CSAI
Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions

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KR 6 Ja 2878


Avanzini 2002: 115, fig. 10

INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Ḥaḍramitic
ScriptAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Text directionRight-to-left
Text appearanceRecessed
Execution techniqueIncision
Measure of letters6
Chronology
PeriodD
Textual typologyConstruction text

TEXT

marker


   1  Ṯʿdʾl bn ʾs¹rk ḏ-Dws¹m ʿqb mlkhn b-ʾrḍ S¹ʾklhn brʾ w-s¹ḥdṯ h-mrʾ-s¹ ml—
   2  k Ḥḍrmt mḥfdhn Ḏʾnm bn-mw mwṯrm ʾd s²qrm w-mġbb-s¹ w-ġnwṣ-s¹ w-ḫlf—
   3  m s²lṯtm h-hgrhn S¹mrm h-ṣnʿ w-s²wf hgrhn S¹mrm b-rdʾ w-mʿd S¹yn ḏ-ʾl—
   4  m w-b ḥwr hgrhn S¹mrm b-hy Ḥmyt ḏ-Hs²m rbʿhn w-rṯd-s¹ b-S¹yn

Apparatus
The reading follows Jamme's (except for l. 3: see below), since large portions of the text are no longer readable from the photo.
2The k at the beginning of the line is dextrograde.
3Jamme reads tgs¹rhn; hgrhn is suggested by Avanzini.
4bhy (Jamme). Avanzini first corrected as b-hy.

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  Ṯʿdʾl son of ʾs¹rk, of Dws¹m, viceroy of the king in the land of S¹ʾklhn, constructed and restored for his lord the king of
   2  Ḥaḍramawt, the tower Ḏʾnm from foundation to top, and its curtain-walls and surrounding parts (?), and a third
   3  gate for the town of S¹mrm, in order to protect and defend the town of S¹mrm, by the help and the will of S¹yn ḏ-ʾlm
   4  and by the inhabitants of the town of S¹mrm, in the fourth (eponymate) year of Ḥmyt of Hs²m, and he committed it (i.e. the tower, Ed.) to S¹yn.
4The correct interpretation of hy as a noun indicating the (eponymate) year has been done by Multhoff (p.c. to the CSAI project, also mentioned in Stein).
Stein 2011: 179Stein, Peter 2011. Review of Avanzini, Alessandra (ed.) 2008. A port in Arabia between Rome and the Indian Ocean (3rd C. BC-5th C. AD). Khor Rori Report 2. (Arabia Antica, 5). Rome: «L'Erma» di Bretschneider. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, 161: 177-181.

English

   1  Ṯaʿadʾil son of ʾAsrak, he of (the family) Dawsum, representative of the king in the country of Saʾkalhân, has built and originated for his master, the king
   2  of Ḥaḍramawt, the tower Ḏaʾnum from bottom to top and its recesses and its bulwarks and a third
   3  gate to the city Sumrâm in order to strengthen and shield the bridge Sumrâm, with the help and assistance of Sîn, Him of ʾIl-
   4  um, and with [the help of] the inhabitants of Sumrâm - Ḥamîyat, he of (the family) Hâšim, the architect, has made [the tower] wide - and he has entrusted it to Sîn.
Jamme 1979: 94-95Jamme, Albert W.F. 1979. Miscellanées d'ancient arabe IX. Washington. 2025/04/17; https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.38250306. [Privately printed]

English

   1  Ṯʿdʾl son of ʾs¹rk of Dws¹m commander of the guard of the king in the Saʾkalān land has built and restored for his lord the king of
   2  Ḥaḍramawt the tower Ḏʾnm from the base to the top and its curtain-walls and its surrounding parts and a third
   3  door for the city of Sumhuram to protect and guard the (city) of Sumhuram by the help and will of Sin
   4  and the inhabitants of the city of Sumhuram. In the fourth year of Ḥmyt of Hs²m, he committed it to the protection of S¹yn.
Avanzini 2002: 135Avanzini, Alessandra 2002. The construction inscriptions on the gate complex. Pages 125-140 in Alessandra Avanzini (ed.). Khor Rori Report 1. (Arabia Antica, 1). Pisa: Edizioni Plus-Università di Pisa.

English

   1  Ṯaʿadʾil, der Sohn des Asrak, von der Sippe Dawsum, Statthalter des Königs im Land Saʾkalan, baute und errichtete für seinen Herrn, den Kö-
   2  nig von Ḥaḍramūt, den Turm Ḏaʾnum vom Fundament bis zur Vollendung, und zwar seine Zwischenmauern und seine Auffüllungen (?) und
   3  ein drittes Tor für die Stadt Samārum, und zu befestigen und zu schützen die massiven Anlagen (?) von Samārum durch die Hilfe und die Zusage des Siyān ḏū-Alīm
   4  und durch die Bewohner der Stadt Samārum durch (b-hy) Ḥamīyat von der Sippe Hāšim, den Einwohner (von Samārum). Und er stellte ihn (d. h. den Turm dem Siyān) unter Schutz.
Breton 1994 c: 139Breton, Jean-François 1994. Les fortifications d'Arabie méridionale du 7e au 1er siècle avant notre ère. (Archäologische Berichte aus dem Yemen, 8). Mainz: Verlag Philipp von Zabern.

OBJECT INFORMATION

DepositUnknown, M 578
Support typeArchitectural structure » Gate
MaterialStone
Dimensionsh. 36, w. 127, th. 33
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin and provenance
Modern siteKhawr Rūrī
Ancient siteS¹mhrm / S¹mrm
Geographical areaSouthern Ẓufār
CountryOman
Archaeological contextUrban context: City gate tower Ḏʾnm
Link to site record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jamme 1979: 94-95, pl. hJamme, Albert W.F. 1979. Miscellanées d'ancient arabe IX. Washington. 2025/04/17; https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.38250306. [Privately printed]
Albright 1982: 44, 87, pl. 35, fig. 66Albright, Frank P. 1982. The American Archaeological Expedition in Dhofar, Oman, 1952-1953. (Publications of the American Foundation for the Study of Man, 6). Washington: American Foundation for the Study of Man / Philadelphia, Pa.: Distributed by G. Allen, Bookseller.
Avanzini 2002: 134-135, fig. 10Avanzini, Alessandra 2002. The construction inscriptions on the gate complex. Pages 125-140 in Alessandra Avanzini (ed.). Khor Rori Report 1. (Arabia Antica, 1). Pisa: Edizioni Plus-Università di Pisa.