KEDARITES
/ KEDAR
Kedarites
/ Kedar (Qedarites / Cedarenes) :
The Kedarites were another nomadic Arabic people, just like their
cousins, the Nabataeans. They occupied the desert regions of eastern
Syria and present day Jordan, on the edge of the Levant. Also like
their cousins, the Kedarites claimed an Israelite ancestor figure,
this time being Kedar or Qedar, second son of Ismael (Ishmael),
who was himself one of the sons of Abraham. The truth of the claim
is debatable of course, as Abraham's sons are claimed as the founding
fathers of many of the kingdoms which existed on the borders of
ancient Israel. The Assyrians transcribed this name in the eighth
century BC.
The Kedarites emerged into the historical record first as enemies
of the Neo-Assyrian empire, to be defeated in battle, and then as
vassals. From then on they suffered fluctuating fortunes at the
hands of successive empires in the region. It is unclear whether
they ever fully settled as a city-dwelling people. More likely,
they remained a semi-transient tribal confederation to a large extent.
(Additional information by Lisa Elliot.)
fl
c.1680s BC :
Kedar
ben Ishmael : Son of Ismael of the Israelites.
9th
century BC :
A
Kedarite kingdom emerges on the eastern flank of the Levant, in
eastern Syria and present day Jordan. Many small states have arisen
by this time during the period of the Assyrian decline, with the
Kedarite state being perhaps one of the last to emerge.
![Dumat al-Jandal](Kedarites_Dumat01_full.jpg)
Adumattu,
modern Dumat al-Jandal, was the Kedarite capital, now in ruins
Kingdom
of Kedar (Qedar / Qidri) :
c.870 - 610 BC :
Subdued by the resurgent Assyrian empire in the ninth century BC,
The Kedarite kingdom survived as a vassal state, occasionally rebellious,
but mostly compliant. Its capital was at Adumattu, the Akkadian
name for the modern archaeological site of Dumat al-Jandal in north-western
Saudi Arabia. It may well have been founded by the Kedarites, since
the earliest findings date to the tenth century BC, and for a time
it was also home to an important temple dedicated to Ishtar. The
kingdom's female rulers have been referred to as 'queens of Aribi'.
Following the destruction of the Neo-Assyrian empire in 612 BC,
the Kedarites enjoyed the resultant power vacuum in the sixth century
BC, controlling a large swathe of territory between the Sinai and
the Persian Gulf. The Kedarites are also mentioned in Aramaic and
Old South Arabian inscriptions, and it seems likely that they were
subsumed within the Roman-controlled Nabataean state by the second
century AD.
c.870
- 850 BC :
Gindibu
: Arab leader at the Battle of Qarqar.
853
BC :
Gindibu
is the leader of the Arab forces in an alliance of states which
also includes Ammon, Arvad, Byblos, Damas, Edom, Egypt, Hamath,
and Samaria. Together they fight Shalmaneser III of Assyria at the
Battle of Qarqar which consists of the largest known number of combatants
in a single battle to date, and is the first historical mention
of the Arabs from the southern deserts. Despite claims to the contrary,
the Assyrians are defeated, since they do not press on to their
nearest target, Hamath, and do not resume their attacks on Hamath
and Damas for about six years. Little else is known of Gindibu or
the Arabs of this period, but it is likely that he is from the region
of Kedar, and may be responsible for the creation of the kingdom
following his success in battle.
![Map of Canaan and Syria c.850 BC](Map850BC_full.jpg)
When
the Neo-Assyrian empire threatened the various city states of southern
Syria and Canaan around 853 BC, they united to protect their joint
territory - successfully it seems, at least for a time
?
: Name unknown.
?
: Name unknown.
?
: Name unknown.
?
: Name unknown.
c.850
BC - ? :
?
: Name unknown.
?
- c.750 BC :
?
: Sixth unknown ruler uncertain.
c.750
- 735 BC :
Zabibe
/ Zabiba : Queen.
c.746
- 710 BC :
Samsi
/ Samsil : Queen.
c.710
- 695 BC :
Yatie
/ Iati'e : Queen.
704
- 701 BC :
With the death of Sargon II, many of the former Assyrian subject
states rebel, especially Chaldaeans and neighbouring groups. Amongst
the rebels are listed the Hagaranu (possibly the descendants of
Hagar, the mother of Ismael), the Nabatu (very possibly the descendants
of Nebayoth, the eldest son of the same Ismael), and the Kedarites
(descendants of Ismael's second son). According to the records,
these tribes flee from Assyria into the Arabian Desert and cannot
be conquered. The use of 'tribes' here may be misleading. The Kedarite
kingdom at least is already in place, so these may be captured and
transported slave groups instead. With the recapture of Babylon
a priority, it takes the Assyrians until 701 BC to get around to
quelling similar rebellions in Judah and the Phoenician states.
c.690
- 678 BC :
Te'elkhunu
/ Te'elhunu : Queen, and high priestess of Atarsamain.
690
- 676 BC :
Hazael
/ Hazail : Co-ruler, and remained so for two years with
Tabua.
c.678
- 675 BC :
Tabua
: Queen.
676
- 652 BC :
Yauta
ibn Hazail / 'Iauta / Uaite / Yawthi'i : Son of Hazail.
652
BC :
Abyate ibn Teri challenges Yauta ibn Hazail for control of the kingdom,
but despite being successful, he never fully gains the support of
his people.
652
- 644 BC :
Abyate
ibn Teri
c.652 BC :
Ammuladi
/ Ammuladin : Opposed Abyate ibn Teri.
c.650
- 644 BC :
Yaute
/ Uayte ben Birdadda : Opposed Abyate ibn Teri.
