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The location of the historical kingdom may have included parts or all of modern day Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Yemen.

Contents
1 Diverse references
2 Hebrew biblical account
3 Qur'anic account
4 Ethiopian account
5 Possible Egyptian derivation
6 Nubia - another possible location
7 Christian interpretations
8 Medieval depictions
9 Renaissance depictions
10 Modern Arab academic view
11 Recent archaeological discoveries
12 The Queen of Sheba in popular culture
12.1 Songs
12.2 Television
12.3 Ballets
12.4 Films
12.5 Books
12.6 Poems
13 See also
14 Footnotes
15 Primary sources
16 Secondary sources
17 Bibliography

Diverse references
Known to the Ethiopian people as Makeda (??? mākidā), this queen has been called a variety of names by different peoples in different times. To King Solomon of Israel she was the Queen of Sheba. In Islamic tradition she was Bilqis. The Roman historian Josephus calls her, Nicaula. She is thought to have been born January 5th, 10th century BC.

Aharoni, Avi-Yonah, Rainey, and Safrai placed the Semitic Sheba in Southern Arabia in geographic proximity to the location of the tribes descended from their ancestor, Joktan. In addition to Sheba, Hazarmaveth and Ophir were identified. Semitic Havilah was located in Eastern Africa, modern day Ethiopia. Semitic Havilah (Beresh't 10:29) is to be distinguished from Cushite Havilah (Beresh't 10:7), the descendant of Cush, descendant of Ham; both locations for Havilah are thought by these scholars to have been located in present day Ethiopia.[1]

The multiple references to Havilah may indicate historical Semitic migration from the southern Arabian peninsula to the African continent. An alternative account would place the origins of the Semites and the ancient Israelites in Ethiopia. The ancient Roman historian, Tacitus, wrote that “many, again, say that they [the Israelites] were a race of Ethiopian origin” (Histories (Tacitus), Book 5, Paragraphs 2 and 3).[2] Thus, the Queen of Sheba would rightly be placed as a descendant of the Semitic Sheba people located in southern Arabia, but with more than likely rigins from Ethiopia.

Hebrew biblical account

Claude Lorrain, The Embarkation of the Queen of ShebaAccording to the Hebrew Bible, the unnamed queen of the land of Sheba heard of the great wisdom of King Solomon of Israel and journeyed there with gifts of spices, gold, precious stones, and beautiful wood and to test him with questions, as recorded in First Kings 10:1-13 (largely copied in 2 Chronicles 9:1–12).

It is related further that the queen was awed by Solomon's great wisdom and wealth, and pronounced a blessing on Solomon's deity. Solomon reciprocated with gifts and "everything she desired," whereupon the queen returned to her country. The queen apparently was quite rich, however, as she brought 4.5 tons of gold with her to give to Solomon (1 Kings 10:10).

In the biblical passages which refer explicitly to the Queen of Sheba there is no hint of love or sexual attraction between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The two are depicted merely as fellow monarchs engaged in the affairs of state.

The biblical text, Song of Solomon (Song of Songs), contains some references, which at various times, have been interpreted as referring to love between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The young woman of the Song of Songs, however, continues to deny the romantic advances of her suitor, whom many commentators identify as King Solomon. In any case, there is little to identify this speaker in the text with the rich and powerful foreign queen depicted in the Book of Kings. The woman of the text of the song clearly does regard "The Daughters of Jerusalem" as her peer group.

Ethiopian account
The imperial family of Ethiopia claims its origin directly from the offspring of the Queen of Sheba by King Solomon.[5] The Queen of Sheba (???? ??? nigi?ta ?ab'a), is named Makeda (???) in the Ethiopian account (which from the Ethiopic languages translates literally to English as "pillow").

The etymology of her name is uncertain, but there are two principal opinions about its Ethiopian source. One group, which includes the British scholar Edward Ullendorff, holds that it is a corruption of "Candace", the Ethiopian queen mentioned in the New Testament Acts; the other group connects the name with Macedonia, and relates this story to the later Ethiopian legends about Alexander the Great and the era of 330 B.C.

The Italian scholar Carlo Conti Rossini, however, was unconvinced by either of these theories and, in 1954 stated that he believed the matter unresolved.[6]

An ancient compilation of Ethiopian legends, Kebra Negast ('the Glory of Kings'), is dated to seven hundred years ago and relates a history of Makeda and her descendants. In this account King Solomon is said to have seduced the Queen of Sheba and sired her son, Menelik I, who would become the first Emperor of Ethiopia.

