M 338 RES 3427
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Minaic » Marginal Minaic | ||
| Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Writing technique | Incision | ||
| Chronology |
|
GENERAL NOTES
| For the comprehensive bibliography previous to that recorded above, see references in RES. |
TEXT
1 [... ...]nfqn k-Zydʾl bn Zyd ḏ-Ẓyrn ḏ-wb((ḏwb)) ḏ-s¹ʿrb ʾmrrn w-qlymtn k-ʾbytt ʾlʾlt Mṣr b-ywmhy Tlmyṯ bn Tlmyṯ |
2 [... ...] w-yfqr Zydʾl b-wrḫh Ḥtḥr w-yfnnw kb bn kl ʾbytth ʾlʾlt Mṣr tmḫh-s¹m ks³w bwṣ k-ṣyh-s¹ w-ys¹ʿlyn-s¹
3 bʾh-s¹ ʿd mn byt ʾlhn ʾṯrḥf b-wrḫh Kyḥk ḫrf ṯny w-ʿs²ry k-Tlmyṯ mlkn w-rṯd Zydl gmn-s¹((lmn-s¹)) w-nfq-s¹ ʾṯrḥf w-ʾlʾlt ʿm-s¹ b-mḥrmh-s¹ (|)
| 1 | [ḏn gmnn w-]nfqn (Robin). |
| 2 | various readings by the editors at the beginning of the line, after the lacuna. Discarding Derenbourg (1893)'s [... ...]ws¹, Robin accepted W.W. Müller's [... ...]ʿl (so before: Rhodokanakis and consequently RES and Garbini). RES suggested also to integrate [... ... L]ʿl as epithet of the king Ptolemy V (Epiphanés). Finding no explanation for kb, Beeston 1984 b proposed to see in it an error of an engraver not used to South Arabian writing and accepted Derenbourg's emendation k-s¹. Sayed 1984: 94 (followed by Jamme 1985: 225-226) preferred to leave kb as the original text. |
| 3 | Sayed b-ʾh-s¹; it is not possible to discern whether lmn is the correct reading instead of gmn (both hapax). |
TRANSLATIONS
| French | |
1 [Cette momie et ce] sarcophage appartiennent à Zydʾl fils de Zyd ḏ-Ẓyrn, membre du wb (?), qui procura les essences de myrrhe et de calamus aux temples des dieux d'Égypte, aux jours de Ptolémée fils de Ptolémée, 2 [... ...] et Zydʾl mourut au mois de ḥatḥur (hathyr) et il reçut comme dons de tous les temples de dieux d'Égypte leurs tissus, (à savoir) l'étoffe des bandelettes de sa momie, et on l'emporta, 3 (à savoir) son ba, jusq'à l'enceinte du temple du dieu Osiris-Apis. Au mois de kayḥak (khoiak), l'an 22 de Ptolémée le roi. Zydʾl a confié sa momie (?) et son sarcophage à Osiris-Apis et aux dieux qui sont avec lui dans son temple. |
| Rhodokanakis 1924's interpretation of the inscription as dealing with economic matters was followed only by RES ("l'inscription fait allusion à une reconnaissance de dette, en même temps qu'à des crédits dont disposait le défunt"). | |
| 1 | Beeston considered ḏ-Wb as the mention of Zydʾl's clan, but we know that the family Ẓyrn pertained to the clan Mwqh. Rhodokanakis and Sayed referred to the Demotic word wʿb and suggested "priest" (Rhodokanakis) and "the purified" (Sayed), but both interpretations are difficult to accept (see Robin 1994 c: 294). Robin pointed to the Arabic ḏʾb "fondeur" or to wb as the name of a group or congregation. |
| 2 | Sayed interpreted kb as the name of an aromatic. Beeston found difficulties in considering kb a name and emended k-s¹ ("to him"). Robin 1994 c: 295 proposed "presents" (from the root wkb). Two interpretations have been proposed for k-ṣyh-s¹: "for his boat" (Sayed following Derenbourg 1893) and "for his mummy" (proposed by Beeston and accepted by Robin). However, according to Egyptologists, such a treatment consisting in presents of fine linen for a mummy was exceptional for a simple (and also foreigner) individual (Robin 1994 c: 295). |
