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
Measure of letters2.2
Chronology
PeriodD
Textual typologyDedicatory text

TEXT


   1  Rbs²ms¹m Yzd w-ʾḫy[-hw Krbʿṯt ʾs¹ʿd bny S¹ʾrn ... ...]
   2  w-Mḥylm w-S³mkm ʾqwl s²ʿbn B(kl)m rbʿn ḏ-Rydt mq—
   3  twyy ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb w-ʾḫy-hw Yʾzl Byn mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn b—
   4  ny Frʿm Ynhb mlk S¹bʾ hqnyy ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm ḏn ṣl—
   5  mn ḏ-ḏhbn ḥmdm b-ḏt hws²ʿ w-hrdʾn mrʾ-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb
   6  mlk S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn b-s¹bṭ w-ṯbr w-hṯlʿn w-hs¹ḥtn Krbʾl ḏ-Rydn
   7  w-kl mṣr w-ʾs²ʿb w-ḫms¹ Ḥmyrm wld-ʿm((Ḥmyrm wld-ʿm)) b-kn tqdmw w-rtḍḥn b-
   8  ḥql Ḥrmtm w-s¹ḥt Krbʾl ḏ-Rydn w-ʾs²ʿb-hw w-ḫms¹-hw bn ʿrn ʾ—
   9  s¹ʾy w-Qrnnhn ʿdy ʿrws²tn w-Ẓlmn w-Hkrbm w-ḥmdm b-ḏt hws²ʿ
  10  w-hwfyn mrʾy-hmw bn kl bʿwt w-bḥḍt s¹bʾy w-bʿw w-bḥḍ
  11  w-tḥbn w-wḍʿ w-hrg w-mtlyn ʿs¹m s¹bʾtm w-bʿwtm w-hgm w-
  12  mṣnʿm w-ʾbytm w-mhrgtm w-s¹bym w-ġnmm w-mltm ḏ-hrḍw
  13  mrʾy-hmw bn hnt s¹bʾtn ḏ-s¹bʾy w-ḍbʾ mrʾy-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb
  14  w-ʾḫy-hw Yʾzl Byn mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn bny Frʿm Ynhb mlk S¹bʾ
  15  ʿdy ʾrḍ Ḥmyrm w-ḥmdm b-ḏt hws²ʿ w-hrdʾn ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾ—
  16  wm mrʾy-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb w-ʾḫy-hw Yʾzl Byn mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Ry—
  17  dn bny Frʿm Ynhb mlk S¹bʾ b-ṯbr w-wḍʿ w-hs¹ḥtn w-hṯlʿn K—
  18  rbʾl ḏ-Rydn w-ʾqwl-hw w-ḫms¹-hw w-ʾs²ʿb-hw w-ʾfrs¹-hw wld-ʿm
  19  b-kn tʾtmw w-rtḍḥn w-tqdmn b-s¹rn ḏ-ʾẓwr w-ʾtw Krbʾl ḏ-Ry—
  20  dn w-ḫms¹-hw b-s¹ḥtm ʿdy hgrnhn Yklʾ w-ʾbwn w-bn-hw f-tʾwlw
  21  ḏ-s¹ʾr bn mṣr-hmw ʾys¹m ʿbr-hw s¹ḥtm ʿdy ʾrḍt-hmw w-bʿd-hw f-
  22  blt Krbʾl ḏ-Rydn tʿrbm w-s¹fḥ ʿqbt-hw tḥt mrʾy-hmw ʾls²[r]—
  23  ḥ Yḥḍb w-ʾḫy-hw Yʾzl Byn mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn bny Frʿm Ynhb
  24  mlk S¹bʾ w-bʿd-hw f-ḍbʾy mrʾy-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb w-ʾḫy-hw Yʾ—
  25  zl Byn mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn ʿdy ʾrḍ Ḥmyrm w-hwṣlw ʿdy ḫlf
  26  hgrn Hkrm w-ʾs¹yw b-hw Krbʾl ḏ-Rydn w-ḫms¹-hw w-ẓwry-hmw m—
  27  rʾy-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb w-ʾḫy-hw Yʾzl Byn mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Ryd—
  28  n b-hyt hgrn Hkrm ʿdy s¹bʿ w-tḍrʿn Krbʾl ḏ-Rydn w-ʾqwl-hw w-
  29  ʾs²ʿb-hw tḥt mrʾy-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb w-ʾḫy-hw Yʾzl Byn mlky
  30  S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn w-ḥmdm b-ḏt ḫmr ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm ʿbdy-h—
  31  w Rbs²ms¹m Yzd w-Krbʿṯt ʾs¹ʿd b-tʾwln hmy w-s²ʿb-hmy Bklm
  32  [r]bʿn ḏ-Rydt b-wfym w-(m)hrgtm w-s¹bym w-ʾḫḏtm w-ġnmm w-mltm
  33  ḏ-hrḍw ʿbdy-hw w-ḥmdm b-ḏt mtʿ ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm ʿbd-hw
  34  Krbʿṯt ʾs¹ʿd bn S¹ʾrn bn kl ts²ynt s²yn b-ḥql Ḥrmtm w-
  35  [l-w]zʾ ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm ḫmr ʿbdy-hw Rbs²ms¹m w-Krbʿṯt b—
  36  [ny S¹ʾrn] ḥẓy w-rḍw mrʾy-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb w-ʾḫy-hw Yʾzl Byn
  37  mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn bny Frʿm Ynhb mlk S¹bʾ b-ʾhn-mw yqhnn-
  38  hmy mrʾy-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb w-ʾḫy-hw Yʾzl Byn mlky S¹bʾ
  39  w-ḏ-Rydn l-bltm w-mqrnm w-qhtm w-b-kl ʾbrṯ yqhn-hmw mrʾy-
  40  (h)mw l-s¹bʾ w-tnṣfn w-l ḫryn-hmy ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm bn nḍʿ
  41  w-s²ṣy w-ʿbṭ w-zʾt w-tṯʿt s²nʾm ḏ-rḥq w-qrb w-ḏ-bn-hw dʿw w-
  42  (ḏ)-bn-hw ʾl dʿw w-bn ʾlhtm ḏ-ytʾlhn-hmy s²nʾ-hmw b-ʿly ḥ—
  43  (ṣ)y mrʾy-hmw b-ʿṯtr w-ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm w-b s²ymy-hmw ʿṯ—
  44  [t]r- w-ʾlw-Zʿln-bʿly-ʿrn-b-Yfʿ w-b mrʾy-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb w-ʾḫy-hw [Y]ʾzl Byn mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn bny Frʿm Ynhb mlk S¹bʾ