The narrative given in the Kebra Negast - which has no parallel in the Hebrew Biblical story - is that King Solomon invited the Queen of Sheba to a banquet, serving spicy food to induce her thirst, and inviting her to stay in his palace overnight. The Queen asked him to swear that he would not take her by force. He accepted upon the condition that she, in turn, would not take anything from his house by force. The Queen assured that she would not, slightly offended by the implication that she, a rich and powerful monarch, would engage in stealing. However, as she woke up in the middle of the night, she was very thirsty. Just as she reached for a jar of water placed close to her bed, King Solomon appeared, warning her that she was breaking her oath, water being the most valuable of all material possessions. Thus, while quenching her thirst, she set the king free from his promise and they spent the night together.

Other Ethiopian accounts make her the daughter of a king named Agabo or Agabos, in some legends said to have become king after slaying the mythological serpent Arwe; in others, to have been the 28th ruler of the Agazyan tribe. In either event, he is said to have extended his Empire to both sides of the Red Sea.

The tradition that the Biblical Queen of Sheba was a ruler of Ethiopia who visited King Solomon in Jerusalem, in ancient Israel, is supported by the first century AD Roman (of Jewish origin) historian Flavius Josephus, who identified Solomon’s visitor as a "Queen of Egypt and Ethiopia".

While there are no known traditions of matriarchal rule in Yemen during the early first millennium BC, the earliest inscriptions of the rulers of D?mt in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea mention queens of very high status, possibly equal to their kings.[7]

For the Ethiopian monarchy, the Solomonic and Sheban lineage was of considerable political and cultural importance. Ethiopia had been converted to Christianity by Egyptian Copts, and the Coptic Church strove for centuries to keep the Ethiopians in a dependent and subservient condition, which the Ethiopian emperors greatly resented.

Possible Egyptian derivation
There also have been claims by some scholars that the ancient Egyptian name Hatshepsut translates as "Queen of Sheba".[8] Hatshepsut was a pharaoh of Egypt, born c. 1508 and died 1458 B.C., who revived active trade with neighboring kingdoms and created a flourishing and prosperous economy for her eighteenth dynasty kingdom. Solar deities are most closely associated with her dynasty, the one founded by her grandfather and credited to the patron deity of Thebes, Amun. She is recorded as having traveled widely as well.

Sheba may be derived from the ancient Egyptian word for star. The Kush were located in southern Egypt. According to the eleventh century geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi, the star-worshippers of Harran in Turkey and those from Yemen, went on special pilgrimages to the pyramids of Giza. The "Queen of Sheba" may have referred to the title of the Kandake when acting as the chief astronomer or high priestess of a star-venerating religion that was centered in Africa, with satellite centers in Arabia, Asia, and Europe.

The "star-worshippers" also studied or venerated the sun and moon. The roots of star veneration or star study date back to well before 5000 B.C. Evidence for a level of sophistication and knowledge of astronomy has been found at several archaeological sites in Africa, including the complex at Nabta Playa in southern Egypt. The structure at Nabta is almost 7,000 years old, and is the oldest astronomical complex in the world. (see Kandake)

Other astronomical sites in Africa include: Namoratunga II, near Lake Turkana, in Kenya, which was in use around 300 B.C.; the Senegambian stone circles; and the Bouar megaliths in what is now the Central African Republic.

Nubia - another possible location
The tradition of the Candaces is well documented in Nubia, where the rule of its many queens recedes into prehistoric times there and the Kentakes is a term used to describe the long tradition of leadership in Nubia by warrior queens. Nubia was south of Ancient Egypt, also divided by the Nile River and bordered by the Red Sea and, it another candidate for the location of Sheba and the famous queen. The history of Nubia provides examples of a tradition and a wealthy kingdom that could be the original kingdom of the Queen of Sheba. The economics of the culture was based upon trade. David Jones, in Women Warriors: a History, relates that in 332 BC Alexander the Great attempted to lead his army into Nubia. At its border, he was confronted with the brilliant military formation devised by their warrior queen, Candace of Mero?. She led her army in the opposition from on top of an elephant. Alexander withdrew and redirected his forces to enter Egypt instead.[9] It should be noted that this story is thought by scholars to be legendary, and Alexander appears never to have attacked Nubia. The whole story of Alexander and Candace's encounter appears to be legendary.[10][11] That was the beginning of the Greek rule of Egypt that would last for three hundred years until the Roman occupation in 30 B.C.

