Knowledge of pre-Islam Arabia is essential for anyone seeking to understand how Islam arose and the shape it took. Further, knowledge of the cultures, commerce, and conflicts of the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to Muhammed is fatally incomplete without the inclusion of the Arabs and the vital role they played.Arabia and the Arabsprovides the only up-to-date, one volume survey of the region and its peoples during this period. Using a wide range of sources--inscriptions, poetry, histories, and archaeological evidence--Robert Hoyland explores the main cultural areas of Arabia, from ancient Sheba in the south, to the desert oases of the north. He meticulously traces the major themes in the: *economy *society *religion *art and architecture *language and literature *Arabhood and Arabisation. The text is supplemented by over 50 photographs, drawings, and maps.