CSAI
Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions

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ʿAbdallāh 1996


INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Sabaic » Undefined Sabaic
ScriptAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMinuscule writing
Text directionRight-to-left
Text appearanceRecessed
Execution techniqueIncision
Textual typologyLetter

TEXT

marker


   1  ṭbytm l-Ḫnm w-Ṭmḥtm ʿm-n Ḥmwt w-ḏt Ḥmym
   2  l-ts¹mʿn-kmy w-ʿbr-n-h nʿmtm ḥdṯ w-b-ḏt ʾl
   3  rʾyt ʿm-n-kmy s¹ṭrm w-hnḥrt b-ʾlbb-kmy w-ʾ—
   4  tmy (s²)ṭrn l-h w-hʾ rs¹ʿt mrḍtm bn ʿyn-h w-l-km—
   5  y nʿmtm ḥdṯ

Apparatus
2w-ʿbrn-h instead of b-ʿbrn-h is a correction by Stein.
3b-ʾlbb-kmy instead of l-ʾlbb-kmy is a correction by Stein.

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  Message to Ḫnm and Ṭmḥtm from Ḥmwt. May (the goddess) ḏt Ḥmym
   2  hear you. From her (i.e. the sender), greetings were delivered. Since she has not
   3  seen from you (any) letter she has complained to your hearts. As for
   4  you, write to her! For she suffers from a disease of her eye. For you,
   5  greetings were delivered.
Stein 2006 b: 185Stein, Peter 2006. The Ancient South Arabian minuscule inscriptions on wood. A new genre of pre-Islamic epigraphy. Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch Genootschap "Ex Oriente Lux", 39: 181-199.

OBJECT INFORMATION

Support typeStick
MaterialWood
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin
Modern siteUnknown
Ancient siteUnknown
Geographical areaUnknown
CountryUnknown
Link to site record

CULTURAL NOTES

A woman writes a letter to two people - maybe her relatives. The tone is very familiar; she complains to them of their absence while she is suffering of a disease of her eyes.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ʿAbdallāh 1996: 18-28ʿAbdallāh, Yūsuf M. 1996. Risāla min imra'a bi-ḫaṭṭ al-zabūr al-yamānī. New Arabian Studies, 3: 18-28.
Stein 2006 b: 185Stein, Peter 2006. The Ancient South Arabian minuscule inscriptions on wood. A new genre of pre-Islamic epigraphy. Jaarbericht van het vooraziatisch-egyptisch Genootschap "Ex Oriente Lux", 39: 181-199.