Strabo also describes a similar clash with the Romans, in which the Roman army was defeated by Nubian archers under the leadership of another queen of Nubia. This queen was described as "one-eyed", being blind in one eye or represented only in profile.[12] The strategic formations used by this second queen are well documented in Strabo's description of her victory.

Old Kingdom Egyptian accounts of trade missions first mentioned Nubia in 2300 BC. Egyptians imported gold, incense, ebony, ivory, and exotic animals from tropical Africa through Nubia. Aswan, right above the First Cataract, marked the southern limit of Egyptian control. As trade between Egypt and Nubia increased, so did wealth and stability.

By the sixth dynasty of Egypt, Nubia was divided into a series of small kingdoms. Scholars debate whether these peoples, who flourished from c. 2240 BC to c. 2150 BC, were the result of another internal evolution, wars, or invaders. The Sahara Desert was becoming too arid to support human beings. During the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (c. 2040–1640 BC), Egypt began expanding into Nubia to gain more control over the trade routes in Northern Nubia and direct access to trade with southern Nubia. They erected a chain of forts down the Nile below the Second Cataract in the river. These garrisons seemed to have had peaceful relations with the local Nubian people, but little interaction during the period.

A contemporaneous, but distinct, culture was the Pan Grave culture, so called because of their shallow graves. Shallow graves produced mummies naturally. The Pan Graves are associated with the eastern bank of the Nile, but the Pan Graves and western groups definitely interacted. The Kingdom of Kerma arose as the first kingdom to unify much of the region. It was named for its presumed capital at Kerma, one of the earliest urban centers in tropical Africa. By 1750 BC, the rulers of Kerma were powerful enough to organize the labor for monumental walls and structures of mud brick. They created rich tombs with possessions for the afterlife and large human sacrifices. The craftsmen were skilled in metalworking and their pottery surpassed in skill that of Egypt. Excavated sites at Kerma yielded large tombs and a palace-like structure ('Deffufa'), alluding to the early stability in the region.

The early tradition of astronomical observations in Nubia is reflected by the presence of megaliths discovered at Nabta Playa that are examples of what seem to be the world's first Archaeoastronomy devices, predating Stonehenge by at least 1000 years.[13] According to one authority, the complexity observed at Nabta Playa, likely formed the basis for the structure of both the Neolithic society at Nabta and the Old Kingdom of Egypt.[14] Hence the long tradition of studying the stars and the sun such as the references in the Old Testament, and the knowledge of new phenomena provoking the travel of the Magi.

Christian interpretations
The Queen of Sheba is mentioned as the Queen of the South in the Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31 in the New Testament, where Jesus indicates that she and the Ninevites will judge the generation of Jesus' contemporaries who rejected him.

Christian interpretations of the scriptures mentioning the Queen of Sheba in the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, typically have emphasized both the historical and metaphorical values in the story. The account of the Queen of Sheba thereby is interpreted as Christian metaphor and analogy: the Queen's visit to Solomon has been compared to the metaphorical marriage of the Church to Christ where Solomon is the anointed one or messiah and Sheba represents a Gentile population submitting to the messiah; the Queen of Sheba's chastity also has been depicted as a foreshadowing of the Virgin Mary; and the three gifts that she brought (gold, spices, and stones) have been seen as analogous to the gifts of the Magi (gold, frankincense, and myrrh). The latter is emphasized as consistent with a passage from Isaiah 60:6; And they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring forth gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord.[15] This last connection is interpreted as relating to the Maji, the learned astronomers of Sheba who saw a new star and set off on a journey to find a new ruler connected to the new star, that led them to Bethlehem.

