Language | Ancient South Arabian » Ḥaḍramitic | ||
Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
Writing technique | Cast | ||
Measure of letters | 2.5 | ||
Chronology |
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Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
2 | First attestation of the town Ṣnʿ and of the region Mġylm in Hadramitic (Avanzini 2014: 501). |
10 | The last two letters of the name ʿbds¹y are incised on the framework of the plaque. |
English | |
1 ʿbds¹y, son of ʾdġmt, the one of Wfr, inhabitant 2 of the town of Ṣnʿ in the region of Mġylm, 3 viceroy of the king in S¹mhrm, dedicated to 4 his Lord S¹yn ḏ-ʾlm in His temple in S¹mhrm 5 the dedication in bronze, whose weight is two ḥlf 6 of red bronze; he offered it with sacrifices 7 in abundance; dedication which He took on him (i.e., he promised) when 8 he asked Him protection, when he came back from S¹mhrm and 9 for the bronze which he brought with him. The power of S¹yn is great 10 since He helped His servant, thanks to the protection that is favourable to ʿbds¹y. |
5-6 | ḥlfnyw ḏhbm qyḥm: the interpretation of this context suggests to modify the translations previously proposed for qyḥm in RF-Alīm and Shabwa Chantier V 1975 (from a unit of measurement to "red (bronze)"), and for ḥlf in RES 2693 (from "promise" to a unit of measurement; Avanzini 2014: 502-503). |
7-8 | The root FḌY is not attested in the South Arabian languages. The semitic root FḌY means "to save"; the reflexive form s¹tfḍy can be translated "to ask for protection" (Avanzini 2014: 504). |
9 | w-ḫyl S¹yn yʿs¹m: this context proves that the last word of the typical Hadramitic phrase w-ʾḏn S¹yn tʿs¹m is a prefix-conjugation verb meaning "to be frequent, to be present in great quantity" (cf. Multhoff 2010 b: 48). |
Avanzini 2014: 500-505 | Avanzini, Alessandra 2014. Un port d'Arabie entre Rome et l'Inde. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres: 483-505. |
Multhoff 2010 b: 48 | Multhoff, Anne 2010. tfʿl/ftʿl − Die verbalen T-Stämme im Altsüdarabischen. Folia Orientalia, 47: 20-69. |
Deposit | Muscat, The National Museum |
Support type | Artefact » Plaque » With framework |
Material | Bronze |
Measures | h. 33, w. 29, th. 0.5-1, wt. 5.610 kg |
Link to object record |
Modern site | Khawr Rūrī |
Ancient site | S¹mhrm / S¹mrm |
Geographical area | Southern Ẓufār |
Country | Oman |
Found | In situ |
Link to site record |
Avanzini 2014: 498-505, fig. 17 | Avanzini, Alessandra 2014. Un port d'Arabie entre Rome et l'Inde. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres: 483-505. |