CSAI

Corpus of Sabaic Inscriptions (work in progress)


INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Sabaic » Central Middle Sabaic
AlphabetAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Writing techniqueIncision
Chronology
PeriodD
Textual typologyDedicatory text

GENERAL NOTES

Iryani transcribed the text in a paragraph arrangement that did not respect the original disposition of the lines.

TEXT


   1  S²rḥʾl Yzʾn bn Tzʾd hqny ʾlmqhw Ṯhwn bʿl ʾwm ṣlmn ḥg-n wqh-hw b-ms¹ʾl-hw w-b-ʿly-hw kbtm ḏ-s¹twkl-hw ʿbd-hw S²rḥʾl bn Tzʾd l-ṯmrm ḏ-kwn b-ʾrḍ-hmw l-ḫrf Tbʿkrb bn Mʿdkrb bn Ḥzfrm ṯkmtn
   2  w-l-wzʾ ʾlmqhw bʿl ʾwm hwfyn-hmw b-kl ʾmlʾ ys¹tmlʾn b-ʿm-hw w-l-wfy-hmw w-ʾlwd-hmw w-ḥẓy w-rḍw mrʾy-hmw ʿlhn Nhfn w-bny-hw S²ʿrm ʾwtr mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn bny Yrm ʾymn mlk S¹bʾ w-l-s¹ʿd-hmw ʾwldm ʾḏkrm hnʾm b-ʾlmqhw bʿl ʾwm

Apparatus
1l-ṯmrm kwn (Iryānī in the South Arabian transcription).
ʾlmqh (ʿInān).
Some problems in ʿInān's transcription in South Arabian characters. The Arabic transcription omits the central part of the line.
2Iryānī transcription has been followed.
ʾlmqh bʿl ʾwm hwfn-hmw; w-l-hwfy-hmw w-l-rṯd-hmw w-ḥẓy w-rḍw mrʾy-hmw; mlky S¹bʾ (ʿInān).

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  S²rḥʾl Yzʾn of the family Tzʾd dedicated to ʾlmqhw Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm the statue as He had ordered him in His oracle and in addition to it a votive object (a bowl?) by which his servant S²rḥʾl, of the family Tzʾd, sought favour from Him for the crops in his land, in the first year of Tbʿkrb son of Mʿdkrb of the family Ḥzfrm,
   2  and may ʾlmqhw, Lord of ʾwm, continue to satisfy them in all the favours he will seek from Him and for their safety and (the safety of) their children and the goodwill and the satisfaction of the their lords ʿlhn Nhfn and his son S²ʿrm ʾwtr the kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān, sons of Yrm ʾymn king of Sabaʾ, and may He grant to them healthy male children. By ʾlmqhw, Lord of ʾwm.
1The translation "bowl" for kbtm is proposed by Ryckmans 1974: 244.
Ryckmans, Jacques 1974: 244Ryckmans, Jacques 1974. Himyaritica 3. Le Muséon, 87: 237-263.

OBJECT INFORMATION

DepositṢanʿāʾ, al-Kuhālī collection (Private collection)
Support typeArtefact » Base » Of statue with dedicatory inscription
MaterialStone
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin and provenance
Modern siteMaḥram Bilqīs
Ancient siteʾwm
Geographical areaMaʾrib
CountryYemen
Archaeological contextReligious context: Temple of ʾlmqhw Ṯhwn bʿl ʾwm
Link to site record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

al-Iryānī 1973: 60-61al-Iryānī, Muṭahhar 1973. Fī taʾriḫ al-Yaman. Cairo.
ʿInān 1976: 210-211ʿInān, Zaid b. ʿA 1976. Taʾriḫ ḥaḍāra al-Yaman al-qadīm. Cairo.
al-Iryānī 1990: 93-95al-Iryānī, Muṭahhar 1990. Fī-taʾrīḫ al-Yaman. Nuquš musnadiya wa-taʿliqāt. Ṣanʿāʾ: Markaz al-dirāsāt wa-l-buḥūṯ al-Yamanī.