Since the first millennium BC, the Arabian Peninsula has been inhabited by nomadic Semitic-speaking peoples known as Bedouins, from the Arabic word bidwa, which can be translated as “desert” or “solitude”. They were dedicated to breeding dromedaries, sheep and goats and later also to trade, raiding and mercenary work. The Bedouin tribes, perpetually at war with each other, eventually made trade their main source of wealth. The Arabian Peninsula was, in fact, the meeting point for goods from the Horn of Africa, India and Southeast Asia that reached the cities of Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. Especially from the 5th century AD onwards, trade with Syria, Persia and Ethiopia intensified. Spices, aromatics, ivory, timber, pearls, fabrics and medicines circulated on the peninsula. The Bedouins took goods from the ports of Bahrain, Oman and Yemen, the southernmost region of the peninsula, also known to the Romans as Arabia Felix for its fertility, and travelled across the Hegiaz desert to the cities of Mesopotamia. It was in this context that cities such as Petra, Palmyra and, above all, Mecca developed, starting from the oases where the caravans stopped. The history of Mecca is inextricably linked to the history of the Black Stone kept in the Kaaba, which was already venerated by the Arabs at that time. The Bedouins worshipped the Bethelim, stones believed to be of celestial origin in which divine power was thought to reside. From a religious point of view, the Bedouin tribes were essentially polytheistic, worshipping a pantheon of three female deities and various benign or malignant spirits. However, they were also in contact with the monotheism of the Jews and Christians, which is why they recognised the existence of a supreme God, whom they already called Allah. The presence of the Black Stone in Mecca attracted numerous pilgrims, bringing great wealth to the city, along with trade. The city was then controlled by the Quraysh tribe, which included the family from which Muhammad was born. Mecca's prosperity was such that in 570 AD, known as “the year of the elephant”, the Ethiopian viceroy of Yemen attempted to conquer the Kaaba sanctuary by leading his army on the back of his elephant. According to tradition, however, when the elephant reached the sanctuary, it miraculously refused to continue its march. The year 570 also coincides with the birth of the man who was destined to change the history of the Arabian Peninsula and much of the world, namely Muhammad.