| 3 | Sayed translated w-ys¹ʿlyn-s¹ b-ʾh-s¹ as "he was raised up by his mourners", while Müller W.W. 1988 b: 628 saw in the phrase bʾh-s¹ "his Ba" (followed by Beeston and Robin). Ryckmans J. 1966: 499 interpreted the word mn as a part of the temple; so Müller 1988 b: 628: "Bereich". Sayed 1984: 95 translated "port, anchorage" on the base of hieroglyphic "mny" and Coptic "mone" ("it may have been the anchorage of the temple of Osiris-Apis, where the funerary boat of Zaydʾil came to land and his mummy was raised up by his mourners in funeral procession to the temple"); see also Jamme 1985: 225. Beeston 1984 b: 102 translated "outer precinct (of the sanctuary)". The meaning of the word gmn (or lmn?) as "corpse, mummy" has been inferred only from the context. |
| Robin 1994 c: 291 | Robin, Christian J. 1994. L'Egypte dans les inscriptions de l'Arabie méridionale préislamique. Pages 285-301 in Catherine Berger, Gisele Clerc and Nicolas Grimal (eds). Hommages à Jean Leclant. (Bibliothéque d'étude, 106). Cairo: Institut français d'archéologie orientale. |
| Beeston 1984 b | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1984. Further remarks on the Zayd-ʾil sarcophagus text. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 14: 100-102. |
| Sayed 1984 | Sayed, Abdel M. 1984. Reconsideration of the Minaean inscription of Zaidʾil bin Zayd. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 14: 93-99. |
| Derenbourg 1893 | Derenbourg, M. Hartwig 1893. Une épitaphe minéenne d'Egypte, inscrite sous Ptolémée fils de Ptolémée. Journal Asiatique, 2: 515-528. |
| Müller, Walter W. 1988 b | Müller, Walter W. 1988. Altsüdarabische und frühnordarabische Grab-, Sarkophag-, Votiv- und Bauinschriften. Pages 621-640 in Christel Butterweck (ed.). Grab-, Sarg-, Votiv- und Bauinschriften. Religiöse Texte. 4. Otto Kaiser (ed.), Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments. 2. Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn. |
| Ryckmans, Jacques 1966 | Ryckmans, Jacques 1966. Himyaritica 2. Le Muséon, 79: 475-500. |
| Jamme 1985 | Jamme, Albert W.F. 1985. Miscellanées d'ancient arabe XIV. Washington. 2019/07/23; https://cuislandora.wrlc.org/islandora/object/cuislandora%3A203545#page/1/mode/1up. [Privately printed] |
| German | |
1 Sarkophag für Zaidʾil, den Sohn des Zaid, von der Sippe Zairan der von Wabb, welcher eingeführt hat Myrrhen und Kalmussorten für die Tempel der Götter Ägyptens in den Tagen des Ptolemaios, des Sohnes des Ptolemaios 2 [...] und es starb Zaidʾil im Monat Hathor, und man schickte Linnen aus allen Tempeln der Götter Ägyptens als ihr Geschenk, Byssus-gewand als sein Leichentuch, und sie brachten ihn, 3 (nämlich) seinen Baʾ, hinauf in den Bereich des Tempels des Gottes Serapis, im Monat Choiak des Jahres zweiundzwanzig des Königs Ptolemaios. Und Zaidil stellte ein Epitaph uns seinen Sarkophag in den Schutz des Serapis und der Götter, die mit ihm in seinem Heiligtum sind. |
| 1 | [eingeführt hat] D.h. aus Südarabien importiert hat. Myrrhe wurde in Ägypten besonders zur Einbalsamierung gebraucht. Kalmus oder Gewürzrohr wird auch Hld 4,14 neben Myrrhe unter den Spezereien aufgezählt. [Tempel] Wörtlich: Häuser. [der Götter Ägyptens] Vgl. die der Götter Ägyptens in Ex 12,12. Da alle Herrscher der Ptolemaios-Dynastie den Namen Ptolemaios trugen, ist nicht ganz genau auszumachen, um welchen der länger regierenden Könige es sich hier handelt; höchstwahrscheinlich ist Ptolemaios II. Philadelphos, der Sohn des Ptolemaios I. Soter, gemeint. |
| 2 | ḥtḥr, ägyptisch ḥt-ḥr, koptisch Hathōr, der dritte Monat, dem November entsprechend. kb; vgl. koptisch kap "Faden, Linnen". tmḫ; Bedeutung unsicher. bwṣ "Byssus"; vgl. Gen 41,42, wo Joseph vom Pharao mit bigḏē šēš, "Byssusgewändern" (LXX: stolē byssinē "Byssusgewand"), bekleidet wird. kṣy; vgl. koptisch kaise "Einbalsamierung, Leichentuch, Leichnam". |
