CIAS 95.11/o 2 Q 246; CSAI I, 157
By kind permission of GOAM
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Qatabanic » Central Qatabanic | ||
| Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Writing technique | Incision | ||
| Measure of letters | 3 | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
TEXT
1 [Gdnʿ](m)( )w-Ḥmdʿly w-bn-s¹my (ʾ)—
2 bkrb w-Nʿmgd ḏtw Ms²fr*t*-w-T—
3 hṯkn w-Fqḍtn s¹qnyn mr(ʾ)-(s¹n) W—
4 rfw ʾmr-ʿm b-m(ḥr)m-s¹ S²(bʿn)( b)-(hg)—
5 [r]n ḏ-Ġylm ṣlm ḏhbm ḥ(g) m[..]—
6 [.] ḏm s²ftn-s¹ l-wfy mrʾ-s¹n [Nbṭm]
7 (Y)hnʿm mlk Qtbn b-ywm b-s¹ (s¹)[bʾ]
8 [ʿd ]Rḥbtn ʿbr ml(k) S¹bʾ w-ʾ[r]—
9 ḍ Ḥmyrm w-Wrfw (l)-(yzʾ ṣd)[q-]
10 s¹n b-kl mngwm b-yktrbw[n]
11 ʿm-n tḥrg-s¹ l-wfy mrʾ-s¹n N(b)—
12 (ṭm) Yhnʿm mlk Qtbn w-w—
13 [fy]-s¹n w-wfy ʾbrṯ-s¹n rṯdw W—
14 rfw ʾmr-ʿm (ṣlmn) bn-kl ms¹—
15 ←(nk)rm bn( b)[rṯ-s¹]
16 b-ʿṯtr S²(r)[qn w-]
17 ʿm ḏ-Dwnm [w-ʾnby]
18 S²ymn w-N(s²b)[t w-]
19 ʿzyn mn[ḍḥw]
20 Ḥrb
| The last six lines are engraved on the left side of the block. | |
| 8 | The toponym Rḥbtn could be identified with Raḥbān, which lies north of al-Misʿsāl (see Cultural remarks), or with Raḥbatān, north of Ṣanʿāʾ. |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Gdnʿm and Ḥmdʿly the sons of both of them ʾ- 2 bkrb and Nʿmgd of the family Ms²frt and T- 3 hṯkn and Fqḍtn dedicated to their Lord W- 4 rfw ʾmr-ʿm in his temple S²bʿn in the town 5 ḏ-Ġylm a bronze statue as [... ...] 6 that they had promised to Him for the safety of their lord Nbṭm 7 Yhnʿm King of Qatabān in the day in which he carried out a military expedition 8 as far as Rḥbtn against the king of Sabaʾ and the land of 9 Ḥimyar; may Wrfw grant to them 10 again the favour in each enterprise they will undertake 11 under His command for the safety of their lord Nb- 12 ṭm Yhnʿm king of Qatabān and their 13 own safety and the safety of their actions; they have committed 14 this bronze staute to Wrfw ʾmr-ʿm against everyone who may 15 damage it from its place; 16 by ʿṯtr S²rqn and 17 ʿm ḏ-Dwnm and ʾnby 18 S²ymn and Ns²bt 19 and ʿzyn the two protectors 20 of Ḥrb. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Aden, The National Museum, NAM 194=AM 177+AM 208 |
| Support type | Artefact » Base » Of statue with dedicatory inscription |
| Material | Stone |
| Measures | h. 51, w. 25, th. 15 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Hajar Ibn Ḥumayd |
| Ancient site | ḏ-Ġylm / ḏt-Ġylm |
| Geographical area | Wādī Bayḥān |
| Country | Yemen |
| Archaeological context | Religious context: Temple of Wrfw ʾmr-ʿm bʿl S²bʿn |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
Nbs²t and ʿzyn are the "protectors" of the royal palace of Ḥrb in the last capital of the Qatabanian kingdom, ḏ-Ġylm.
This inscription, which has a parallel in CSAI I, 156=CIAS 47.82/o 2, is one text that may speak of the "autonomous role" of women in South Arabian society.
In a dramatic situation, two women and their children leave two inscriptions for divine protection for their king, praying the god to grant them again the favour "in each enterprise they will undertake under His command" for the safety of their king.
In a dramatic situation, two women and their children leave two inscriptions for divine protection for their king, praying the god to grant them again the favour "in each enterprise they will undertake under His command" for the safety of their king.
This text dates back to short before the end of the Qataban kingdom, at the middle of the second century AD. At that time, the capital had been moved to ḏ-Ġylm. From there, the last Qatabanian king Nbṭʿm Yhnʿm departs for his last disastrous military campaign against Sabaʾ and Ḥimyar in the territories of the high plateau, which in ancient times had been dominated by Qataban kings.
This war is probably the one mentioned in the Sabaic text Ja 629, where Sabaʾ and Ḥimyar fought firstly in the territory of Radmān, then of Qataban and Awsan, an "Oriental" coalition made by the tribes of Radmān, Khawlān and Maḍḥī together with Qataban and Ḥaḍramawt.
This war is probably the one mentioned in the Sabaic text Ja 629, where Sabaʾ and Ḥimyar fought firstly in the territory of Radmān, then of Qataban and Awsan, an "Oriental" coalition made by the tribes of Radmān, Khawlān and Maḍḥī together with Qataban and Ḥaḍramawt.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| CIAS: i, 179-182, photo | Beeston, Alfred F.L., Pirenne, Jacqueline and Robin, Christian J. 1977-1986. Corpus des inscriptions et antiquités sud-arabes: Vol. I (1977): Tome 1. Inscriptions. Tome 2. Antiquités; Vol. II (1986): Le Musée d’Aden. Tome 1. Inscriptions. Tome 2. Antiquités. Louvain: Peeters. [Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres] |