CSAI

Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions


Robin 1991: 180, fig. 19
Image free from copyright

INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Sabaic » Southern Middle Sabaic
AlphabetAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Writing techniqueIncision
Chronology
PeriodC
Textual typologyConstruction text

TEXT


   1  Wtrm Yrtʿ bn Mʿhr w-ḏ-Ḫwln bn Mʿdkrb Yh—
   2  mgd w-Mḫṭrn ʾs¹ʾr qyly Rdmn w-Ḫwln bqr w-
   3  hqs²b w-hqḥ kl nqb w-ḥrt w-mbrʾt w-ṣyr w-nk—
   4  ylt yʿlwn ʾmwh w-ḏhb ḏ-ʿmdnyw l-ms¹qy s¹r-h—
   5  w Yfdʾb b-ʿṯtr S²rqn w-ʿm ḏ-Mbrqm w-ʿm ḏ-D—
   6  wnm bʿl ʿqbt Wʿln w-ʿtr ḏ-Nwfn w-ḏt-Bʿ—
   7  dn w-S²ms¹-hw ʿlyt w-b-tḥrg mrʾ-hw Krbʾl mlk
   8  S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn w-b-rdʾ ʾḫy-hw Whbʾl ʿmdn w-
   9  Hwfʿm Yzl qyly Rdmn w-Ḫwln w-Lḥyʿt B—
  10  ryn w-b-ʾḫyl w-mqymt s²ʿb-hw Rdmn Yhrgb

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  Wtrm Yrtʿ ibn Maʿāhir and ḏ-Ḫwln, son of Mʿdkrb Yh-
   2  mgd and Mḫṭrn ʾs¹ʾr, qylw of Rdmn and ḏ-Ḫwln dug up,
   3  built and completed the whole channel, dam (?), construction, surrounding walls (?) and
   4  the equipment (or: water-channels) which bring up the waters and the flow of ḏ-ʿmdnyw for the irrigation of his valley
   5  Yfdʾb; by ʿṯtr S²rqn, ʿm ḏ-Mbrqm, ʿm ḏ-D-
   6  wnm Master of the hill of Wʿln, ʿtr ḏ-Nwfn, ḏt Bʿ-
   7  dn and his solar deity ʿlyt, by the command of his lord Krbʾl, king
   8  of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydān and by the help of his two brothers Whbʾl ʿmdn and
   9  Hwfʿm Yzl qylw of Rdmn and ḏ-Ḫwln, and Lḥyʿt B-
  10  ryn, and by the power and the resources of Rdmn Yhrgb.
Robin identifies ḥrt as "barrage" in this text, distinguishing it from the other meaning of "irrigation canal", also attested in the inscriptions from Radmān (sing. and plu., cf. Stein 2003 a: 74, fn. 227).
The verb yʿlwn is interpreted as a masc. sing. which follows the first noun nqb. However, Stein says that one might also see in it a QAT form - so far unattested - of fem. plural (2003 a: 179, fn. 137).
Robin 1991Robin, Christian J. 1991. ʿAmdān Bayyin Yuhaqbid, roi de Sabaʾ et de dū-Raydān. Pages 167-205 in Études sud-arabes. Recueil offert à Jacques Ryckmans. (Publications de l'Institut Orientaliste de Louvain, 39). Louvain-La-Neuve: Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut Orientaliste.
Stein 2003 aStein, Peter 2003. Untersuchungen zur Phonologie und Morphologie des Sabäischen. (Epigraphische Forschungen auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, 3). Rahden: Marie Leidorf GmbH / Westf.: Marie Leidorf GmbH.

OBJECT INFORMATION

Support typeRock inscription
Measuresh. 145, w. 100
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin and provenance
Modern siteQāniya
Ancient siteQnʾtm
Geographical areaRadmān
CountryYemen
FoundIn situ
Archaeological contextAgricultural irrigation context
Link to site record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Robin 1991: 179-180, fig. 19Robin, Christian J. 1991. ʿAmdān Bayyin Yuhaqbid, roi de Sabaʾ et de dū-Raydān. Pages 167-205 in Études sud-arabes. Recueil offert à Jacques Ryckmans. (Publications de l'Institut Orientaliste de Louvain, 39). Louvain-La-Neuve: Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut Orientaliste.