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The Blemmyes (Latin ''Blemmyae'') were a nomadic Nubian tribal kingdom that existed from at least 600 BC to the 8th century AD. They were described in Roman histories of the later empire. From the late 3rd century on, along with another tribe, the Nobadae, they repeatedly fought the Romans. They were said to live in Africa, in Nubia, Kush, or Sudan.〔(History of Blemmyes and nomads in southern Egypt and Nubia ), ''Saudi Aramco World'', May/June 1998.〕 They also became fictionalized as a legendary race of acephalous (headless) monsters who had eyes and mouths on their chest. ==In antiquity== The Greek geographer Strabo describes the Blemmyes as a peaceful people living in the East Desert near Meroe. Their cultural and military power started to enlarge to such a level that in 197, Pescennius Niger asked a Blemmye king of Thebas to help him in the battle against the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus. In 250, the Roman Emperor Decius put in much effort to defeat an invading army of Blemmyes. A few years later, in 253, they attacked Lower Aegyptus (Thebais) again but were quickly defeated. In 265, they were defeated again by the Roman Prefect Firmus, who later in 273 would rebel against the Empire and the Queen of Palmyra, Zenobia, with the help of the Blemmyes themselves. The Roman general Marcus Aurelius Probus took some time to defeat the usurpers with his allies but couldn't prevent the occupation of Thebais by the Blemmyes. That meant another war and almost an entire destruction of the Blemmyes army (279-280). In the reign of Diocletian the province of Lower Aegyptus, Thebaid, was again occupied by the Blemmyes. In 298, Diocletian made peace with the Nobatae and Blemmyes tribes, agreeing that Rome would move its borders north to Philae (South Egypt, south of Aswan) and pay the two tribes an annual gold stipend.〔According to Diocletian#Conflict in the Balkans and Egypt version 23 September 2011.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Blemmyes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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