CSAI
Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions

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RES 3869


INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Ḥaḍramitic
ScriptAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Text directionRight-to-left
Text appearanceRecessed
Execution techniqueIncision
Measure of letters5.5
Chronology
PeriodB
Textual typologyConstruction text

GENERAL NOTES

The text was firstly seen in the early 1900s by the Vienna Südarabische Expedition, which made a tracing (though retouched) of the text, used by Rhodokanakis (see Wissmann and Höfner) but remained unpublished. Only in 1956 were the tracing and the photo published by Pirenne. RES edition (1935) is incomplete as was based on the original text whose stone, meanwhile, had been seriously damaged.

TEXT

marker


   1  [Whb]m bn Ḍʾ(s¹m) ʿbd Ydʿʾl Byn bn S¹mh(y)[fʿ w-ʾl]—
   2  [s¹mʿ] Ḏbyn bn Mlkkrb mlky Ḥḍrmt qtdm w-g(s¹m)[ gn]—
   3  [ʾ M]yfʿt ʾbnm w-ʿḍm w-ftlm w-l yn(tṣ)[r k](b)r ykbr[ My]—
   4  [fʿ](t)( b)-(S¹y)[n w-Ḥw]l w-(Ḥ)[.y](ʾ)l((Ḥ[.y](ʾ)l)) w-mlk Ḥ(ḍrm)t ḏ-ʾl ys²tʿ[r w-]
   5  (s¹ʿḏb gn)ʾhy Myfʿt w-mḥfd-s¹m w-l ys¹ʿḏb ḫbl yhr (s¹)[ʿ]—
   6  (ḏbm) w-ḏ-ʾl yhr s¹ʿḏbm w-l y(w)[zʾ] (t)lw mlk Ḥḍrmt [w-]
   7  l ys¹[ʿ]ḏb ḏ-yḫb[l] bn gnʾyhn w-[mḥ]fdhn

Apparatus
The text between square brackets is only in the tracing and no longer on the stone. Note, however, that the reading of the tracing has not been accepted on l. 4 and on l. 6, as discussed below.
4Ḥmyʾl (RES, from the stone); ḥly-ʾl (Wissmann and Höfner, from the tracing). The first reading is more likely since the name is widely attested.
6w-l yʿ[n] w-tlw (RES); w-l y(mlk) tlw (Ryckmans and Beeston), w-l ywzʾ tlw (Jamme). The reading ymlk is on the retouched tracing, but it cannot be accepted, as on the stone only the y is visible, after which one would rather read a w/ʿ. Here's Jamme's reading is accepted although, admittedly, it is not completely sure.

