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A-20-849
By kind permission of GOAM
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Sabaic » Central Middle Sabaic | ||
| Script | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Text direction | Right-to-left | ||
| Text appearance | Recessed | ||
| Execution technique | Incision | ||
| Measure of letters | about 3.5 | ||
| Chronology |
|
TEXT
1 wṯn wṯnw
2 S¹bʾ w-bkl
3 ms³wdn byn ḏ-
4 (Ẓ)lwmn <w>-nḫl S¹—
5 mhʾmr mlk ʾ—
6 nbʾ |
| 1 | The text seems to be complete at the beginning, though in the broken corner there is space for few other letters. |
| 4 | Our emendation to the text is motivated by being ḏ-Ẓlwmn exclusively attested - in texts from Baraqish and Maʿīn - as name of clan (which excludes that nḫl is an apposition of ḏ-Ẓlwmn, and then that the latter is a toponym), and also by being the preposition byn always followed by two elements coordinated by w. |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Boundary which did set 2 Sabaʾ and the colonists 3 of the ms³wdn (?) between ḏ- 4 Ẓlwmn [and] the palmgrove of S¹- 5 mhʾmr, king of I- 6 nabbaʾ. |
| 3 | The term ms³wdn, as a collective noun referring to a class of people, is translated as "landlords" in SD: 139. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Ṣanʿāʾ, University Museum, A-20-849 |
| Support type | Monumental stela |
| Material | Stone |
| Dimensions | h. 51, w. 32, th. 10 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Unknown (wādī al-Jawf) |
| Ancient site | Unknown |
| Geographical area | wādī al-Jawf |
| Country | Yemen |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
According to our interpretation (see the epigraphic note) even in the period of the kingdom of Maʿīn, Sabaʾ can still settle issues among the cities of Jawf (in this case between the clan ḏ-Ẓlwmn and Inabbaʾ).