CSAI

Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions


INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Sabaic » Early Sabaic
AlphabetAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Script cursusBoustrophedon
Writing techniqueIncision
Chronology
PeriodA
Textual typologyCommemorative text
Royal inscriptionYes

TEXT


   1  ʾlt ʾhgrm w-ʾbḍʿm gnʾ w-hfṭn Krbʾl Wtr bn Ḏmrʿly mkrb S¹bʾ l-ʾlmqh w-l S¹bʾ ywm h[... ...](m t) [... w-]Kt(l)m w-(Y)ṯl w-Wnb w-Rdʿ w-Wqbm w-(ʾ)wwm w-Yʿrtm w-(Ḥ)nḏfm w-Nʿwt ḏt Fddm w-(Ḥ)ḍrʾb w-Tms¹m w-gnʾ Tlnn w-Ṣnʿt w-(nʿ) w-Wtr [... ...]—
   2  dm w-gnʾ Rdʿ w-Myfʿ b-Ḫbʾm w-gnʾ Mḥrṯm w-ḏhby hgry ḏ-Tmnʿ w-gnʾ Wʿln w-Mwṯbtm w-Kdr w-hṯb wld ʿm ʿd ʾhgr-hmw b-ḏt ʾḫww ʾlmqh w-Krbʾl [w-S¹bʾ w-ʿs¹y bn ](ʿ)mwq(h) ḏ-[ʾ]mrm [hgr]n Ṭyb gwlm w-qny-hw b-ms¹qy Ngy gwlm w-ʾfqn gwlm w-Ḥrtn w-ʿr-h w-s¹r-h w-mrʿyt-h gwlm w-
   3  ʾs¹rr yrdnn bn Mrs¹ w-mrʿyt-hmw gwlm w-ʿs¹y bn Ḥḍrhmw ḏ-Mfʿlm S²ʿbm w-ʾs¹rr-hw w-mrʿyt-hw ln Ms³rr ʿd (ʿtb) [... ...] ʾbyt ʿd ʿtk Wrḫn w-Ḍʿf w-kl ḏ-qny b-Bqṯt w-b Dnm gwlm w-ʿs¹y Ṣyḥw gwlm w-s²ʾm Ḫdnn ʾdm Ḥḍrhmw ḏ-Mfʿlm w-Gbrm ʾdm Yʿṯq ḏ-Ḫwln ḏ-Yrrt w-
