Kamna 30 B
By kind permission of Ch. Robin and J. Schiettecatte
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Minaic » Central Minaic | ||
| Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Writing technique | Incision | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
GENERAL NOTES
| Kamna 30 A and B are engraved on the same stela. The authors are respectively husband and wife. |
TEXT
1 Ṯnyt bnt Yfdʾl ḏt byt
2 Ḥmʿṯt ʾmt ʿmkrb w-Ys²h—
3 rmlk s³lʾt ʾlmqh w-ḏt
4 Ḥmym w-ʾldll Mtʿt w-Yʾ—
5 rn ywm whbt ḥl Wdm w-r—
6 ḍw-s¹ fnwt b-rʿẓ Nbʿl w-
7 ʾldll w-ʿṯtr Ḥgr w-ḏt
8 Ḥmym w-b ʿmkrb w-b Ys²h—
9 rmlk w-b Ḥmʿṯt
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Ṯnyt, daughter of Yfdʾl, wife of 2 Ḥmʿṯt, servant of ʿmkrb and Ys²hrmlk, 3 dedicated to ʾlmqh and ḏt 4 Ḥmym and ʾldll: Mtʿt and Yʾrn, 5 when she offered fragrances (?) to Wdm and (the god) 6 was fully satisfied. By the aid of Nbʿl and 7 ʾldll and ʿṯtr Ḥgr and ḏt 8 Ḥmym and by ʿmkrb and by Ys²hrmlk 9 and by Ḥmʿṯt. |
| 5 | ḥl: cf. as-Sawdāʾ 17, l.3. A. Avanzini considers it a collective noun "fragrances" instead of the plural ʾḥl. |
| Arbach and Rossi 2015: 18 | Arbach, Mounir and Rossi, Irene 2015. Nouveaux documents sabéens provenant de Kamna du VIIIe–VIIe siècle avant J.-C.. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 26/1: 16-27. 2015/06/02; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aae.12052/pdf. [DOI: 10.1111/aae.12052] |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Support type | Artefact » Stela » Stela with framework |
| Material | Stone |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Kamna |
| Ancient site | Kmnhw |
| Geographical area | Jawf - Wādī Madhab |
| Country | Yemen |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
The relations between Sabaʾ and Kamna were conflictual during the reign of Yṯʿʾmr Wtr, in the second half of the 8th century BC. However, the record of this marriage between a Sabaic man and a woman from Kamna suggests an alliance between these two kingdoms towards the end of the century.
It is interesting to note that the husband - who was probably a minister of the Sabaean king - writes his inscription in Sabaic, while his wife - servant of the kings of Kamna - in Minaic. The linguistic correspondences between the formulae in the two languages can be observed: hqny vs. s³lʾ, b- vs. b-rʿẓ. The woman adds typical phrases of the Minaic repertoire, like "ywm whbt ḥl Wdm w-rḍw-s¹ fnwt". The invocation is addressed to the kings of Sabaʾ by the husband, but to the kings of Kamna (plus her husband) by the wife.
It is interesting to note that the husband - who was probably a minister of the Sabaean king - writes his inscription in Sabaic, while his wife - servant of the kings of Kamna - in Minaic. The linguistic correspondences between the formulae in the two languages can be observed: hqny vs. s³lʾ, b- vs. b-rʿẓ. The woman adds typical phrases of the Minaic repertoire, like "ywm whbt ḥl Wdm w-rḍw-s¹ fnwt". The invocation is addressed to the kings of Sabaʾ by the husband, but to the kings of Kamna (plus her husband) by the wife.
The deities invoked in the text - Nbʿl, ʾldll and ʿṯtr Ḥgr - are all gods of Kamna. The goddess ḏt Ḥmym represents the Sabaic pantheon.
The noun ʾmt rarely occurs in Minaic. This is one of the few attestations of a woman "servant" of kings in South Arabia.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Arbach and Rossi 2015: 16-21, fig. 2 | Arbach, Mounir and Rossi, Irene 2015. Nouveaux documents sabéens provenant de Kamna du VIIIe–VIIe siècle avant J.-C.. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 26/1: 16-27. 2015/06/02; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aae.12052/pdf. [DOI: 10.1111/aae.12052] |