CSAI

Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions

DASI

Ja 2215


By kind permission of British Museum

DEPOSIT INFORMATION

DepositLondon, The British Museum, BM 119394=1919,0709.7
NotesFormerly in the collection of Sir H. Deane, K.C.S.I.; presented in 1919 by Coll. H.E. Deane, R.A.M.C. Acquired in Aden Protectorate

SUPPORT INFORMATION

Support typeArtefact » Seal » Stamp seal
MaterialSemiprecious stone
Measuresh. 0.43, l. 1.5 (face), 1.7 (reverse), w. 1.53 (face), 1.52 (reverse); wt. 2g
Decoration
Figurative subjectAnimal » Elephant
      Part of animal bodyComplete figure
      Animal gestureMoving
      ViewIn profile
Figurative subjectHuman figure
      GenderMan
      Part of human bodyComplete figure
      Human gestureRiding
      ViewIn profile
Notes on support and decorationsA carnelian oval ring bezel, striated in horizontal plane, polished and flat on obverse and reverse, with the edges chamfered out from the carved face. The bezel, oriented vertically, depicts a man riding an elephant in profile above an inscription.

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin
Modern siteUnknown
Ancient siteUnknown
Geographical areaUnknown
CountryUnknown
Link to site record

NOTES

Ryckmans J. (1955: 4) suggests that this seal may reflect an initial Ethiopian occupation in ancient Yemen: “Un témoin possible de cette première occupation éthiopienne serait un sceau portant un nom éthiopien de 4 lettres anciennes, avec un éléphant au galop monté par un homme. II provient de la région d’Aden....”.

EPIGRAPHS

TitleJa 2215
LanguageAncient South Arabian » Undefined Ancient South Arabian language
Link to epigraph record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cohen 1934: 55-56, pl. XIV/36Cohen, Marcel 1934. Documents sudarabiques. Paris: Adrien-Maisonneuve.
Harding 1971: 532, 757, 758Harding, G. Lankester 1971. An index and concordance of pre-Islamic Arabian names and inscriptions. (Near and Middle East series, 8). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Ryckmans, Jacques 1955Ryckmans, Jacques 1955. L’origine et l’ordre des lettres de l’alphabet éthiopien. Bibliotheca Orientalis, 12/1: 2-8.