GRMT
Encyclopedia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n Aksumite King
Kings of Axum
-Kings during the zenith of the Kingdom of Axum:The following based on S.C. Munro-Hay, Aksum , pp. 67f-Later kings:The following list of rulers between 600-900 is based on E. A...
`DBH
`DBH
`DBH [vocalized as `Azaba or `Adhebah] was a king of Axum, on the territory of modern-day Ethiopia, who ruled c. 230–240. He and his son GRMT are known through South Arabian inscriptions which mention Shamir, king of Dhu-Raydan and Himyar asking for his help against the Sabaean...
(possibly vocalized as `Azba or `Azeba), described in South Arabia
South Arabia
South Arabia as a general term refers to several regions as currently recognized, in chief the Republic of Yemen; yet it has historically also included Najran, Jizan, and 'Asir which are presently in Saudi Arabia, and Dhofar presently in Oman...
n texts as the "son of the nagashi" (wld ngšyn). Like his predecessor BYGT, also called the "son of the najashi" (under GDRT
GDRT
GDRT was a king of the Kingdom of Aksum , known for being the first king to involve Axum in the affairs of what is now Yemen. He is known primarily from inscriptions in South Arabia that mention him and his son BYGT...
, `DBH's predecessor), it is not known whether the title meant that they were crown princes or simply generals. Early in his father's reign, the wars that had flared up in South Arabia during GDRT's reign were rekindled. Shamir Yuhahmid of dhū Raydān and Himyar
Himyar
The Himyarite Kingdom or Himyar , historically referred to as the Homerite Kingdom by the Greeks and the Romans, was a kingdom in ancient Yemen. Established in 110 BC, it took as its capital the modern day city of Sana'a after the ancient city of Zafar...
requested `ĐBH's help after having lost some power to two allied pretenders to the throne of Saba' and dhū Raydān. `DBH
`DBH
`DBH [vocalized as `Azaba or `Adhebah] was a king of Axum, on the territory of modern-day Ethiopia, who ruled c. 230–240. He and his son GRMT are known through South Arabian inscriptions which mention Shamir, king of Dhu-Raydan and Himyar asking for his help against the Sabaean...
sent GRMT to South Arabia, where two Epigraphic South Arabian
South Arabian alphabet
The ancient Yemeni alphabet branched from the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet in about the 9th century BC. It was used for writing the Yemeni Old South Arabic languages of the Sabaean, Qatabanian, Hadramautic, Minaean, Himyarite, and proto-Ge'ez in Dʿmt...
inscriptions mention his actions. He was involved in fighting using both Aksumite and Tihama tribes (conquered under GDRT) on the side of Shamir, but was eventually defeated by the Sabaean
Sabaeans
The Sabaeans or Sabeans were an ancient people speaking an Old South Arabian language who lived in what is today Yemen, in the south west of the Arabian Peninsula.Some scholars suggest a link between the Sabaeans and the Biblical land of Sheba....
king `LŠRH YḤḌB. Aksumite control in parts of western Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and southern Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
does not seem to have ended however, as GRMT continued war activities around Najran
Najran
Najran , formerly known as Aba as Sa'ud, is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated a New town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom; its population has risen from 47,500 in 1974 and 90,983 in 1992 to...
.
Name
Like BYGT and GDRT (the latter of whom appears as GDR in Aksumite inscriptions), the final T on GRMT could possibly be peculiar to South Arabian form. Though the vocalization of his name is still uncertain, it is connected to the Ge'ezGe'ez language
Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
root g-r-m. The root g-r-m has a few related meanings, such as "terror" (gərämt), "majesty" (gərma), and to be "admirable," "become formidable," or "be frightful" (gärämä), as well as a number of other related and similar meanings. "Gärima," the name of one of the Nine Saints
Nine Saints
The Nine Saints were a group of missionaries who were important in the initial growth of Christianity in what is now Ethiopia during the late 5th century. Their names were Abba Aftse, Abba Alef, Abba Aragawi, Abba Garima , Abba Guba, Abba Liqanos, Abba Pantelewon, Abba Sehma, and Abba Yem’ata...
who came to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in the 5th-6th centuries AD, is a very possible vocalization for GRMT, as it is relatively close to GRMT's time period.