to have been incredibly strong, it may be that each of these traditions is correct, in a sense. The Queen of Sheba may have reigned over both Ethiopia and Yemen, but, of course, she couldnt have been born in both places. Makeba, Ethiopian Queen Ethiopias national epic, the Kebra Nagast or Glory of Kings (also considered a sacred text to Rastafarians) tells the story of Queen Makeda from Axum, who traveled to Jerusalem to meet the famous Solomon the Wise. Makeda and her entourage stayed for several months, and Solomon became smitten with the beautiful Ethiopian queen. As Makedas visit neared its end, Solomon invited her to stay in the same wing of the castle as his own sleeping quarters. Makeda agreed, so long as Solomon didnt try to make any sexual advances. Solomon acquiesced to this condition, but only if Makeda took nothing that was his. That evening, Solomon ordered a spicy and salty meal prepared. He also had a glass of water set out beside Makedas bed. When she awoke thirsty in the middle of the night, she drank the water, at which point Solomon came into the room and announced that Makeda had taken his water. They slept together, and when Makeda left to go back to Ethiopia, she was carrying Solomons son. In Ethiopian tradition, Solomon and Shebas child, Emperor Menelik I, founded the Solomonid dynasty, which continued until Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed in 1974. Menelik also went to Jerusalem to meet his father, and either received as a gift or stole the Ark of the Covenant, depending upon the version of the story. Although most Ethiopians today believe that Makeda was the biblical Queen of Sheba, many scholars give preference to a Yemeni origin instead. Bilqis, Yemeni Queen An important component of Yemens claim on the Queen of Sheba is the name. We know that a great kingdom called Saba existed in Yemen during this period, and historians suggest that Saba is Sheba. Islamic folklore holds that the Sabean queens name was Bilqis. According to Sura 27 of the Quran, Bilqis and the people of Saba worshipped the sun as a god rather than adhering to Abrahamic monotheist beliefs. In this account, King Solomon sent her a letter inviting her to worship his God. Bilqis perceived this as a threat and, fearing that the Jewish king would invade her country, was unsure how to respond. She decided to visit Solomon in person to find out more about him and his faith. In the Qurans version of the story, Solomon enlisted the help of a djinn or genie that transported Bilqis throne from her castle to Solomons in the blink of an eye. The Queen of Sheba was so impressed with this feat, as well as Solomons wisdom, that she decided to convert to his religion. Unlike the Ethiopian tale, in the Islamic version, there is no suggestion that Solomon and Sheba had an intimate relationship. One interesting facet of the Yemeni story is that Bilqis supposedly had goat hooves rather than human feet, either because her mother had eaten a goat while pregnant with her, or because she was herself a djinn. Conclusion Unless archaeologists uncover new evidence to support either Ethiopias or Yemens claim to the Queen of Sheba, we will likely never know with certainty who she was. Nevertheless, the fantastic folklore that has sprung up surrounding her keeps her alive in the imaginations of people across the Red Sea region  and around the world.

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois - 1252 Words

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born to Alfred and Mary Silvina Du Bois on February 23rd, 1868 in Great Barrington Massachusetts. While he grew up an African-American in a mostly white community, he attended an integrated school and excelled there. When he was old enough, his neighbors and church raised enough money for him to attend Fisk University in Nashville from 1885 to 1888. Because he had never been south before, this is where he first experienced racial prejudice and Jim Crow laws. After college, he went on to study in Berlin and receive both his masters and Ph.D. from Harvard University. Then, he began his great work in sociology. He published his first study not long after college called The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study, and then started work as a professor at Atlanta University, where he gained acknowledgement for his being very publically opposed to Booker T. Washington’s â€Å"Atlanta Compromise.† When he published The Souls of Black Folk in 19 03, he really began his progressive journey. Standing up to white supremacy, speaking for women’s rights, and being a proponent of Pan-Africanism are what occupied the middle and later parts of his life. He even helped to found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. W. E. B. Du Bois died on August 27th, 1963 while self-exiled in Ghana, working on an Encyclopedia Africana. (3) Because Du Bois was practically a lifelong activist and believer in the equality of allShow MoreRelatedWilliam Edward Burghardt Du Bois1208 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Edward Burghardt Du Bois, otherwise known as W.E.B Du Bois, accordingly introduced the idea of â€Å"double-consciousness† which he described to be a person whose identity can be â€Å"merged into a unity that they and the nation could be proud,† as stated in The Norton Anthology of African American Literature by Henry Louis Gates and Valerie Smith (Gates and Smith, page 682). Throughout history, the stories behind the lives of African American’s has been recognized as a tough, ongoing battle. TheRead MoreWilliam Edward Burghardt Du Bois Essay1333 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Edward Burghardt Du Bois, born in 1868, was a scholar, activist, and philosopher, born into the era of Reconstruction and lynching. 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B. ) Du Bois1085 Words   |  5 Pages William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois was a successful author of many books and an accomplished student. He supported women s rights and the equality of African-American people. He had a pretty ordinary childhood, but his adult life was full of many accomplishments. He began to show a love and talent for reading and writing at a young age and this continued throughout his life. W.E.B. was born February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, a mostly European American townRead MoreEssay William Edward Burghardt Du Bois or W.E.B. Du Bois3534 Words   |  15 PagesWilliam Edward Burghardt Du Bois or W.E.B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois – known simply as W.E.B. – was 83 when the government indicted him as a foreign agent in 1951. The only crime he had committed, however, was circulating the Stockholm Appeal, which said any government to use an atomic weapon against another country should be treated as a war criminal. 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Jason Schwartzman - You’ve Been Nighttiming Baby, it’s Out of Control free essay sample

