This article explores a well-known conflict between Arab tribes and the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD. In the late 370s, the Arab queen Mauia attacked the Palestinian border and managed to defeat Roman garrisons. During negotiations, she demanded ordination of a certain monk especially revered by the Arabs. Despite the fact that he was an adherent of the Nicene Creed and clashed with the bishop of Alexandria, the ordination took place and the war ended. There are several controversial issues associated with this episode, particularly regarding the causes of the conflict. Some researchers focus on confessional differences considering Mauia a protector of Nicene Christianity, others deny religious reasons and instead try to find a political foundation for the clash. This work,based on the analysis of the church authors, attempts to prove the absence of any serious foundation for the religious version and, on the other hand, suggest the political reason. Firstly, the sources do not contain any information on the confessional beliefs of the queen. In addition, it remains unclear whether she was a Christian altogether. Secondly, the war can be dated more precisely and placed in the general context so we can find some parallels with the events that unfolded on the Danube-Rhine border. This situation is documented much better, so we know that the conflict there was explained by a new, more aggressive policy of the emperors. Thus, motivation of the Arabs can be explained by their desire to return to previous, more favorable terms of the treaty with the empire.
Danila Semyonov (Thu,) studied this question.