CSAI
Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions

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MuB 673 CSAI I, 18


INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Qatabanic » Central Qatabanic
ScriptAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Text directionRight-to-left
Text appearanceRecessed
Execution techniqueIncision
Measure of letters6
Chronology
PeriodB1
Textual typologyConstruction text
Royal inscriptionYes

TEXT

marker


   1  [Ydʿʾ]b Ḏbyn Yhnʿm bn S²hr mkrb Qtbn w-kl wld ʿm w-ʾws¹n w-Kḥd w-Dhs¹m w-
   2  [Tbnw] bkr ʾnby w-Ḥwkm ḏ-ʾmr w-S²mr qẓr qyn rs²w ʿmm((ʿmm)) rs²w ʿmm((ʿmm)) ṯntm s³ḥr w-r—
   3  [by ʿm] Ryʿn bʿl ẓrbt ltk b-ḏbḥtm w-b ʿm ʾḍfrm b-byt Qny Hwrn bny w-s¹—
   4  [ḥdṯ] (S¹)qrw w-nmr-s¹ww w-mḏqnt-s¹ ʾbn-s¹ w-ʿḍ-s¹ w-mwgl-s¹ w-mrt-s¹ w-blq-s¹ w-kl ḏ—
   5  [... ...] (w)-ts²rʿ-s¹ b-mns²ʾ Qtbn b-mqdm ʿṯtr w-ʿm ywm s¹wfy ʿṯtr Ydʿʾb ḏtm tk—
   6  [rb-s¹ w-]ywm klʾ w-s¹gʿ ʿṯtr w-ʿm w-ʾlh-s¹m S¹bʾ w-Ḥḍrmt bn ʿlw mlk ʿm w-ʾn—
   7  [by] b-ʿṯtr w-b ʿm w-b ʾnby w-b ḏt Ṣntm w-b ḏt Ẓhrn

Apparatus
4-5Bron integrates: ḏ[hb-s¹] according to MuB 98,2.

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  Ydʿʾb Ḏbyn Yhnʿm son of S²hr mukarrib of Qatabān and of all the children of ʿm and of Awsān and of Kḥd and of Dhs¹m and
   2  Tbnw first-born of ʾnby and Ḥwkm ḏ-ʾmr and S²mr, Collector, qyn, Priest of ʿmm (or, great Priest), Priest of ʿmm (or, great Priest) for the second time, Wizard and Priest
   3  of ʿm Ryʿn, Lord of land properties, in charge of sacrifices and of animals (for sacrifices) in the temple of Qny Hwrn built and re-
   4  stored S¹qrw and its two bastions and its entrance, its stone and its wood and its alabaster and its limestone and its sandstone and all of
   5  [its bronze] and its ornament with the mobilization (support) of Qatabān under the direction of ʿṯtr and ʿm when ʿṯtr saved Ydʿʾb, as he asked
   6  Him, and when ʿṯtr and ʿm and their gods held back and sent away Sabaʾ and Ḥaḍramawt from the kingdom of ʿm and ʾn-
   7  by; by ʿṯtr and by ʿm and by ʾnby and by ḏt Ṣntm and by ḏt Ẓhrn.
4The previous translation was: [its surrounding territory] and its canalization system". Nevertheless, the right meaning of ts²rʿ seems to be "ornament", so we have to change our previous translation.
4-5"... when ʿṯtr granted (literally: paid fulfilled) Ydʿʾb whatever he had allotted him ..." (Drewes 2003).
Drewes 2003Drewes, Abraham J. 2003. The meaning of Sabaean mkrb, facts and fiction. Semitica, 51: 93-125.

OBJECT INFORMATION

DepositBayḥān, Museum, 673
Support typeArchitectural structure » Walls
MaterialStone
Dimensionsh. 50, w. 106, th. 29
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin
Modern siteHajar Kuḥlān
Ancient siteTmnʿ
Geographical areaWādī Bayḥān
CountryYemen
Archaeological contextUrban context: City walls S¹qrw
NotesThe inscription comes from the northern gate of Timnaʿ. It was inserted into an architectural structure related to the city walls, probably the bastions.
Link to site record

CULTURAL NOTES

Ydʿʾb Ḏbyn Yhnʿm bn S²hr is assuredly the main king of this period (5th-3rd century BC). In this text, where he bears the long title of mukarrib, commemorates the construction of the bastions of the north gate of Timnaʿ.
The text is of great historical interest for many reasons: the king has emerged victorious in wars against Sabaʾ and against the Ḥaḍramawt, he managed to keep enemies away from the sacred land of Qataban: "the kingdom of ʿm and ʾnby".

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bāfaqīh 1994 b: 27-31, photoBāfaqīh, Muḥammad ʿA. 1994. Naqš qatabānī yaḏkuru mulk ʿAm wa-ʾAnbay. Raydān, 6: 27-31. [Arabic section]
Breton 1994 c: pl. 25/cBreton, Jean-François 1994. Les fortifications d'Arabie méridionale du 7e au 1er siècle avant notre ère. (Archäologische Berichte aus dem Yemen, 8). Mainz: Verlag Philipp von Zabern.
Bron 1999 a: 69-74Bron, François 1999. L'inscription qatabanite de la porte nord de Timnaʿ. Pages 69-74 in Yitzhak Avishur and Robert Deutsch (eds). Michael. Historical, epigraphical and Biblical Studies in Honor of Prof Michael Heltzer. Tel Aviv: Archaeological Center Publications / Jaffa: Archaeological Center Publications.
Simpson 2002: 61-62, cat. 28Simpson, St John (ed.) 2002. Queen of Sheba. Treasures from the ancient Yemen. London: British Museum Press. [Catalogue of an exhibition held at the British Museum, London]