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MAFYS-Naqb al-Hajar 2 Ry 337; RES 2640; RES 5082
By kind permission of K. Noman
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Ḥaḍramitic | ||
| Script | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Text direction | Right-to-left | ||
| Text appearance | Recessed | ||
| Execution technique | Incision | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Construction text |
GENERAL NOTES
| This is one of the first texts seen in South Arabia, discovered in 1835 by Palinurus' officials Wellsted and Cruttenden. The first photo was published only in 1971 by Doe. |
TEXT
1 (H)bs¹(l) bn S²gb q(t)dm m±bny gnʾ Myfʿt w-ḫ(l)±f-ṯ ʾbnm (w)-(ʿ)ḍm± w-ftlm (w)-mbny ʾbyt ʿl—
2 {ʾ}hy gnʾ-ṯ hn (ʿ)s¹nm ±ʾd (m)nʿym w-wdʾ ±(w)-(ʿ)ly ḏ-gnʾ bn±-ṯ Ṣdqydʿ
| 1 | A vertical sign is visible before the ʿ, which leads Robin to read: gʿl. |
| 2 | At the beginning of the line, we assume that the initial ʾ was written by mistake. Robin reads: gʿl-ʾhy. A vacuum of about two letter-width is left after mnʿym. |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Hbs¹l son of S²gb directed the construction works of the city wall of Myfʿt and of its gate, made of stone, wood and bricks, and the construction of the houses 2 on its city wall, from foundation to top, [...] and he completed and raised what Ṣdqydʿ had walled of it. |
| French | |
1 Hbs¹l ibn S²gb a dirigé la construction de l'enceinte de Myfʿt et de sa porte en pierre de taille, en bois et en brique crue (?), ainsi que la construction des habitations qu'il a placées 2 contre (?) son enceinte, depuis les fondations jusqu'au faîte ... Il a achevé et élevé ce que l'enfant (?) de celle-ci (= Myfʿt), Ṣdqydʿ, avait déjà muni d'une enceinte. |
| Robin 1987 b | Robin, Christian J. 1987. Naqab al-Hajar. Les inscriptions. Syria, 64: 17-20. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Support type | Architectural structure » Walls |
| Material | Stone |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Naqb al-Hajar |
| Ancient site | Myfʿt |
| Geographical area | Wādī Mayfaʿa |
| Country | Yemen |
| Found | In situ |
| Archaeological context | Urban context: City walls |
| Link to site record |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Ryckmans, Gonzague 1939 b: 312 | Ryckmans, Gonzague 1939. Inscriptions sud-arabes. Sixième série. Le Muséon, 52: 297-319. |
| Pirenne 1956: 207, pl. XXIXd | Pirenne, Jacqueline 1956. Paléographie des inscriptions sud-arabes. Contribution à la chronologie et à l'histoire de l'Arabie du sud antique. (Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten van België. Klasse der letteren, 26). Brussels: Paleis der Academiën. |
| Doe 1971: 188, pl. 84 | Doe, D. Brian 1971. Southern Arabia. London: Thames and Hudson. |
| Robin 1987 b: 18-19, photos 9, 16 | Robin, Christian J. 1987. Naqab al-Hajar. Les inscriptions. Syria, 64: 17-20. |