Apparatus
37, 39, 42yqhnn, yqhn, ytʾlhn: unfinished verbs with continuous sense.
39Variant reading by J. Ryckmans 1966, 476-477.

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  Rbs²ms¹m Yzd and his brother Krbʿṯt ʾs¹ʿd, of the family S¹ʾrn,
   2  Mḥylm, S³mkm, ʾqwl of the tribe of Bklm, fraction of Rydt,
   3  mqtwyy of ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb and his brother Yʾzl Byn, the two kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān,
   4  sons of Frʿm Ynhb, king of Sabaʾ, dedicated to ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, this statue
   5  in bronze in praise because He favored and helped their lord ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb,
   6  king of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān, to beat, destroy, defeat and rout Krbʾl ḏu-Raydān
   7  and all the army, the tribes and the troops of Ḥimyar, the children of ʿm, when they made the battle
   8  in the plain of Ḥrmtm, and Krbʾl ḏu-Raydān and his tribes and his troops brought destruction from the mountain
   9  ʾs¹ʾy and Qrnnhn to ʿrws²tn, Ẓlmn and Hkrm. And in praise because He favored
  10  and saved their two lords from all the offensives, the sorties, the incursions in which they were engaged,
  11  bringing war, humiliating, killing and obtaining as booty, in numerous campaigns and offensives,
  12  fortresses, palaces, victims, captives, booty, prize of war, which pleased
  13  their two lords from those expeditions in which they fought and waged war, their two lords ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb
  14  and his brother Yʾzl Byn, the two kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān, sons of Frʿm Ynhb, king of Sabaʾ,
  15  in the land of Ḥimyar. And in praise because ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of
  16  ʾwm, favoured and helped their two lords ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb and his brother Yʾzl Byn, the two kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān,
  17  sons of Frʿm Ynhb, king of Sabaʾ, to destroy, humiliate, rout and defeat
  18  Krbʾl ḏu-Raydān, his ʾqwl, his troops, his tribes, his cavalrymen, the children of ʿm,
  19  when they were regrouped, enaged in pitched battle and guided in the wadi of ʾẓwr, and Krbʾl ḏu-Raydān
  20  and his army came back in disorder to the two towns of Yklʾ and ʾbwn; and from there
  21  those survivers of their army retired, everyone in his direction, in disorder, to their lands. And after that
  22  Krbʾl ḏu-Raydān sent guarantee of good conduct and placed his governors under the orders of their two lords ʾls²rḥ
  23  Yḥḍb and his brother Yʾzl Byn, the two kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān, sons of Frʿm Ynhb,
  24  king of Sabaʾ. And after that their two lords ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb and his brother
  25  Yʾzl Byn, the two kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān, waged war until the land of Ḥimyar, and they arrived until the region
  26  of the town of Hkrm and found there Krbʾl ḏu-Raydān and his army and
  27  their two lords ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb and his brother Yʾzl Byn, the two kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān, besieged them
  28  in that town of Hkrm, until Krbʾl ḏu-Raydān, his ʾqwl and
  29  his tribes surrended and submitted on the authority of their two lords ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb and his brother Yʾzl Byn, the two kings
  30  of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān. And in praise because ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, granted to his servants
  31  Rbs²ms¹m Yzd and Krbʿṯt ʾs¹ʿd to come back, both of them and their tribe of Bklm,
  32  fraction of Rydt, in safety and with spoils, captives, prisoners of war, booty and riches,
  33  which pleased his two servants; and in praise because ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, saved his servant
  34  Krbʿṯt ʾs¹ʿd of the family S¹ʾrn from all the physical injury that he suffered in the plain of Ḥrmtm; and
  35  may ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, continue to grant to his servants Rbs²ms¹m and Krbʿṯt
  36  of the family S¹ʾrn the favour and the goodwill of their two lords ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb and his brother Yʾzl Byn,
  37  the two kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān, sons of Frʿm Ynhb, king of Sabaʾ, in whatever
  38  their two lords ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb and his brother Yʾzl Byn, the two kings of Sabaʾ
  39  and ḏu-Raydān, should command to both of them for diplomatic mission, garrison duty, and assignments in all the military campaigns that their two lords,
  40  should command to them for fighting and performing service. And may ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, deliver them from the maleficence,
  41  the malice, the calamity, the oppression, the calumny of any enemy, far or near, known or
  42  unknown, and from the malediction that their enemy might give them against the
  43  favour of their two lords. Byʿṯtr and ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, and by their Patrons ʿṯtr
  44  and ʾlw Zʿln, Lords of the citaled in Yfʿ, and by their two lords ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb and his brother Yʾzl Byn, the two kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān, sons of Frʿm Ynhb, king of Sabaʾ.
7Ch. Robin translates: "toutes le forces, les contingents tribaux et l'armée royale de Ḥimyar".
8s¹ḥt: "defeat" is translated by Ch. Robin as "furent chassés".
11hgm: from *HYG "battle", Beeston 1972 a, 540-541, considers -m not radical and compares it with ar. hayjā "riot, war". Jamme translates "unexpected assault"; Beeston 1976 a, 40: "in a large number of campaigns and offensives".
22ʿqbt: Beeston 1976 b, 41 translates as "loyalty" ("and pledged his loyalty to the joint kings"); instead, probably, it indicates the governors.
Beeston 1972 a: 540-541Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1972. Notes on old South Arabian lexicography VII. Le Muséon, 85: 535-544.
Beeston 1976 b: 41Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1976. Warfare in ancient South Arabian (2nd.-3rd. centuries A.D.). Qahtan. Studies in Old Arabian Epigraphy. 3. London: Luzac and Co.
Robin 1991-1993 a: 21Robin, Christian J. (ed.) 1991-1993 [1992]. L'Arabie antique de Karibʾîl à Mahomet. Nouvelles données sur l'histoire des Arabes grâces aux inscriptions. (Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Mediterranée, 61). Aix-en-Provence: Édisud.