Medieval depictions
Art in the Middle Ages depicting the visit of the Queen of Sheba includes the Portal of the Mother of God at the 13th century Amiens Cathedral, which is included as an analogy as part of a larger depiction of the gifts of the Magi.[16] The 12th century cathedrals at Strasbourg, Chartres, Rochester and Canterbury include artistic renditions in such elements as stained glass windows and door jamb decorations.[15]

Renaissance depictions

Renaissance relief of the Queen of Sheba meeting Solomon - gate of Florence BaptistryBoccaccio's On Famous Women (Latin: De Mulieribus Claris) follows Josephus in calling the Queen of Sheba, Nicaula. Boccaccio goes on to explain that not only was she the Queen of Ethiopia and Egypt, but also the queen of Arabia. She also is related to have had a grand palace on "a very large island" called Meroe, located someplace near the Nile river, "practically on the other side of the world." From there Nicaula crossed the deserts of Arabia, through Ethiopia and Egypt, and up the coast of the Red Sea, to come to Jerusalem to see "the great King Solomon".[17]

Christine de Pizan's The Book of the City of Ladies continues the convention of calling the Queen of Sheba, Nicaula. Piero della Francesca's frescoes in Arezzo (ca 1466) on the Legend of the True Cross, contain two panels on the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon.

The legend links the beams of Solomon's palace (adored by Queen of Sheba) to the wood of the crucifixion. The Renaissance continuation of the metaphorical view of the Queen of Sheba as an analogy to the gifts of the Magi also is clearly evident in the Triptych of the Adoration of the Magi (c. 1510), by Hieronymus Bosch. Bosch chooses to depict a scene of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon in an ornately decorated collar worn by one of the Magi.[18]

Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus refers to the Queen of Sheba as Saba, when Mephistopheles is trying to persuade Faustus of the wisdom of the women with whom he supposedly shall be presented every morning.[19]

Modern Arab academic view
Some modern Arab academics have placed the Queen of Sheba as a ruler of a trading colony in Northwest Arabia, established by South Arabian kingdoms[citation needed]. Modern archaeological finds do confirm the fact that such colonies existed with South Arabian script and artifacts, although nothing specific to Balqis or Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, has been uncovered.

Recent archaeological discoveries

The Bar'an temple in Ma'rib - built in the eighth century BC and functioning for nearly a 1000 yearsRecent archaeological discoveries in the Mahram Bilqis (Mahram Bilkees, "Temple of the Moon Deity") in Mareb, Yemen support the view that the Queen Sheba ruled over southern Arabia, with evidence suggesting the area to be the capital of the Kingdom of Sheba.

A team of researchers funded by the American Foundation for the Study of Man (AFSM) and led by University of Calgary archaeology professor, Dr. Bill Glanzman, has been working to "unlock the secrets of a 3,000-year-old temple in Yemen." "We have an enormous job ahead of us," said Glanzman in 2007. "Our first task is to wrest the sanctuary from the desert sands, documenting our findings as we go. We're trying to determine how the temple was associated with the Queen of Sheba, how the sanctuary was used throughout history, and how it came to play such an important role in Arab folklore."[20]

The Queen of Sheba in popular culture
In Britain, Canada, and the USA, there is a common colloquial remark "...and I'm the Queen of Sheba" or "If (that is so), then I'm the Queen of Sheba.", as a retort to something that is obviously false or meaning "I do not believe that statement."[citation needed]

Another common colloquial usage in the UK and North America is to poke fun at another person who has dressed up fancily, or has perhaps displayed superior behavioral traits, resulting in someone remarking, "Who does s(he) think s(he) is, The Queen of Sheba?".(WIKI)

Born in a bourgeois family of an actress mother and a violinist father in Tunisia, Michel was cradled in the music of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Bethoven and Mozart in his early ages. It was also his family who inspired him at the age of 13 to pursuit his hobby of music by offering him his first guitar, his first recording machine and all the top hit albums in the American music chart at that moment like those of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard and the Platters.

Since then, Michel and his friends grouped together to practise and play under the sun and on the white sandy beach of Carthage, the beautiful resort city where later on they started playing in hotels and restaurants to the music lovers of the French colony country.

Moving to Paris after the political change in Tunisia in 1961, Michel kept playing in different groups whilst continuing his education in the two famous high-schools of France - Le Lycee de Jesuite Albert de Mun and Le Lycee Chaptal.

His training and education at the "Ecole Normale de Musique" has made this young man the official musician of the balls playing during weekends and festivals around the country until the day he met with an American Guitarist and Composer of Blues/Soul - Mickey Baker. This American composer of the famous hit "Love is Strange" has persuaded Michel to record the adaptation of "Ain't that a Shame" into "C'est bien Fini" marking Michel's debut into the showbiz as a singer. And this American composer has always been Michel's "big" old friend until now.

