Ja 656 MaMB 135; ZI 19
Jamme 1962 a: pl. 16
Image free from copyright
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 | ||
| Measure of letters | 0.7 | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
TEXT
1 Zydqwmm Ydrʾ w-bny-hw Rbʿt [..]—
2 hr w-Knnt Ybdr w-bny-hmw Tyml—
3 t ʾs¹ʿd w-Wfym ʾẓrf w-Whblt w-Yḥ—
4 md w-ʾbkrb bnw ʿṯkln ʿṣyt w-ḏ-Rs¹—
5 mm hqnyw mrʾ-hmw ʾlmqh-bʿl-ʾwm ṣ—
6 lmn ḏ-ḏhbn ḥmdm b-ḏt ḫmr-hmw ʾtw
7 bn-hw b-wfym w-mhrgm w-ġnmm ḏ-h—
8 rḍw-hmw b-kn s²wʿw mrʾ-hmw S²mr-Y—
9 hrʿs² mlk S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn w-Ḥḍrmt
10 w-Ymnt bn Ys¹rm Yhnʿm mlk S¹bʾ w-
11 ḏ-Rydn b-ḍr hs²tʾ b-ʿbr-mrʾ-hmw S²rḥ—
12 ʾl w-Rbs²ms¹m mlky Ḥḍrmwt w-wzʾw
13 ḥmd ḫyl w-mqm mrʾ-hmw ʾlmqhw b-ḏt ʾ—
14 tww bn-hw b-hwfym w-mhrgm w-ġnmm ḏ-h—
15 rḍw-hmw b-kn s¹bʾw b-(ʿ)m s²ʿb-hmw S¹—
16 (b)ʾ Khln ʿdy S¹rrn w-rʾ k-hwfyw |
17 mrʾ-hmw ʾlmqhw-bʿl-ʾwm kl ʾs²r g—
18 bʾ b-ʿly-hmw bn ʾrḍt-hmw bn-Rḥb—
19 tn w-l-wzʾ ʾlmqhw ḫmr-hmw ḥẓy w-
20 rḍw mrʾ-hmw S²mr Yhrʿs² mlk S¹bʾ
21 w-ḏ-Rydn w-Ḥḍrmt w-Ymnt bn Ys¹rm-Y—
22 hnʿm mlk S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn w-l-ḫmr-hm[w]
23 ʾlmqhw-bʿl-ʾwm wfy grybt-hmw w-
24 ʾṯmr-hmw w-ʾfql-hmw hnʾm bn ʾr—
25 ḍt-hmw b-Mrb w-Rḥbtn w-l-ḫryn-hmw
26 mrʾ-hmw ʾlmqhw-bʿl-ʾwm bn nḍʿ
27 w-s²ṣy s²nʾm b-ʾlmqhw-bʿl-ʾwm
| 5 | Jamme adds a final w to ʾlmqh, explaining "ʾlmqh: sic on the stone, but ʾlmqhw everywhere else". |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Zydqwmm Ydrʾ and his sons Rbʿt 2 [..]hr and Knnt Ybdr and their sons Tymlt 3 ʾs¹ʿd and Wfym ʾẓrf and Whblt and Yḥmd 4 and ʾbkrb, of the family ʿṯkln ʿṣyt and ḏ-Rs¹mm, 5 dedicated to their lord ʾlmqh, Lord of ʾwm, 6 the statue in bronze in praise because He granted them the return 7 of his sons in safety and with spoils and booty which 8 satisfy them, when they performed service for their lord S²mr 9 Yhrʿs², king of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān and Ḥaḍramawt 10 and Ymnt, son of Ys¹rm Yhnʿm, king of Sabaʾ and 11 ḏu-Raydān, in the war that S²rḥʾl 12 and Rbs²ms¹m, kings of Ḥaḍramawt, initiated against their lord; they continued 13 to praise the might and the power of their lord ʾlmqhw 14 because his sons came back in safety and with spoils and booty which 15 satisfy them, when they went on an expedition with their tribe 16 Sabaʾ Khln to the Valley and indeed they have paid 17 to their lord ʾlmqhw, Lord of ʾwm, all the tithe which 18 He imposed on them from their lands, from Rḥbtn; 19 may ʾlmqhw continue to grant them the goodwill and 20 the satisfaction of their lord S²mr Yhrʿs², king of Sabaʾ 21 and ḏu-Raydān and Ḥaḍramawt and Ymnt, son of Ys¹rm 22 Yhnʿm, king of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān and may 23 ʾlmqhw, Lord of ʾwm, grant them the safety of their persons and 24 their healthy crops and harvests from 25 theri lands in Mrb and Rḥbtn and may 26 ʾlmqhw, Lord of ʾwm, deliver them from the malice 27 and the maleficence of any enemy. By ʾlmqhw, Lord of ʾwm. |
| 6-16 | Translation also by Beeston 1976 b: 51. |
| 16-18 | For the translation, see Beeston 1972. |
| Beeston 1972 e: 352 | Beeston, 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: 51 | Beeston, 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. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Support type | Artefact » Base » Of statue with dedicatory inscription |
| Material | Stone |
| Measures | h. 119.5, w. 35 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Maḥram Bilqīs |
| Ancient site | ʾwm |
| Geographical area | Maʾrib |
| Country | Yemen |
| Archaeological context | Religious context: Temple of ʾlmqh bʿl ʾwm |
| Link to site record |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Jamme 1962 a: 161-162, pl. 16 | 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. |
| ʿInān 1976: 228-231 | ʿInān, Zaid b. ʿA 1976. Taʾriḫ ḥaḍāra al-Yaman al-qadīm. Cairo. |