OBJECT INFORMATION

DepositMārib
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 ʾlmqh bʿl ʾwm
NotesThe stone was re-employed in the western pavement.
Link to site record

CULTURAL NOTES

The battle between Sabaʾ and Ḥimyar in the plain of Ḥurma is also narrated in the Ḥimyarite inscription MAFRAY al-Miʿsāl 2. Both the documents report the victory of the author's army.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jamme 1962 a: 83-86Jamme, Albert W.F. 1962. Sabaean Inscriptions from Maḥram Bilqîs (Mârib). (Publications of the American Foundation for the Study of Man, 3). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.
Ryckmans, Jacques 1966: 476-477Ryckmans, Jacques 1966. Himyaritica 2. Le Muséon, 79: 475-500.
Beeston 1972 e: 351Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1972. Review of Jamme, Albert W.F. 1962. Sabaean Inscriptions from Maḥram Bilqîs (Mârib). (Publications of the American Foundation for the Study of Man, 3). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 35/2: 349-353.
Beeston 1976 b: 40-41Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1976. Warfare in ancient South Arabian (2nd.-3rd. centuries A.D.). Qahtan. Studies in Old Arabian Epigraphy. 3. London: Luzac and Co.
Beeston 1981 a: 20-21Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1981. Miscellaneous Epigraphic Notes. Raydān, 4: 9-28.
Nebes 1987: 84Nebes, Norbert 1987. Zur Konstruktion von Subjekt und Objekt abhängiger Infinitive in Sabäischen. Pages 75-98 in Christian J. Robin and Muḥammad ʿA. Bāfaqīh (eds). Ṣayhadica. Recherches sur les inscriptions de l'Arabie préislamique offertes par ses collègues au professeur A.F. L. Beeston. (Arabie préislamique, 1). Paris: Librairie orientaliste Paul Geuthner.
Robin 1991-1993 a: 21Robin, Christian J. (ed.) 1991-1993 [1992]. L'Arabie antique de Karibʾîl à Mahomet. Nouvelles données sur l'histoire des Arabes grâces aux inscriptions. (Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Mediterranée, 61). Aix-en-Provence: Édisud.
Nebes 1995 a: 40-42Nebes, Norbert 1995. Die Konstruktionen mit /fa-/ im Altsüdarabischen. Syntaktische und epigraphische Untersuchungen. (Veröffentlichungen der Orientalischen Kommission, 40). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.