| Roman sources still bore the clear image of a wealthy and prosperous people living in a splendid country, but devoid of fundamental qualities such as the ability to fight | There is no direct mention in south Arabian inscriptions of the Roman expedition, a completely exceptional occurrence for a country that had never seen enemy troops on its soi• Strabo described the custom in south Arabia which permitted women to have many husbands provided they were all brothers |
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| John Philby Background of Islam p | Philpy, Motor Tracks And Sabaean Inscriptions In Najd, Geogr Journal, 1950, 211-215, A |
Philby,The background of Islam: Being a sketch of Arabian history in pre-Islamic timesWhitehead Morris Alexandira, Egypt ; 1st edition January 1 1947 p.
9| Conti Rossini, Carlo, Chrestomathia Arabica meridionalis epigraphica edita et glossario instructa 1931 Pubblicazioni dell'Instituto per l'Oriente p | Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing |
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| Strabo's close relationship with Aelius Gallus led him to attempt to justify his friend's defeat in his writings | Strabo, Book XVI, Chapter 4, 22-24• Most of the information about south Arabia reported by Strabo probably came straight from the Roman expedition |
Other news of which Strabo was also the source, typical of the Romans' opinion of their own cultural superiority appears on the curious systems of how south Arabia's regal power was transferred and on its inhabitants' unorthodox sexual habits.
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