An actor of tremendous acumen, eccentric wit and nonsensical humor, 27-year-old Jason Francesco Schwartzman has talent that few would question. It now appears as if the actor of Italian and Jewish descent (known for his role as â€Å"cool Ethan† in Slackers and Claire Dane’s tactless boyfriend in Shop Girl) has now found his niche in the music community. As of last March, Jason Schwartzman released his first solo album, Nighttiming, under his label, Young Baby Records. Schwartzman was formally the drummer/songwriter of Phantom Planet before disassociating from the band in 2003 to further pursue his acting career. After a four-year hiatus, Jason has returned to his original music making endeavors. Despite the rumors that the entire album was produced in Mike Einziger’s Los Angeles basement in under a week, the song â€Å"West Coast† was first made famous on the season finale of the O.C. Although the cascading acoustic chords and the plaintive lyrics are acc redited solely to Jason, part of the commotion surrounding his album is due to tracks featuring Kirsten Dunst and Zooey Deschanel. We will write a custom essay sample on Jason Schwartzman You’ve Been Nighttiming Baby, it’s Out of Control or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Kirsten Dunst manages something between a melodic whine and a breathy lullaby in the opening track â€Å"This Old Machine.† And if barely audible whistling and a whispered one liner count as collaboration, then Zooey Deschanel holds her own on the track â€Å"Slowly.† Perhaps the most attractive thing about the album for Jason Schwartzman fans is that each purchased hard copy of the album includes an original and non-reproduced Polaroid, either of Jason, or taken by Jason himself. Unfortunately, Nighttiming seems to lose its momentum midway through, via repetitive songs such as â€Å"The Thanks That I Get† and â€Å"Easy Girl.† At times the unvarying uniformity of a few songs sounds like Schwartzman has exhausted his musical adroitness. One must wonder if the majority of Schwartzman’s album sales are due to fans’ curiosity about another celebrity turned musician. In all honesty, the album isn’t really that good. But Jason is good, so I fully support him. And what do I know? So far the panoramic response has been positive and Jason definitely deserves kudos for his exceptional vocal skills. So if you’re a Schwartzman enthusiast, I encourage you to buy this album because for what it’s worth, you’ll be introduced to a new level of J and a couple of catchy songs will be stuck in your head. Also, on a few tracks, he plays the kazoo.

ANWR Essay Example For Students

ANWR Essay Over the last thirty years the United States has been faced with the problem of dependence on foreign countries for oil and the tight control that these exercise on the energy policies and economics of America. Many of these instances include: the oil embargos of the 1970s, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Since the 1970s, one solution offered to reduce our nations dependence on foreign countries for oil has been opening up drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Proponents say that drilling in ANWR would make the United States more self-sufficient in the area of energy, while at the same time not doing excessive damage to the environment of the area. Opponents of drilling in ANWR cite the environmental problems of off-shore drilling and maintain that this land should be left alone and allowed to stand as an environmental wonder. Given that some environmental groups do not mind allowing technology to inv ade the environment when it profits them and given the threats of global terror and the ever-increasing dependence our nation has on foreign oil, I believe it is in the best interests of the United States to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling. Before stating both sides of the argument, I would like to make two observations that I found interesting while researching from the book, Taking Sides. The first thing that I found interesting was that in an environmental science class and in an environmental science textbook, the two articles used to present the pros and cons of opening up oil drilling in ANWR were not written by environmentalists or scientists or even oil technology experts, but rather by an economist, a physicist and a lawyer. The second thing that ran through my head as I was reading both articles was the time at which both were written. To Drill or Not to Drill: Let the Environmentalist Decide, written by Dwight R. Lee, a professor of economics, and Fools Gold in Alaska, written by physicist Amory B. Lovins and lawyer L. Hunter Lovins, were both written in the months prior to the September eleventh terrorist attacks in the United States and the subsequent United States invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq. As I read both articles, especially that of the Lovins, which opposes oil drilling in ANWR, I could not help but wonder if each of the three men would either have different views or in the case of Lee a different argument for his views, if they had to write their articles post 9/11. Another interesting fact about ANWR is that, ANWR is home to one of the worlds largest caribou herds as well as 200 other wildlife and plant species. (Cunningham, William P. Cunningham, Mary Ann and Saigo, Barbara, pg. 413)My argument in favor of opening up oil drilling in ANWR is based on two things: the questionable conclusions that the Lovins article draws from past energy policies and the latest factual and no-so factual data they had available to them at the time. I believe that given the world we live in today, the principles that the Lovins and other use to argue against oil drilling in ANWR can be applied to argue why oil drilling should be open in the tract of land in Alaska. By drilling for oil in Alaska the U.S. will become more self-efficient on fuel, and the opportunity for employment will cause the current unemployment rate to decrease. The drilling creates opportunities not only for oil companies, but also boating and airplane carriers. In the article, the Lovins write, In sum, even if drilling in the Artic Wildlife Refuge posed no environmental or human rights concerns, it still could not be justified on economic or security grounds. (Armory B. Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins, page 130) This may have been true when they wrote the article but the economics of the United States and the world have changed. They argue that the amount of oil in ANWR and the projected price per barrel for this oil would not generate enough of a profit to making drilling worth it. One part of this argument