In this book, historian Dr. Greg Fisher discusses the relationship between the Roman Empire and its Arab allies in the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries. He examines the political and military alliances between the two groups and the role of Christianity in creating shared allegiances and loyalty. He also analyses the role of language and culture in building 'identity' for the Arabs before the emergence of Islam. The book also considers the relationship between the Empire of Sasanian Iran and its own Arab allies at al-Hirah in Iraq, and the role played by the kingdoms of Himyar (Yemen), and Axum (Ethiopia), in the wider world of superpower competition in the dying days of Rome's Middle Eastern empire.