Language | Ancient South Arabian » Sabaic » Central Middle Sabaic | ||
Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
Writing technique | Incision | ||
Measure of letters | 2.8 | ||
Chronology |
| ||
Textual typology | Dedicatory text | ||
Royal inscription | Yes |
This inscription marks the shift from Ancient Sabaic to Middle Sabaic on the highlands according to Stein (2005 c), who chronologically sets the text in the 3rd cent. BC. |
3 | twrṯy is considered as the first occurrence of a marked dual ending -y (Stein 2003 a: 169, fn. 85). |
8 | At the end ḏ-s²ʾm (CIH). |
9 | w-ʿs¹y w-qny ʿm-n (CIH). |
English | |
1 Yhʿn Ḏbyn son of Ys¹mʿʾl son of S¹mhkrb, king of S¹mʿy, dedicated to Tʾlb at Ẓbyn his life and his sons 2 Zydm and Zydʾl, and all his children, his possessions, his house Yʿd, his lands Tʾlqm, and all his possessions and the possessions of his father Ys¹mʿʾl, and the possessi- 3 ons, irrigated grounds, riverside pastures, houses and lands which they both inherited from their ancestor S¹mhʾfq, son of S¹mhyfʿ, king of S¹mʿy, in country and town; and his irrigated field 4 Nʿmn, which Yhʿn acquired and purchased from Bkrm, Hwfʿṯt, Hmtʿṯt, Hwtrʿṯt and from Hwtrʿṯt, ʿms²fq, Yhʿn, ʿ- 5 ms¹mʿ, Gnʾm, Ẓrm and their brothers of the family Rʾbn; and his riverside pasture called ḏ-S¹mhʿly, towards the territory of Ḥdqn, which he obtained and acquired from ʿms²fq, 6 son of S¹rwm, qwl of Yrs¹m; and his riverside pasture ḏt Dʾḫ; now he acquired the proprietary rights to it by the grants which his forefathers and uncles, the ʾqwl of Yhybb, granted (him), which 7 the kings of Mryb and the tribe S¹mʿ had granted them: the flood-plain of the riverside pasture ḏ-Dʾḫ; and according to the pact renewal which Krbʾl Wtr, king of Sabaʾ renewed for him, and according to the concession and pact renewal which the tribe S¹mʿ 8 renewed and granted him, and according to the renewal and the legal document made by Yṯʿkrb, son of Ḏrḥʾl, of Yhfrʿ of [the tribe] ʿhrnhn, and his riverside pasture Ḥys³ [which he purchased] 9 and acquired, and obtained [... ...]. |
6-9 | Beeston: "now he acquired the title to it by the grants which his forefathers and uncles the lords of Yhybb were given, by which the kings of Mryb and the tribe S¹mʿ granted them the flood-plain of the riverside pasture ḏ-Dʾḫ, and according to the concession which was made to him by Krbʾl Wtr, king of Sabaʾ, and according to the grants and concession which the tribe S¹mʿ made and gave, and according to the concessions and assignment made by Yṯʿkrb son of Ḏrḥʾl of Yhfrʿ of [the tribe] ʿhrnhn, and his riverside pasture Ḥys³ [which he purchased]". |
6-9 | Robin (in Robin and Vogt 1997): "il a procédé à leur réunion avec les biens que lui ont donnés ses pères et ses oncles, qayls de Yhybb, biens que leur avaient donnés les rois de Mryb et la tribu de S¹mʿ, à l'exception de (?) son champs en terrasses ḏ-Dʾḫ, conformément à la concession que Krbʾl Wtr, roi de Sabaʾ, lui avait faite, conformément aux dons et concessions consentis par la tribu S¹mʿ, et conformément aux concessions et dispositions dècidées par Yṯʿkrb fils de Ḏrḥʾl bn Yhfrʿ [concernant] ḏ-ʿhrnhn et son champs en terrasses Ḥys³ [qu'il a achété] et acquis, et son bien [... ...]". |
Robin and Vogt 1997: 231 | 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. |
Deposit | Berlin, Vorderasiatisches Museum, VA 1 |
Support type | Artefact » Stela » Stela with framework |
Material | Stone |
Measures | h. 40.5, w. 92.5, th. 9 |
Link to object record |
Modern site | Bayt Dughaysh |
Ancient site | Ḥdqn |
Geographical area | Ṣanʿāʾ |
Country | Yemen |
Link to site record |
Mordtmann 1893: 42, pl. IV, 1 | Mordtmann, Johannes H. 1893. Himjarische Inschriften und Alterthümer in den königlichen Museen zu Berlin. (Mitteilungen aus den orientalischen Sammlungen, 7). Berlin: W. Spemann. |
Beeston 1937 a: 6-8 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1937. Sabaean inscriptions. Oxford. |
Catalogue 2000: 312, cat. 147 | 2000. Yemen. Nel paese della Regina di Saba. Catalogo della Mostra, Palazzo Ruspoli, Fondazione Memmo, Roma 6 Aprile - 30 Giugno 2000. Milan: Skira. |
Stein 2003 a | 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. |
Stein 2005 c | Stein, Peter 2005. Linguistic contributions to Sabaean chronology. Archäologische Berichte aus dem Yemen, 10: 179-189. |