Arabia

Arabia (; fl. 578 AD) was the only recorded daughter of Byzantine Emperor Justin II (r. 565–578 AD) and Empress Sophia.

Name and meaning While mentioned in several primary sources, her name is only recorded in the Patria of Constantinople. The name is generally accepted as genuine, though Cyril Mango has raised some doubts in his works.

Shahîd's Byzantium and the Arabs in the sixth century (1995) examines the implications of her name. Arabia appears to be a unique personal name, and she seems to have been named by her great-aunt, Empress Theodora, indicating that it did sound strange even to a contemporary.

The name would appear to have negative connotations, as the Arab people were mostly seen as barbarians by the Byzantines. The phrasing of the inscription is obscure, containing a Greek word that could be seen as "γενημένη" or "γενόμενη" of Arabia. "γενημένη" means "born of" and would make the phrase read "Firmina, daughter of Arabia", whilst "γενόμενη" means "who became". Cyril Mango reads the phrase as "Firmina who became the nursemaid of Arabia".

Religious account A hagiography of Simeon Stylites the Younger claims that Arabia suffered from demonic possession during the reign of her father, and was cured by the saint.