at the end of the 7th century bc, an emerging kingdom appeared on the historical theater of north-western arabia. it started as a sheikdom of dedan, which developed into the kingdom of lihyan tribe. the earliest attestation of state regality, king of lihyan, was in the mid-sixth century bc. the second stage of the kingdom saw the transformation of dedan from a mere city-state of which only influence they exerted was inside their city walls, to a kingdom that encompass much wider domain that marked the pinnacle of lihyan civilization. the third state occurred during the early 3rd century bc with bursting economic activity between the south and north that made lihyan acquire large influence suitable to its strategic position on the caravan road.