Language | Ancient South Arabian » Sabaic | ||
Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
Writing technique | Incision | ||
Chronology |
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Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
The approximations in the writing, with various mistakes and amendments, some dialectal and stylitic peculiarities suggest a peripheral provenance. |
1-2 | Preissler 1997: 133 integrates: mqtwy[t bn. |
3-4 | Beeston 1982 d: 313 regards ḥmn as a dialectal variant of ʿmn "together with". |
4 | Preissler 1997: 137-138: wqmw = wqh-hmw. |
5 | k-hʿn-hw is probly an imperfect with graphic omission of y (Beeston 1982 d: 314). |
6 | In the word bʿl, the letter "l" was incised above a previous "s²". hʿnw is probably a dialectal form or a mistake for hʿn-hw |
7 | There is an ancient amendment in the second word, after the letter "h": "y" instead the previous "n". hyn is a hapax. ʿbdḫrn could be read: ʿbdḫ<m>rn and Ḫmrnm could be a hypocoristic of this (Beeston 1982 d: 314). |
10 | mh-myw is an indefinite pronoun (Bron 1981 b: 164). Stein 2003 a: 151, n. 139 rightly proposes to delete y, unless it is again a graphic peculiarity. |
English | |
1 ʾs³lḥ and Ḫmrnm, the two officers of the [king/qayl] 2 ʿzzʾl, dedicated and entrusted their 3 son ʿbdhyn to the Lord of Ḥds¹, 4 together with this bronze statue because, (whereas) they had been disappointed, 5 specially as to (the hope) that He might deliver him (the son) from sickness in his infancy, 6 yet now the Lord of Ḥds¹ has in fact so delivered him. And may He 7 in future be indulgent towards His servant ʿbdḫrn 8 and may He favour him, namely Ḫmrnm, with future children 9 and long life for themselves and the goodwill of their overlords; 10 and may He in future grant them whatsoever 11 they beg of Him; and may He deliver 12 them from humiliation and malice of any enemy. |
Beeston 1982 d: 314 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1982. The 'lord of ḥds¹' votive text. Annali dell’Istituto Orientale di Napoli, 42: 312-314. |
Support type | Artefact » Base » Of statue with dedicatory inscription |
Material | Stone |
Measures | h. 22, w. 17 |
Link to object record |
Modern site | Unknown |
Ancient site | Unknown |
Country | Yemen |
Link to site record |
Garbini 1976: 302-308, pl. 4 | Garbini, Giovanni 1976. Iscrizioni sudarabiche. Annali dell'Istituto Orientale di Napoli, 36/2: 293-315. |
Bron 1981 b: 164 | Bron, François 1981. Notes d'épigraphie sud-arabique. Annali dell'Istituto Orientale di Napoli, 41/1: 161-164. |
Beeston 1982 d | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1982. The 'lord of ḥds¹' votive text. Annali dell’Istituto Orientale di Napoli, 42: 312-314. |
Preissler 1997 | Preissler H. 1997. Das kulturelle Niveau von Abhängigen in mittelsabäischen Inshriften. Pages 133-141 in Roswitha G. Stiegner (ed.). Aktualisierte Beiträge zum 1. Internationalen Symposion Südarabien, interdisziplinär an der Universität Graz mit kurzen Einführungen zu Sprach- und Kulturgeschichte. In memoriam Maria Höfner. Graz: Leykam. |
Stein 2003 a: 151, n. 139 | Stein, Peter 2003. Untersuchungen zur Phonologie und Morphologie des Sabäischen. (Epigraphische Forschungen auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, 3). Rahden: Marie Leidorf GmbH / Westf.: Marie Leidorf GmbH. |