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Moussaieff 22
Antonini 2008: 218, pl. 1/1-2
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Minaic » Central Minaic | ||
| Script | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Text direction | Boustrophedon | ||
| Text appearance | Raised | ||
| Execution technique | Casting | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text | ||
| Royal inscription | Yes |
GENERAL NOTES
| The language of these two identical inscriptions shows some Sabaic and some Minaic features. |
TEXT
1 Ydʿʾb w-Ys²hrmlk mlky Ns²n w-s²ʿb-hmy Ns²n s¹ḥdṯw
2 k-ʿṯtr bʿl ʾḏnn ḥfnnhn bn ʾs³lʾ-s¹
| Text inscribed on the base of the right lion. The left text is identical, apart from the verb s¹ḥdṯw which is divided among the two lines (l.1: s¹ḥdṯ; l.2: w). |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Ydʿʾb and Ys²hrmlk, the two kings of Nashshān, and their tribe Nashshān dedicated 2 to ʿṯtr Lord of ʾḏnn the two ḥfn from His offerings. |
| The word ḥfn is a frequent proper name, but as a common noun is rare in South-Arabian. It is usually referred to offerings, but the exact meaning is unknown. The semitic root means "handle", but it is difficult to establish its value in this text, as we don't know the function of the two objects it designates. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Support type | Artefact » Sculpture in the round » Animal figure |
| Material | Bronze |
| Dimensions | h. 50, w. 70 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | as-Sawdāʾ |
| Ancient site | Ns²n |
| Geographical area | Jawf - Wādī al-Buhayra |
| Country | Yemen |
| Archaeological context | Religious context: Temple of ʿṯtr bʿl ʾḏnn |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
The sanctuary ʾḏnn is known from few Sabaic inscriptions of period C from the Jawf (see Bron 2008 b).
The dating of this text is doubtful. The title of king of Nashshān, the presence of Sabaic grammatical features along with Minaic ones and the palaeography of the text surely suggest a phase of strong Sabaic alliance/protectorate in Nashshān during the Madhabaean period.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Bron 2008 b: 219-221 | Bron, François 2008. L'inscription des lions de Nashshān. Egitto e Vicino Oriente, 31: 219-221. |
| Antonini 2008: pl. 1/1-2 | Antonini, Sabina 2008. Due leoni/appliques da Nashshān (Jawf, Repubblica dello Yemen). Egitto e Vicino Oriente, 31: 213-218. |
| Arbach and Rossi 2011: fig. 17 | Arbach, Mounir and Rossi, Irene 2011. Réflexions sur l'histoire de la cité-État de Nashshân (fin du IXe - fin du VIIe s. av. J.-C.). Egitto e vicino Oriente, 34: 149-176. |
| Rossi 2022: 139-141 | Rossi, Irene 2022. The city-states of the Jawf at the dawn of Ancient South Arabian history (8th-6th centuries BCE). II. Corpus of the inscriptions. (Arabia Antica, 17/2). Roma: «L'Erma» di Bretschneider. |