649
BC :
Shamash-shumi-ukin of Babylon rebels against his brother in the
Assyrian kingdom. Ashurbanipal soon besieges Babylon, bringing it
back into the empire. Rebellions in support of Babylon by the Kedarites
and Nabatu are also put down, possibly prior to Babylon's recapture.
It takes two years of direct rule before a puppet ruler of Babylon
is placed on the throne, while the son of the Nabatu chief is declared
leader of their people (his father's fate is not recorded).
644
BC :
Kedar is conquered by Assyria, possibly one of the empire's final
acts of expansion.
?
: Assyrian vassal, name unknown.
?
: Assyrian vassal, name unknown.
?
: Assyrian vassal, name unknown.
644
- ? BC :
?
: Assyrian vassal, name unknown.
?
- 610 BC :
?
: Possible fifth Assyrian vassal, name unknown.
610
BC :
With the fall of Assyria, the Neo-Babylonian empire rises to fill
the power vacuum, maintaining its grip on Kedar. During the sixth
century BC there appears to be a movement towards Kedarite independence,
with an apparently independent rule emerging at Dedan, although
little is known of it or its level of success in remaining independent.
Its disappearance in circa 550 BC suggests that it fails.
c.580
- 565 BC :
Mati-il
: Ruled at Dedan.
c.565
- 550 BC :
Kabaril
ibn Mati-il : Ruled at Dedan.
552
- 539 BC :
The Babylonian king, Nabonidus, moves his capital to Teima, deep
in Kedarite territory. The Kedarites are a people with whom he has
good relations, and the place feels safer to him than Babylon. His
arrival is probably what causes the disappearance of the Kedarite
'state' at Dedan.
539
BC :
The Persian capture of Babylonia witnesses the rise of a new empire
in the region, although Kedar remains a client state. Kedarites
are employed as vassal rulers of southern Jordan and the Negev Desert.
Kedarite
Bedawi Kings
of Southern Jordan & the Negev :
539 BC - AD 106? :
During the Persian period, Moab disappeared from the historical
record. The fate of the Moabites is not clear, but they may have
been allowed to migrate northwards to fill Israelite lands that
have been emptied by Nebuchadnezzar. The Edomites certainly were
allowed to do just this, but they retained their identity while
the Moabites seemed not to. Subsequently the territory was taken
by tribes of Arabs which were now released to carry out their own
northwards migration from Arabia, including the Kedarites and then
later the Nabataeans. These peoples were allies of the Ammonites,
although the country continued to be known as Moab for some time
afterwards.
The Bedawis were a Kedarite/Kidarite clan, one of those which took
part in the northwards migration and which rose to prominence under
the control of the Persian empire. They were chosen to supply client
kings to govern southern Jordan and the Negev Desert, which they
did for the entire lifetime of the Persian empire.
539
- ? BC :
?
: Persian vassal, name unknown.
?
: Persian vassal, name unknown.
?
: Persian vassal, name unknown.
?
: Persian vassal, name unknown.
?
- c.470 BC :
?
: Possible fifth Persian vassal, name unknown.
c.470
- 450 BC :
Shahr
I / Shahru
c.450 - 430 BC :
Gashmu
/ Geshem ben Shahr : Son.
c.430
- 410 BC :
Quainu
/ Kaynau bar Geshem : Son.
c.410
- ? BC :
?
: Persian vassal, name unknown.
?
: Persian vassal, name unknown.
?
: Persian vassal, name unknown.
?
: Persian vassal, name unknown.
?
- 332 BC :
?
: Possible fifth Persian vassal, name unknown.
334
- 330 BC :
Persia
is conquered by the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great.
![Kedarite fortress of Marid](Kedarites_Dumat02_full.jpg)
Dumat
al-Jandal later housed the fortress of Marid, shown here
332
- 323 BC :
Alexander the Great's Greek Empire rules the entire region until
his death. Subsequently the empire is divided during the Wars
of the Diadochi. Between 323-305 BC the wars see shifting fortunes
and changes of ruler in the Levant, but the Seleucids emerge as
the controlling power there. Little is known about the Kedarites,
but it is thought that they remain in place as local rulers, administering
the same territories as before. Unfortunately, none of their names
have been preserved.
323
- c.250 BC :
The Kedarites fall out of Greek control, instead being dominated
by the Lihyans.
c.250
BC :
Lihyan control of the Kedarites is superseded by that of the Nabataeans.
Dated to 259 BC, the Zenon papyri mention that the Nabatu are trading
Gerrhean and Minaean frankincense, transporting them to Gaza and
Syria. They transport their goods through the Kedarite centres of
northern Arabia, Jauf, and Tayma. Early Nabataean pottery can also
be found in locations along the Persian Gulf, and around what is
now coastal Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
AD
106 :
Nabataea is conquered by the Roman empire, becoming the capital
of the province of Arabia Petraea. Dumat is incorporated into the
empire and the Kedarites lose their individual identity.
269
:
Zenobia, queen of Palmyra, mentions Dumat as a city with a fortress
immune to conquest. The fortress of Marid subsequently withstands
an attack by Rome during the queen's revolt against the empire,
although it is unclear if this is because she has captured it.
5th
century :
Towards the later part of the century, Dumat becomes the capital
of the kingdom of Kindah.
633
:
The Islamic empire makes one of its first territorial gains when
Khalid ibn al-Walid captures Dumat al-Jandal. Kedarite identity,
if any remains by this time, becomes totally submerged within the
empire in its various forms and successors over the subsequent fourteen
centuries. In the modern age parts of it form the kingdom of Jordan.
Source
:
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/
KingListsMiddEast/
ArabicKedar.htm#Kingdom