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  Whbm son of Ḍʾs¹m, servant of Ydʿʾl Byn son of S¹mhyfʿ and
   2  ʾls¹mʿ Ḏbyn son of Mlkkrb, kings of Ḥaḍramawt, directed (the construction works) and built the city
   3  wall of Myfʿt in stone, wood and bricks; and the kbr who is kbr in Myfʿt,
   4  by S¹yn, Ḥwl, Ḥlyʾl and by the king of Ḥaḍramawt, shall be on guard that he may not be aware
   5  and (so may not) repair the city walls of Myfʿt and their towers, and (instead) he shall properly repair any damaged part that is collapsing,
   6  as well as what is not collapsing; and he shall continue to act for the king of Ḥaḍramawt and
   7  shall repair what may get damaged of the city walls and the towers.
3-7"Und es möge sich um Hilfe wenden der Kabīr, der als solcher herrscht in Mayfaʿat, an Sīn … Und es hat geklärt (der Gott) ʾĪl und der König von Ḥaḍramaut das, was (der Kabīr) nicht wußte; und er hat erneuert die zwei Mauern von Mayfaʿat und ihren Turm; und er möge erneuern das Beschädigte, das eingestürzt ist, und das, was nicht eingestürzt ist; und es möge herr(schen) weiterhin der König von Ḥaḍramaut; und er möge wieder (her)stellen, was beschädigt ist von der zwei Mauern und dem (Tu)rm" (Höfner following Rhodokanakis, in Wissmann and Ḥöfner).
3-7"Et que le kabīr qui sera en fonction à Mayfaʿat mette sa confiance en Sīn, Ḥawl, Ḥlyʾl et le roi de Ḥaḍramawt pour tout ce qu'il ne prévoit pas, et pour la réparation des deux murs de Mayfaʿat et de leur tour. Et qu'il répare les dégâts: ce qui sera écroulé - en réparation, et ce qui ne sera pas écroulé - en réparation. Et que continue à régner le roi de Ḥaḍramawt, et qu'il répare (= et que, tant qu'il régnera, le roi de Ḥaḍramawt fasse réparer) ce qui sera endommagé des deux murs et de la tour" (Ryckmans).
3-7"Et que le kabir qui sera le kabir de Mayfaʿat, obtienne son plein droit de la part de Sīn et de Ḥawl et du témoin de ʾl et du roi de Ḥaḍramawt, de ce qu'il ne serait pas informé, et [conséquemment] ne réparerait pas les deux enceintes de Mayfaʿat et leur tour; et qu'il répare parfaitement [toute] partie détériorée, qu'elle soit écroulé ou non; et qu'il continue de suivre fidèlement le roi de Ḥaḍramawt; et qu'il répare ce qui serait détérioré de ces deux enceintes et de cette tour" (Jamme).
3-7"Any (future) kabir holding office in Mayfaʿt may appeal to Sin, Ḥawl and ḤLYʾL and the king of Hadramawt if the latter [lit. who] through unawareness (of the facts) does not keep the walls and tower of the folk of Mayfaʿt in repair; (in that case) let him (the kabir) properly repair any damaged part which is collapsing, as well as what is not yet collapsing, and exercise royal authority as representative of the king of Hadramawt, and let him so repair any damage in the walls and tower" (Beeston).
3-5"And let a kabir be appointed who will conduct the function of kabir in Myfʿt in the name of the divinities and of the king. The function of the kabir is not to repair the walls and the towers of Myfʿt. But let him (the kabir) properly repair any damaged part which is standing, as well as what is not standing, and let the king of Ḥaḍramawt conduct his regal function and repair all damage to the wall and towers" (Avanzini).
4-7"Qu'il apporte son aide à (variante: qu'il surveille) celui qui ne tient pas compte de la réparation des deux parties de l'enceinte de Mayfaʿat et de leurs (pl. !) saillants et qu'il répare les endommagements qui s'effondrent soigneusement et ce qui ne s'effondre pas soigneusement et que le gouverneur (?) du roi du Ḥaḍramawt exerce les fonctions royales et qu'il répare ce qui est endommagé des deux parties de l'enceinte et des saillants" (Frantsouzoff, p.c.)
Wissmann and Höfner 1952: 303-304Wissmann, Hermann von and Höfner, Maria 1952. Beiträge zur historischen Geographie des vorislamischen Südarabien. (Abhandlungen der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Klasse, 4). Mainz: Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur / Wiesbaden: Steiner.
Ryckmans, Jacques 1954: 341-342Ryckmans, Jacques 1954. Le sens de ḏʾl en sud-arabe. Le Muséon, 67: 339-348.
Jamme 1971 b: 33Jamme, Albert W.F. 1971. Miscellanées d'ancient arabe II. Washington. 2025/04/17; https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.38250313. [Privately printed]
Beeston 1978 b: 202Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1978. Notes on Old South Arabian Lexicography XI. Le Muséon, 91: 195-209.
Avanzini 2006-2007: 62-63Avanzini, Alessandra 2006-2007. The CSAI project: some general remarks on the Hadramitic corpus. Folia Orientalia, 42/43: 57-70.

OBJECT INFORMATION

DepositBombay, Museum, no. 65
Support typeArchitectural structure » Walls
MaterialStone
Dimensionsh. 50.8, w. 101.6
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin and provenance
Modern siteNaqb al-Hajar
Ancient siteMyfʿt
Geographical areaWādī Mayfaʿa
CountryYemen
Archaeological contextUrban context: City walls
Link to site record

CULTURAL NOTES

Interesting text to understand the duties of a kabīr in Naqb al-Hajar.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wissmann and Höfner 1952: 303-304Wissmann, Hermann von and Höfner, Maria 1952. Beiträge zur historischen Geographie des vorislamischen Südarabien. (Abhandlungen der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Klasse, 4). Mainz: Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur / Wiesbaden: Steiner.
Ryckmans, Jacques 1954: 341-342Ryckmans, Jacques 1954. Le sens de ḏʾl en sud-arabe. Le Muséon, 67: 339-348.
Pirenne 1956: figs 13/a-bPirenne, 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.
Jamme 1971 b: 32-33Jamme, Albert W.F. 1971. Miscellanées d'ancient arabe II. Washington. 2025/04/17; https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.38250313. [Privately printed]
Beeston 1978 b: 202-203Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1978. Notes on Old South Arabian Lexicography XI. Le Muséon, 91: 195-209.
Avanzini 2006-2007: 61Avanzini, Alessandra 2006-2007. The CSAI project: some general remarks on the Hadramitic corpus. Folia Orientalia, 42/43: 57-70.