Arbach-Sayūn 1 CSAI I, 115
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Qatabanic » Central Qatabanic | ||
| Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Writing technique | Incision | ||
| Measure of letters | 3.5 | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
GENERAL NOTES
| Two fragments of the lacking face of the altar are edited as ATM 877 A-B. The beginning of the text is lacking, but it is in all likelihood a dedicatory inscription, as clearly shown by the text's formulary. The dedicant is ʾbʿly, from Ḥinū az-Zurayr. |
TEXT
[... ...]
1 ʾs¹rr w-ʾʿrr w-ʾbḍʿ w-ʾs¹wṭ ʾs²ʿ(b )[Ḥḍrmwt w-Ṣ]dfn w-Gd→mm w-S¹ybn w-ʾs²ʿb-s¹m w-dhr hgrn S²dwm w-Ṯwbt w-bn-s¹my s¹→ġrm w-s³mkm w-dhr s²lṯ mʾt hgrm w-s¹by bny-s¹m w-bnty-
2 s¹m w-ṯll ʾqny-s¹m w-ḫrs² hgr-s¹m s¹bym (w)-(ṯllm )w-ḫrs²m ʿs¹→mm w-ys¹ʿnw w-s¹nṭʿ w-ʾtm kl ʾs²ʿb Ḥḍrmwt b-s¹rn Lbd w-→ydmrw w-ws³ʿ bn S²bm Ydʿʾb w-Ydʿʾb w-wld ʿm w-ws³ʿ mṣ—
3 r Ḥḍrmwt b-s¹rn Lbd w-yhrgw w-s¹lqḥ Ḥḍrmwt w-s¹nqḏ r→kwb-s¹m w-ʾftn-s¹m w-ḏm s¹ʾr bn Ḥḍrmwt s¹tʿnw w-ṯkt ʾʿ→rrn w-yhrgw ʾbʿly w-s²ʿb-s¹ hrgm ʿs¹mm w-ys¹qhlw kl ḏm
4 s¹ʾr bn ʾs²ʿb Ḥḍrmwt w-Ṣdfn w-Gdmm w-Yhbʾr w-ḏ-Hgr→m w-kl ʾs²ʿb Ḥḍrmwt l-s¹lmm l-Ydʿʾb w-wld ʿm w-l-mrʾ-s¹→m Ydʿʾb w-yʿlww ṯfwd-s¹m l-ʾrḍ Qtbn w-ygbʾw w-s¹ʿrb
5 Ydʿʾb Ġyln w-bn-s¹ww ʾbyṯʿ w-ʿrqm w-s²ʿbm kwn kwn-s¹→m bn s²ʿb-s¹m Ḥḍrmwt ʿd ws¹ṭ hgr-s¹m S²bwt w-yṯbw ʾbʿ→ly w-s²ʿb-s¹ hgr-s¹m Hrbt l-s¹bʿ wrḫm b-brym w-ḥmdm w-n—
6 [... ...] bn nfs¹-→s¹ w-ʾḏn-s¹ w-dd-s¹ Hnʿm w-bn ʾbʿly ʾws¹ʿṯt w-kl ʾwld-s¹→m w-qny-[s¹m ... ...]
7 [... ... Qt]bn w-b m→rʾy-hw Ydʿʾb Ḏbyn Yhnʿm w-bn-hw S²hrm mlkw Qt→bn w-b-s²[ʿb... ...]
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
[... ...] 1 valleys and mountains and territories and districts (or: cisterns) of the tribes of the Ḥaḍramawt and Ṣdfn and Gdmm and S¹ybn and of their tribes and they burnt down the two cities S²dwn and Ṯwbt completely (lit: between them, the small and the large) and they burnt down three hundred cities and took as prisoners their sons and 2 their daughters and took their goods as a booty and sacked their cities (taking) plenty of slaves, booty, spoils. Then all the Ḥaḍrami tribes sought help, raised an insurrection and gathered in the Lbd plain and then (coming) from S²bm, Ydʿʾb and Ydʿʾb and the sons of ʿm victoriously destroyed and vanquished, and 3 the army of the Ḥaḍramawt was vanquished in the Lbd plain and then they scattered death and destruction to the Ḥaḍramawt and captured their horsemen and young soldiers and those of the Ḥaḍramawt who were taking shelter (?) in the mountains; then ʾbʿly and his tribe killed a number of people until all that 4 remained of the tribes of the Ḥaḍramawt and Ṣdfn and Gdmm and Yhbʾr and ḏ-Hgrm and of all the tribes of the Ḥaḍramawt gathered in peace toward Ydʿʾb and the sons of ʿm and their lord Ydʿʾb. They brought up their booty to the land of Qatabān and 5 Ydʿʾb Ġyln and his sons ʾbyṯʿ and ʿqrm and the tribes, that gave their support among the tribes of the Ḥaḍramawt, came back and entered inside their city S²bwt. ʾbʿly and his tribe came back to their city of Hrbt safely and with glory on the seventh month 6 [... ...]himself, his faculties, his uncle Hnʿm, the son of ʾbʿly ʾws¹ʿṯt and all their successors and their properties 7 [... ...]Qatabān and by his two masters Ydʿʾb Ḏbyn Yhnʿm and his son S²hrm the two kings of Qatabān and by [... ...] |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Sayʾūn, Museum |
| Support type | Artefact » Altar |
| Shape | Squared |
| Material | Alabaster |
| Measures | h. 20 (faces A and C), h. 29.5 (face B), w. 41.5 (face A and C), w. 49.8 (face B), th. 9 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Sayʾūn |
| Ancient site | S¹yʾn |
| Geographical area | Central Ḥaḍramawt |
| Country | Yemen |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
Perhaps the general meaning of the text is different from the interpretation given in Avanzini 2004. The text is not dealing with a war between Qataban and the Ḥaḍramawt, but between the king of Ḥaḍramawt and some rebellious tribes. Qataban would have helped the king.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Arbach and as-Saqqāf 2001: 110-123, figs 21-22 | Arbach, Mounir and as-Saqqāf, ʿAbdul H. 2001. Naqš ǧadīd min ʿahd Ydʿʾb Yhnʿm malik Qtbn w-Ydʿʾb Ġyln malik Ḥḍrmwt. Raydān, 7: 110-123. [Arabic section] |