| 3 | bʾ, ägyptisch bʾ "Seele, Toten-Seele". ʾṯrḥf, ägyptisch wsjr-ḥp, Osiris-Apis, dessen Kult unter Ptolemaios seinen Höhepunkt erreichte. kyḥk, ägyptisch kʾ-ḥr-kʾ, koptisch Koiahk, der vierte Monat, dem Dezember entsprechend. [zweiundzwanzig] D.h. höchstwahrscheinlich im Jahr 261 v.Chr. zydl als Variante zu zydʾl. lmn bzw. gmn; Bedeutung unsicher. |
| Müller, Walter W. 1988 b: 627-628 | Müller, Walter W. 1988. Altsüdarabische und frühnordarabische Grab-, Sarkophag-, Votiv- und Bauinschriften. Pages 621-640 in Christel Butterweck (ed.). Grab-, Sarg-, Votiv- und Bauinschriften. Religiöse Texte. 4. Otto Kaiser (ed.), Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments. 2. Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Cairo, Egyptian Museum, SS 27/B 4 |
| Support type | Artefact » Sarcophagus |
| Material | Wood |
| Measures | h. 200, w. 60, th. 39 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Unknown |
| Ancient site | Unknown |
| Country | Egypt |
| Archaeological context | Funerary context |
| Notes | The provenance is unknown; the Fayyum or Saqqara's Serapeum have been proposed. |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
This interesting text is the funerary inscription written on the sarcophagus of a Minaean trader of myrrh and calamus for the Egyptian temples. The text, which records his Egyptian funerary ceremony, testifies to the stable presence of Minaeans in Egypt and to their integration. Remarkable is the South-Arabian rendering of some Egyptian words.
The chronology of this text is disputed. The dating to the 22nd year of "Ptolemy son of Ptolemy" is far from being exhaustive, due to the long sequence of kings in the Ptolemaic dynasty. Robin, considering the palaeography quite late, suggests a date around the end of the 2nd and the beginning of the 1st century BC. The most plausible date, however, seems to be that of Ptolemy II (ruling 285-246 BC). If this identification were true, the text would be dated to 263 BC.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Beeston 1937 b: 59-62 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1937. Two South Arabian inscriptions. Some suggestions. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society: 59-68. |
| Sayed 1984: 93-99 (facsimile) | Sayed, Abdel M. 1984. Reconsideration of the Minaean inscription of Zaidʾil bin Zayd. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 14: 93-99. |
| Beeston 1984 b: 100-102 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1984. Further remarks on the Zayd-ʾil sarcophagus text. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 14: 100-102. |
| Robin 1994 c: 291-296, fig. 8 | Robin, Christian J. 1994. L'Egypte dans les inscriptions de l'Arabie méridionale préislamique. Pages 285-301 in Catherine Berger, Gisele Clerc and Nicolas Grimal (eds). Hommages à Jean Leclant. (Bibliothéque d'étude, 106). Cairo: Institut français d'archéologie orientale. |
| Swiggers 1995: 336-343 | Swiggers, Pierre 1995. A Minaean sarcophagus inscription from Egypt. Pages 335-343 in Karel van Lerberghe and Antoon Schoors (eds). Immigration and emigration within the ancient Near East. Festschrift Edward Lipiński. (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta, 65). Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters en Departement Oriëntalistiek. |
| Jamme 1985 | Jamme, Albert W.F. 1985. Miscellanées d'ancient arabe XIV. Washington. 2019/07/23; https://cuislandora.wrlc.org/islandora/object/cuislandora%3A203545#page/1/mode/1up. [Privately printed] |
| Derenbourg 1893 | Derenbourg, M. Hartwig 1893. Une épitaphe minéenne d'Egypte, inscrite sous Ptolémée fils de Ptolémée. Journal Asiatique, 2: 515-528. |