CSAI

Corpus of Sabaic Inscriptions (work in progress)


Grjaznevič 1978: fig. 20
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INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Sabaic » Central Middle Sabaic
AlphabetAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Writing techniqueIncision
Chronology
PeriodC
Textual typologyLegal text - fragmentary

GENERAL NOTES

The stone is reemployed on a city gate of ʿAmrān.

TEXT


   1  [... ...]—
   2  [..]n w-ʾlmqhw bʿ(l)-(ʾ)[wm ... ... t]—
   3  [b](s²)rn ʾ[d]m-hw bny Mr[ṯdm ʾfqlm]
   4  [nʾ]dm w-ʾṯmr ṣdqm b-hwt (s¹)[... ...]
   5  [..]tm w-l-s¹twfyn kl ʾṯmr [... ...]
   6  [..](yw) hwʾ s¹rn bn kl lm[... ...]
   7  [b]-(ḫ)rf Wddʾl bn Ḥywm [bn Ḥz]—
   8  frm w-bn-hw w-l-ʾḫr w-bnw M[rṯd]—
   9  [m] f-ʾl-s³nw ḫdl hyʿ w-hwfyn [ʾl]—
  10  mqhw bʿl-ʾwm [.]n s¹ṭr w-(ṣ)[ḥft]
  11  [ḏn] wtfn drm drm b-ḫr[f... ...]

Apparatus
Rhodokanakis suggested the following integrations:
1-2yzʾn tb]s²rn.
4b-hwt [s¹rn.
5-6w-ʾfql hḥ]yw.
6lm[t lmt.
10[h]n.

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  [... ...]
   2  .. And [may] ʾlmqh Master of ʾwm
   3  [continue?] to give His servants the banū Mrṯdm favourable announcements of luxuriant
   4  crops and perfect harvests in that [... ...]
   5  .. and may (He) continue to protect all the fruit crops [... ...]
   6  ... that valley, against any [... ...]
   7  in the year of Wddʾl son of Ḥywm descendant of Ḥz-
   8  frm for now and in future; and as for the banū Mrṯdm,
   9  they are not permitted to stop gratifying ʾlmqh, Master of ʾwm,
  10  with sacrifices and offerings, in respect of (?) the inscription and the document
  11  of this wtf-document once a year (?) [... ...].
6Rhodokanakis, according to his integration: "vor jedem Verder[ben, wie es eintraf"
10"They are not permitted to neglect the performance and carrying out of [the orders ...]" (Beeston 1981 b: 22). "Quant aux Banū Marṯad, ils ne doivent pas cesser d'offrir des sacrifices et de rendre son dû à ʾAlmaqah, seigneur de ʾAwwām - conformément au texte et document de ce wtf - à perpétuité, chaque année" (J. Ryckmans 1953 b: 355).
Rhodokanakis 1917Rhodokanakis, Nikolaus 1917. Studien zur Lexikographie und Grammatik des Altsüdarabischen. II Heft. (Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Philosophisch-Historische Klasse, 185/3). Vienna: Alfred Hölder.
Ryckmans, Jacques 1953 bRyckmans, Jacques 1953. À propos du mʿmr sud-arabe: RES 3884 bis. Le Muséon, 66: 343-369.
Beeston 1981 bBeeston, Alfred F.L. 1981. Two epigraphic South Arabian roots: HYʿ and KRB. Pages 21-34 in Roswitha G. Stiegner (ed.). al-Hudhud. Festschrift Maria Höfner zum 80. Geburtstag. Graz: Karl-Franzens-Universität.

OBJECT INFORMATION

Support typeStone inscription
MaterialStone
Measuresh. 150, w. 40
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Provenance
Modern siteUnknown
Ancient siteUnknown
Geographical areaUnknown
CountryUnknown
FoundReemployed. In modern times
Link to site record

CULTURAL NOTES

According to Rhodokanakis, this wtf-document concerns a land belonging to the ʾAlmaqah temple, which had been transferred to the banū Mrṯdm to be exploited.
As the clan did not fulfil the contract, they were told by the oracle that the famine and drought had been sent by the God to punish them. The God now asks them to make the offering as a compensation for their fault and as a guarantee for them to meet in future their obligations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Rhodokanakis 1917: 157-162Rhodokanakis, Nikolaus 1917. Studien zur Lexikographie und Grammatik des Altsüdarabischen. II Heft. (Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Philosophisch-Historische Klasse, 185/3). Vienna: Alfred Hölder.
Fakhry 1952: 16, fig. 4Fakhry, Ahmed 1952. An archaeological Journey to Yemen (March-May 1947). (3 vols), Cairo: Government Press.
Grjaznevič 1978: 26, fig. 20Grjaznevič, Petr A. 1978. Materiali ekspedicii P.A. Grjaznevičia 1966-1967 gg. Južnaja Aravija. Pamjiatniki Drevnej Istorii i Kultury. 1. Moscow: Glavnaja redakzija vostočnoj literatury.