Mickey Baker	The World Most Popular Songs Festival in Tokyo in 1983

The second single that Michel introduced was called "Le Pantin". Composed and sung himself, Le Pantin became the hit which lasted the longest time ever in the history of the show "Salut les Copains" - France's renowned show of rock n' roll for teenagers at that time.

After 7 albums of rock n' roll, Michel returned to his original feelings of classical music writing songs which are fervent with poems and sentiment. His "Ma Reine de Saba - Queen of Saba" turned into his second big hit which was recorded by over 250 singers in many languages and was sold over 50,000,000 copies all over the world. The song also brought him the chance to participate in the World Most Popular Songs Festival in Tokyo in 1983 and "Ma Reine de Saba" itself has become one of the favorites in Yahama pianos and keyboard Melodies and is sold in music sheets since then.
In the period of Funk and Soul that followed, he wrote "Sing Sing Barbara" which was recorded in New York by himself and the Group Mardi Gras in English, French and Italian. Immediately Sing Sing Barbara was nominated as the Number One in Europe, and in Italy, it stayed the top of the hit for six months consecutively, the record which had never been gained by any of the foreign songs before.

After working sometime with an American production house All Platinum Records in New York, he returned to Paris writing the album "New York City" with his friend Luc Aulivier, that composes of song stories of a Frenchman in New York trying to make his way out in the American chaotic society after the Vietnam War. He wrote songs for Sheila, Dalida and some other French singers after the album.

With the coming into being of the disco and the techno trends in the late 80s, Michel withdrew from the showbiz to rest in his peaceful garden - his professional studio- where he keeps writing and recording just for his loved ones and friends like he always says "once you start writing, you will never be able to stop."

Born in Calais, France, Lefèvre is is best known for his 1968 theme "Soul Coaxin' (Ame Caline)", which became an international hit. He also wrote soundtracks for movies with Louis de Funès like La Soupe Aux Choux (1981) or the series of legendary Le Gendarme De Saint Tropez. During late 1950s and early 1960s he accompanied Dalida on most of her recordings (Bambino, Por Favor, Tu Peux Tout Faire de Moi, Quand on N'A Que l'Amour). He started his musical career in 1956 on the Barclay Records label.

Contents [hide]
1 Early career
2 Eurovision
3 Death
4 Filmmusic (excerpt)
5 Records (excerpt)
6 External links

Early career
He was accepted at the Paris Conservatory at 17 years old. During the early 1950s he played the piano for the Franck Pourcel orchestra. In 1953 he played the piano at the Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. He started his musical career in 1956 on the Barclay label and recorded his debut album in the same year.

He worked in the French television programs Musicorama (1950s) and Palmarés des Chansons (1965, 1966, 1967) accompanying famous artists as Dalida, Claude Francois, Richard Anthony, with his own orchestra.

His recording of "The Day the Rains Came" was a best seller in the United States in 1958. The song "Ame Caline" (Soul Coaxin') became an international hit in 1968 and "La La La (He Gives Me Love)" was a minor hit in 1968 in Canada and the United States. In 1969 his recording of "La Reine de Saba" (Queen of Sheba) became a big hit in Japan. Between 1972 and the early 2000s he made successful tours in Japan.(More)

List Price $54.99 (You save $3.74)
Category Rock/Pop, World, International, Rock
Label Jvc Victor
All Time Sales Rank 175256
CD Universe Part number 7109986
Catalog number 60557
Discs 1
Release Date Dec 19, 1998
Mono/Stereo Stereo
Additional Info Japan

1. Reine de Saba
2. Adagio Cardinal
3. MacArthur Park
4. Tous les Deux Pres D'un Beceau
5. Comme Toi
6. Long Sera L'Uver
7. Si Ca Vous Chante
8. Hey Jude
9. Le Temps des Fleurs (Those Were the Days)
10. 100,000 Chansons
11. Pour Etre Sincere
12. Les Bicyclettes de Belsize
13. Iresistiblement
14. Oh Happy Day
15. Oh Lady Mary
16. Un Jour un Enfant
17. 13 Jours en France
18. Day Dream (Reverie)
19. Lily the Pink (Sirop Typhon)
20. Isadora
21. L'Orage
22. Liberte Mon Amoure
23. Catherine
24. Bye Bye Barbara
25. Castschok
(here)