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Biblical Figure
Queen of Sheba Was African
Original Creator/Source
Kingdom of Sheba (Ethiopia/Yemen)
Time Period
10th century BCE
Region
East Africa / Arabia
The Full Story
The Queen of Sheba, who visited King Solomon (1 Kings 10, 2 Chronicles 9), was the ruler of an ancient African kingdom. Ethiopian tradition identifies her as Makeda, an Ethiopian queen, and claims the Ethiopian royal line descended from her son with Solomon, Menelik I. The Kingdom of Sheba (Saba) spanned modern-day Ethiopia and Yemen. Despite this, Western art has historically depicted her as white. Ethiopian Jews (Beta Israel) trace their ancestry to this union, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church considers this history foundational to their faith.
Evidence & Sources
- 1 Kings 10:1-13 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-12
- Ethiopian national epic 'Kebra Nagast' (Glory of Kings)
- Josephus's 'Antiquities of the Jews'
- Archaeological findings in Axum, Ethiopia