al-Jawf 04.20
Arbach and Schiettecatte 2006: pl. 8/21
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Undefined Ancient South Arabian language | ||
| Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Writing technique | Incision | ||
| Measure of letters | 3.4 | ||
| Chronology |
|
GENERAL NOTES
| Arbach and Schiettecatte (2006: 36) date the text around the 2nd century BC, Robin and Prioletta (2013: 170) one century later. If the provenance from Nashqum and the datings proposed are correct, the language is probably Sabaic. |
TEXT
1 [... ...](ʾ )(Ns²q)[ ....](rt)( bn)t (ʾ)[... ...]
2 [... ...]ʾl bn Tmmtʾ w-ʿynh(l)[... ...]
3 [... ... b](n) Tyms²(ms¹) w-S²ll bn ʿbd[... ...]
4 [... ...](ʾl) [... ... ]w-S²wḏb bn (B)[... ...]
5 [... ... ](b)ny ʾmts²[... ...]
6 [... ...]l ġby( w)[... ...]
7 [... ...] (wt)[... ...]
| 1 | The reading Ns²q is very uncertain, as well as its interpretation as a toponym. |
| 5 | if we consider bny as the construction verb, ʾmts²[... ...] is a name of building. However, the preceding sequence of names suggests that bny should be interpreted as "descendants of" and ʾmts²[... ...] is therefore a patronymic or name of group. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Ṣanʿāʾ, The National Museum |
| Support type | Stone inscription |
| Material | Stone |
| Measures | h. 23, w. 37, th. 22 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | al-Bayḍāʾ |
| Ancient site | Ns²qm |
| Geographical area | Jawf - Wādī al-Buhayra |
| Country | Yemen |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
The onomastics attested in this inscription is not typical of Ancient South Arabia. According to Robin and Prioletta, the authors might originate from Hagar, on the basis of the mention of S²wḏb, which is a clan name in the Gulf region; however, here it is most probably an anthroponym.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Arbach and Schiettecatte 2006: 36-37, pl. 8/21 | Arbach, Mounir and Schiettecatte, Jérémie 2006. Catalogue des pièces archéologiques et épigraphiques du Jawf au Musée National de Ṣanʿâʾ. Ṣanʿâʾ National Museum. Ṣanʿāʾ: Centre français d'archéologie et de sciences sociales de Ṣanʿâʾ. [Text in French and Arabic] |