RES 4337C Q 186C; CSAI I, 205C
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Qatabanic » Central Qatabanic | ||
| Alphabet | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Writing technique | Incision | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Legal text | ||
| Royal inscription | Yes |
TEXT
1 [... ...]w-ʾlḏw b-[y]—
2 gzf ms²ṭm b-[y]—
3 s¹s²tyṭ-s¹ b-S²mr n—
4 [..] ys²tyṭ-s¹ b-
5 [Q]tbn ʾns¹m
6 b[n] ʾs¹-s¹ w-ʾl—
7 ḏw b-ys²ṭ kl
8 ms²ṭm b-S²mr
9 b-lylynhn w-
10 n l-yṣbḥ w-
11 mlk-mw Qtbn
12 ʾṯrm b-kl s²—
13 [y]ṭm w-qnym b-
14 tmẓʾ bḍʿ-s¹ w-
15 ʾl b-ymtʿ ḏ—
16 n mḥrn kl-m—
17 lkm
| 2-3 | Beeston 1959: 4: b-ys²ṭ. |
| 3-4 | Beeston 1959: 4: nlk. |
| 6-7 | Avanzini 2004 a: 289 read: kl-ḏw, instead of ʾlḏw. |
| 9-10 | the editors read: b-lyl ybnwn, Avanzini 2004 a: 289 read:bly-l ybnwn; this new reading and translation is hypothetical. |
| 15 | Avanzini 2004 a: 289 read: nl, instead of ʾl. |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Whoever sells 2 wholesale the merchandise with which 3 he does trade in S²mr must 4 sell it 5 inside Qatabān directly from one 6 to the other and whoever finishes 7 the sale of all the 8 merchandise in S²mr 9 during the nights, he must 10 pay a tax. 11 And the king of Qatabān in person 12 has authority over all 13 transactions and goods 14 that pass over his territory. 15 And no king 16 will take away 17 this decree. |
| English | |
1 [ix] ... If anyone 2 deals wholesale with merchandise with 3 which he trades in Tmnʿ, 4 he must be retailed in 5 Qataban 6 through middlemen. [x] If any 7 person attempts to sell any 8 merchandise in S²mr 9 at night, let people hold aloof 10 until day dawns. 11 [xi] The king has supervisory 12 in respect of every 13 transaction and every commodity 14 which passes in his territory. 15 [xii] Let every 16 king give support 17 to this decree. |
| Beeston 1959 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1959. The mercantile code of Qataban. Qahtan. Studies in Old Arabian Epigraphy. 1. London: Luzac and Co. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Support type | Monumental stela |
| Material | Stone |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Hajar Kuḥlān |
| Ancient site | Tmnʿ |
| Geographical area | Wādī Bayḥān |
| Country | Yemen |
| Found | In situ |
| Archaeological context | Urban context: Market square S²mr |
| Link to site record |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Beeston 1959: 2-16 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1959. The mercantile code of Qataban. Qahtan. Studies in Old Arabian Epigraphy. 1. London: Luzac and Co. |
| Beeston 1971: 2-5 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1971. The Labakh texts. Qahtan. Studies in Old Arabian Epigraphy. 2. London: Luzac and Co.. |
| Daum 1988 b: 41, photo | Daum, Werner (ed.) 1988. Die Königin von Saba. Kunst, Legend und Archäologie zwischen Morgenland und Abenland. Stuttgart: Belser / Zurich: Belser. |