DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details

Image free from copyright

INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Language

Ancient South Arabian » Sabaic » Central Middle Sabaic

Alphabet

Ancient South Arabian

Script typology

Monumental writing

Writing technique

Incision

Chronology

Period

Textual typology

Dedicatory text

TEXT

Apparatus

1-2	Iryānī's transcription: Ns²ʾkrb[....] ḏ-Mḥltm w-bn-hw Whbʾwm[..] ʾkbrw Yḏkr[...]
4-5	hʾmn (Iryānī), hymn (Nāmī). The correction is proposed by Ryckmans 1974: 243 on the basis of the reading of Nāmī's photograph.
6	ʿbd-h (Nāmī), but Iryānī's transcription ʿbd-hw is correct.
21-25	The text from the end of l.21 to the beginning of l.25 is missing in Iryānī's transcription.
34	Ṯwrm Bʿlm (Nāmī).

TRANSLATIONS

CSAI

English

   1  [... ...]
   2  of the family Mḥltm, ʾkbrw of Yḏkr, dedicated to ʾlmqh Ṯhwn,
   3  Lord of ʾwm, the statue in bronze with which he sought His favour and by which they praised
   4  the might and the power of their Lord ʾlmqh, because He granted and make free from
   5  the wrath and the affliction (when) ʾlmqh was remote, irritated and He afflicted
   6  His servant Ns²ʾkrb of the family Mḥltm, and because ʾlmqh delivered and protected and
   7  saved the persons of His servants Ns²ʾkrb and Whbʾwm of the
   8  family Mḥltm and their house from any evil and bad event
   9  and from the wars and the events that took place in the first year of Mʿdkrb son of Ns²ʾkrb
  10  of the family Fḍḥm,and because ʾlmqh granted to His servant
  11  Ns²ʾkrb to be safe and proceed and come home safe and sound to Mryb,
  12  in that very year when their lord Whbʾl Yḥz, king
  13  of Sabaʾ, became king in the palace S¹lḥn after those wars and those
  14  events which took place in that year since the expedition that Ns²ʾkrb made
  15  to the land of Ḥimyar and Rḥbtn in the year before that year,
  16  and because ʾlmqh fulfilled, saved and protected His servants Ns²ʾkrb
  17  and Whbʾwm in all the favours and the requests they sought from Him,
  18  and in praise because ʾlmqh granted to fulfill them and save them in all
  19  the favourable oracles, good news, promises and bestowal that ʾlmqh gave, promised, bestowed and
  20  announced to His servant Ns²ʾkrb for his safety and their return to
  21  Mryb from that expedition. May ʾlmqh continue to fulfill
  22  and save His servant Ns²ʾkrb in the favourable oracles that He may grant them,
  23  in security, oracles and divine favour that they will continue to seek and implore from Him,
  24  and may ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, continue to grant and bestow on
  25  His servant Ns²ʾkrb and the family Mḥltm and their house prosperity
  26  and safety and good luck that will satisfy them (or: by which He will satisfy them), and the satisfaction and the goodwill of their lord
  27  Whbʾl Yḥz, king of Sabaʾ; may ʾlmqh continue to
  28  protect and deliver and save the persons of His servants Ns²ʾkrb and Whbʾwm
  29  and theis house from any evil and damage and bad event
  30  and from the betrayal and the malice and the maleficence of any enemy, far or near, and may ʾlmqh
  31  grant and bestow on His servant Ns²ʾkrb and the family Mḥltm
  32  healthy male children and good crops and harvests, and for what
  33  has been and will be favourable for His servant Ns²ʾkrb and the family Mḥltm;
  34  by ʿṯtr and Hbs¹ and ʾlmqh Ṯhwn and Ṯwr Bʿlm Lords of
  35  ʾwm and Ḥrwnm and by ḏt Ḥmym and by ḏt Bʿdnm, and they committed
  36  their dedication to ʿṯtr S²rqn and ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm.

4-5

For a discussion of the meaning of hẓmn, see Ryckmans 1974: 243-244.

Ryckmans, Jacques 1974: 243-244	Ryckmans, Jacques 1974. Himyaritica 3. Le Muséon, 87: 237-263.

OBJECT INFORMATION

Deposit	Ṣanʿāʾ, al-Kuhālī collection (Private collection)
Support type	Artefact » Base » Of statue with dedicatory inscription
Material	Stone
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin and provenance

Modern site	Maḥram Bilqīs
Ancient site	ʾwm
Geographical area	Maʾrib
Country	Yemen
Archaeological context	Religious context: Temple of ʾlmqh Ṯhwn bʿl ʾwm
Link to site record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nāmī 1961 (NAG): 1-9 (photo)	Nāmī, Khalīl Y. 1961 [1965]. Nuqūš ʿarabiyya ǧanūbiyya (5th collection). Majallat kulliyat al-ʾĀdāb bi-jāmiʿt Fuʾād al-ʾawwal (Cairo university), 23/1: 1-9. 2024/02/19; https://search.mandumah.com/Record/171022.
al-Iryānī 1973: 54-58	al-Iryānī, Muṭahhar 1973. Fī taʾriḫ al-Yaman. Cairo.
Ryckmans, Jacques 1974: 243-244	Ryckmans, Jacques 1974. Himyaritica 3. Le Muséon, 87: 237-263.
al-Iryānī 1990: 87-92	al-Iryānī, Muṭahhar 1990. Fī-taʾrīḫ al-Yaman. Nuquš musnadiya wa-taʿliqāt. Ṣanʿāʾ: Markaz al-dirāsāt wa-l-buḥūṯ al-Yamanī.