Ras (title)

One of the clearest attestations is at Palmyra, where Odaenathus and his son Hairan I bore the Palmyrene title ras in bilingual inscriptions, rendered in the Greek text as exarchos. Modern scholarship treats this as a local title of supreme authority or lordship, probably created for Odaenathus in response to the Sasanian threat and vested with exceptional civil and military authority. In the Ethiopian Empire, ras developed into a high aristocratic and political title in the Ethiopian Semitic languages, and is commonly translated as “duke” or “chief”. It was one of the most powerful non-imperial titles, and the combined title '''Le'ul Ras was borne by senior members of the imperial family and major regional rulers. Historian Harold G. Marcus equates the Ras title to a duke; others have compared it to "prince". The combined title of Leul Ras' (Amharic: ልዑል ራስ) was given to the heads of the cadet branches of the Imperial dynasty, such as the Princes of Gojjam, Tigray, Ras'' Tafari Makonnen and the Selalle sub-branch of the last reigning Shewan Branch, and meaning "Lord of Lords", the highest title of lord. ==Historic Ras==

• Ras of Tayma (attested 203 CE), title known from a grave slab mentioning a syh, or chief, of Tayma • Ras of Palmyra (attested October 251 CE), title borne by Hairan I • Ras of Palmyra (attested 252–267 CE), title borne by Odaenathus • Ras of Hegra (attested 356 CE), title known from a late Nabataean inscription as ryš ḥgrʾ (“chief of Hegra”) • Ras Hamalmal of Kambata (16th century) • Ras Fasil • Ras Wolde Selassie (1736–1816) • Ras Sabagadis Woldu (1780–1831) • Ras Alula (1827–1897) • Ras Gobana Dacche (1821–1889) • Ras Mekonnen Wolde Mikael (1852–1906) • Ras Mengesha Yohannes (1868–1906) • Ras Araya Selassie Yohannes (1869/70-10 June 1888) • Ras Sebhat Aregawi (1892–1914) • Ras Gugsa Welle • Ras Gugsa Araya Selassie • Ras Kassa Haile Darge (1881–1956) • Ras Tafari (the latter emperor Haile Selassie, 1892–1975) • Ras Darge Sahle Selassie (1830 – 23 March 1900) • Ras Abebe Aregai (1903–1960) • Ras Wubneh Tessema (1943–1974) == See also ==