CSAI

Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions


INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Sabaic » Central Middle Sabaic
AlphabetAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Writing techniqueIncision
Measure of letters4.8 (max.), 4.5 (min.)
Chronology
PeriodD
Date(second half of the 2nd century AD)
Textual typologyDedicatory text - fragmentary

TEXT


   1  [S¹wdm ʾs¹](ʾ)r w-Yhʿn [.]—
   2  [... ...]m w-bny-hmw Klbm b—
   3  [ny ʿṯkl]n hqnyw ʾlmqh Ṯhwn
   4  [bʿ]l ʾwm ṣlmn ḥg-n wqh-hmw
   5  ʾlmqh b-ms¹ʾl-hw l-wfy-hmw w-
   6  wfy bn-hmw Klbm bn ʿṯkln
   7  w-l s¹ʿd-hmw ʾlmqh nʿmtm w-w—
   8  fym w-mngt ṣdqm w-ḥẓy w-rḍw
   9  mrʾ-hmw Krbʾl Wtr Yhnʿm m—
  10  lk S¹bʾ bn Whbʾl Yḥz mlk
  11  S¹bʾ w-l ḫmr-hmw ʾlmqh Ṯhwn
  12  bʿl ʾwm ʾṯmr w-ʾfql ṣdqm b—
  13  n kl ʾrḍt-hmw w-l ḫryn-hmw
  14  ʾlmqh bn bʾs¹tm w-nkym w-n—
  15  ḍʿ w-s²ṣy s²nʾm w-l ḏt nʿmt w-
  16  tnʿmn l-S¹wdm w-Yhʿn w-Klbm b—
  17  ny ʿṯkln w-l s¹ʿd-hmw ʾlmqh ʾ—
  18  wldm ʾḏkrwm hnʾm b-ʿṯtr
  19  w-Hbs¹ w-ʾlmqh Ṯhwn w-Ṯwr Bʿl—
  20  m bʿly ʾwm w-Ḥrwnm w-b-ḏt Ḥ—
  21  mym w-b-ḏt Bʿdnm w-b-s²ms¹ mlkn Tnf

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  S¹wdm ʾs¹ʾr and Yhʿn
   2  [..] and their son Klbm of the clan
   3  of ʿṯkln, dedicated to ʾlmqh Ṯhwn,
   4  Lord of ʾwm, this statue as ʾlmqh ordered them
   5  in His oracle for their safety and
   6  the safety of their son Klbm, descendant of the clan ʿṯkln;
   7  and that ʾlmqh may grant to them prosperity and
   8  safety and proper outcome and the goodwill and the satisfaction
   9  of their lord Krbʾl Wtr Yhnʿm, king
  10  of Sabaʾ, son of Whbʾl Yḥz, king
  11  of Sabaʾ; and that may bestow to them ʾlmqh Ṯhwn,
  12  Lord of ʾwm, proper fruits crops and harvests in
  13  all their lands; and that may preserve them
  14  ʾlmqh from misfortunes and mischief and
  15  maleficence and malice of the enemy; and because He has been
  16  and will be favourable for S¹wdm and Yhʿn and Klbm,
  17  descendants of the clan ʿṯkln, and may grant ʾlmqh
  18  healthy male children. By ʿṯtr
  19  and Hwbs¹ and ʾlmqh Ṯhwn and Ṯwr Bʿlm
  20  m, the two Lords of ʾwm and Ḥrwnm, and by ḏt
  21  Ḥmym and by ḏt Bʿdnm, and by the solar deity of the king Tnf.

OBJECT INFORMATION

DepositMārib
Support typeArtefact » Base » Of statue with dedicatory inscription
MaterialStone
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Provenance
Modern siteMaḥram Bilqīs
Ancient siteʾwm
Geographical areaMaʾrib
CountryYemen
FoundReemployed. In ancient times
Archaeological contextReligious context: Temple of ʾlmqh bʿl ʾwm
NotesThe stone was reemployed in the western pavement of the temple.
Link to site record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jamme 1962 a: 42-44, 282-283Jamme, 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.
Höfner 1964 b: 424Höfner, Maria 1964. 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. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, 114: 423-426.
al-Iryānī 1990: 231-238al-Iryānī, Muṭahhar 1990. Fī-taʾrīḫ al-Yaman. Nuquš musnadiya wa-taʿliqāt. Ṣanʿāʾ: Markaz al-dirāsāt wa-l-buḥūṯ al-Yamanī.