   4  ys³f-mw ḥw-hw Fys²n w-ʿs¹y bn Rʾbm bn Ḫlʾmr ḏ-Wqbm kl ḏ-hṭbn b-Wqbm w-ḏhb-h w-s¹r-h w-ʿr-h w-mrʿyt-h gwlm w-ʿs¹y Yʿrtm w-ḏhb-h w-s¹r-h w-ʿr-h w-[mrʿyt-h gwlm w-]ʿs¹y ʾwwm w-ḏhb-h gwlm w-ʿs¹y kl ḏ-qny Ḫlkrb ḏ-Ġrn b-Mḍyqt gwlm w-ʿs¹y Ṯmdt w-ḏhb-h w-ʿr-h w-mrʿyt-h gwlm
   5  w-ʿs¹y kl ḏ-hṭbn b-Mḍyqt ln gḏwty Ḥnḏfm ʿd hgrn Ṭyb gwlm w-ʿs¹y kl ḏ-hṭbn b-ms¹qy Ngy gwlm w-ʿs¹y Zwt w-[... ...]-hmy w-mrʿyt-hmy gwlm w-ʿs¹y ʾkryy w-ḏhb-h gwlm w-qny Nʿwt bn S²dm w-bn Ḫbʾm l-ʾwṯn-h w-bny tfrʿ byt-hw S¹lḥm ln ẓwrm w-rymm w-bny b-ʾḏn—
   6  t ʿs¹nn Tfs² w-mzf-h mnḫy Ys¹rn w-bny mʿs¹n Ylṭ w-mzf-hw mnḫy ʾbyn w-bny Ẓrb w-Mlkn l-Ys¹rn w-bny w-hqm ʾbny Ys¹rn w-ʾbyn b-ws¹ṭ-hmy w-b[ny ... ...]n w-ʾln nḫlm ʿs¹y b-Ys¹rn w-ys³f-mw qny-hw ḏ-Yqhmlk w-ʾṯʾbn w-Mḏbn w-Mfrs³m w-ḏ-ʾnfn w-Qṭntn w-S¹fwtm w-
   7  S¹lqn w-ḏ Fd(y)m w-ḏ ʾwṯnm w-Dbs¹w w-Mfrs³m w-ḏ Ḥbbm w-S³mrw w-Mhgwm w-ʾln ʿs¹y b-Ṭrq ʿn[.]yn w-Ḥḍrw w-S²s³w(n)[ ... ...]ʿ w-ʾln ws³f ʿs¹y b-Ys¹rn Frʿtm w-Tyws¹m w-ʾṯʾbn w-ywm ṣd ṣyd Krwm w-ywm hʿ mhyʿ Lqẓ ʿṯtr ḏ-Fṣd w-bny ʿṯtr Wrqm w-ʿs¹y mfrs³tn ʾl Mḥ—
   8  myn ln wṯn ʿqbn ʿd ḏ-ʾnfn gwlm w-ʿs¹y kl qny Ḥḍrhmw bn Ḫlʾmr bkr ḏ-Mfʿlm kl ḏ-qny b-bḍʿ Wnb w-kl bḍʿ Ftrm w-Qnt w-kl ʾhgr-hw Mfʿlm[ w-Ftrm w-Qnt w-Gw w-ʾʿr-hw w-ʾ]s¹rr-hw w-mrʿyt ʾh(gr)-[h]w gwlm w-(w)s³f ḥw-hw Fys²n ʾdm hs²ʾm-hw Ḥḍrhmw ḏ-Mfʿlm b-ʾhgr-hw Mfʿlm w-Ftrm w-Qnt w-Gw

