M 349 RES 3570
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Minaic » Marginal Minaic | ||
| Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Writing technique | Incision | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
TEXT
1 Hnʾ w-Zydʾl ḏy Ḫḏb
2 nṣb mḏbḥ Wdm w-ʾlʾlt
3 Mʿn b-Dlṯ
| The Minaic inscription is followed by a Greek one: Oddou theou minaiōn. Below: Oaddō. |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Ḥnʾ and Zydʾl, the two of the clan Ḫḏb, 2 erected the altar of Wdm and of the gods 3 of Maʿīn in Delos. |
| The Minaic inscription is followed by the Greek one: "To Wd, god of the Minaeans". |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Delos, Museum, A 7809 |
| Support type | Artefact » Altar (mḏbḥ) |
| Shape | Circular |
| Material | Marble |
| Measures | h. 59, d. 33 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Delos |
| Ancient site | Dlṯ |
| Country | Greece |
| Archaeological context | Religious context: Temple |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
This altar was dedicated to the god Wd in Delos and bears two inscriptions: a South Arabian one and a Greek one. It testifies to the presence of Minaean trademen in the island, which became of fundamental importance in the international trade towards the middle of the 2nd century BC. See for comparison the Ḥaḍramitic altar RES 3952 found in Delos, too.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Clermont-Ganneau 1908: 547, photo | Clermont-Ganneau, Charles Simon 1908. Inscription bilingue minéo-grecque découverte à Délos. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres: 546-560. |
| Roussel and Launey 1937: 293 | Roussel, Pierre and Launey, Marcel 1937. Inscriptions de Délos. Dédicaces postérieures à 166 av. J-C. (Nos. 2529-2879). Dédicaces postérieures à 166 av. J.-C. (Nos 1525-2219). Paris: Libraire Ancienne Honoré Champion. |
| Robin 1991-1993 b: 61, fig. 17 | Robin, Christian J. 1991-1993 [1992]. Quelques épisodes marquants de l'histoire sudarabique. Pages 55-70 in Christian J. Robin (ed.). L'Arabie antique de Karibʾîl à Mahomet. Nouvelles données sur l'histoire des Arabes grâces aux inscriptions. (Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Mediterranée, 61). Aix-en-Provence: Édisud. |
| Robin and Vogt 1997: fig. 232a | Robin, Christian J. and Vogt, Burkhard (eds) 1997. Yémen, au pays de la reine de Saba. Exposition présentée à l'Institut du monde arabe du 25 octobre 1997 au 28 février 1998. Paris: Flammarion, Institut du Monde Arabe. |
| Seipel 1998: 295, cat. 164 | Seipel, Wilfried (ed.) 1998. Jemen. Kunst und Archäologie im Land der Königin von Sabaʾ. Eine Ausstellung des Kunsthistorischen Museums Wien in Zusammenarbeit mit der Generalinstitution fur Altertumer, Museen und Handschriften, Ministerium fur Kultur und Tourismus der Republik Jemen. Wien, Kunstlerhaus, 9. November 1998 bis 21. Februar 1999. Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. |
| Catalogue 2000: 318, cat. 160 | 2000. Yemen. Nel paese della Regina di Saba. Catalogo della Mostra, Palazzo Ruspoli, Fondazione Memmo, Roma 6 Aprile - 30 Giugno 2000. Milan: Skira. |