Apparatus
1The three last toponyms are read by Nebes 2016: 82 notes 286 and 287.
7Fdym is read by Nebes 2016: 83 note 293.

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  That, the cities and the territories, Krbʾl Wtr, son Ḏmrʿly mkrb of Sabaʾ walled and transferred possession to ʾlmqh and to Sabaʾ, when [… …] and Ktlm and Yṯl and Wnb and Rdʿ and Wqbm and ʾwwm and Yʿrtm and Ḥnḏfm and Nʿwt ḏt Fddm and Ḥḍrʾb and Tms¹m and walled Tlnn and Ṣnʿt and Ṣnʿ and Wtr [... ...]
   2  walled Rdʿ and Myfʿ in Ḫbʾm, walled Mḥrṯm and the two irrigated plains of the two cities of Tmnʿ and walled Wʿln and Mwṯbtm and Kdr and assigned the children of ʿm to their city, since they had been allies of ʾlmqh, Krbʾl [and Sabaʾ. He acquired from] ʿmwqh, he of ʾmr the city of Ṭyb, with full ownership rights and his property on the irrigated land of Ngy, with full ownership rights and ʾfqn, with full ownership rights and Ḥrtn and its mountain, its valleys, its pastures, with full ownership rights, and the
   3  valleys which are going down from Mrs¹ and their pastures, with full ownership rights. He acquired from Ḥḍrhmw, he of Mfʿlm: S²ʿbm and its valleys and its pastures from Ms³rr up to ʿtb [... ...] the palaces facing Wrḫn and Ḍʿf and everything that they possessed in Bqṯt and in Dnm, with full ownership rights. He acquired Ṣyḥw, with full ownership rights, and bought Ḫdnn, the vassals of Ḫḍrhmw, those of Mfʿlm and Gbrm, the vassals of Yʿʿṯq, those of Ḫwln of Yrrt,
   4  so that he augmented his group Fys²n. He acquired from Rʾbm, son of Ḫlʾmr, he of Wqbm, everything to which he had property rights in Wqbm, its fertile plain, its valley and its mountain and its pastures, with full ownership rights. He acquired Yʿrtm, its fertile plain, its valley, its mountain and its pastures, with full ownership rights. He acquired ʾwwm and its fertile plain with full ownership rights. He acquired all that Ḫlkrb, he of Ġrn possessed in Mḍyqt, with full ownership rights. He acquired Ṯmdt, its fertile plain, its mountain and its pastures, with full ownership rights.
   5  He acquired everything, to which he had property rights in Mḍyqt from the two hills (?) of Ḥnḏfm to the city of Ṭyb, with full ownership rights. He acquired everything to which he had property rights in the irrigated land of Ngy, with full ownership rights. He acquired Zwt and [... ...] their pastures, with full ownership rights. He acquired ʾkryy and its oasis, with full ownership rights. He entered into possession of Nʿwt from S²dm and from Ḫbʾm to its borders. He constructed the upper part of his palace S¹lḥm from the bedrock and in height. He constructed in ʾḏnt
   6  the foundation Tfs² and its canal toward Ys¹rn. He constructed the foundation of Ylṭ and its canal toward ʾbyn. He constructed Ẓrb and Mlkn for Ys¹rn. He constructed and erected constructions of Ys¹rn and ʾbyn in their interior. He constructed [ ... ...]. Those, the palm groves, he acquired in Ys¹rn, so that he increased his property: that of Yqhmlk, ʾṯʾbn, Mḏbn, Mfrs³m, that of ʾnfn, Qṭntn, S¹fwtm,
   7  S¹lqn, that of Fdym, that of ʾwṯnm, Dbs¹w, Mfrs³m, that of Ḥbbm, S³mrw, Mhgwm. Those he acquired in Ṭrq: ʿn[.]yn, Ḥḍrw, S²s³wn [... ...]. He multiplied his possession in Ys¹rn: Frʿtm, Tyws¹m, ʾṯʾbn. When he hunted the sacred hunt in honour of Krwm. When he carried forward the construction of Lqẓ of ʿṯtr of Fṣd and constructed for ʿṯtr (the temple) Wrqm. He acquired the mountainsides, those of
   8  Mḥmyn, from the border of ʿqbn, up to ḏ-ʾnfn, with full ownership rights. He acquired all of the property of Ḥḍrhmw, son of Ḫlʾmr, firstborn of the tribe Mfʿlm, everything that he possessed in the territory of Wnb and the entire territory of Ftrm and Qnt and all of its cities: Mfʿlm, Ftrm, Qnt, Gw and its mountains, its valleys, and the pastures of its cities, with full ownership rights; he augmented his group Fys²n with the vassals that Ḥḍrhmw, he of Mfʿlm sold him in his cities Mfʿlm, Ftrm, Qnt, Gw.

OBJECT INFORMATION

Support typeMonumental stela
MaterialStone
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin and provenance
Modern siteṢirwāḥ-Khawlān
Ancient siteṢrwḥ
Geographical areaṢirwāḥ
CountryYemen
FoundIn situ
Archaeological contextReligious context: Temple of ʾlmqh
Link to site record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Rhodokanakis 1927 a: 79-96Rhodokanakis, Nikolaus 1927. Altsabäische Texte I. (Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Philosophisch-Historische Klasse, 206). Wien und Leipzig: Hölder-Pichler-Tempsky A.-G..
Nebes 2016: 81-86, pl. 15-17Nebes, Norbert 2016. Der Tatenbericht des Yaṯaʿʾamar Watar bin Yakrubmalik aus Ṣirwāḥ (Jemen). Zur Geschichte Südarabiens im frühen 1. Jahrtausend vor Christus. Mit einem archäologischen Beitrag von Iris Gerlach und Mike Schnelle. (Epigraphische Forschungen auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, 7). Tübingen-Berlin: Wasmuth Verlag.