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CIAS 39.11/r 1
CIAS: i, 89
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 | 1.5 |
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
TEXT
1 ʾḥmdt w-Ḥkmt h(q)ny(t)—
2 w ʾlmq<h> bʿl ʾwm ṣl—
3 mtn l-hʿnn-hmw bn rġ—
4 m lb-hw w-rġm ʾḫ-hw
5 w-l-ḫmr-hw ḏ-yḫtmrn-h—
6 w w-ḏt ṣlmtn b-qbly
7 ḏ-s²ftt-hw b-ḏ-bhʾt m—
8 ḥrm-hw w-ʾlbs¹-hw ʾ—
9 (l) ẓy b-ʾlmqhw bʿl
10 ʾwm
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 ʾḥmdt and Ḥkmt dedicated 2 to ʾlmqh, Lord of ʾwm, the female 3 statuette, in order that He protects them against the illwill 4 of her heart and the illwill of her brother; 5 may He grant her whatever He is asked to grant 6 her. This statuette is in respect of 7 that which she had promised Him, because she entered 8 His sanctuary while her clothes were 9 not pure; by ʾlmqh, Lord of 10 ʾwm. |
| 4 | Beeston translates bn rġm lb-hw w-rġm ʾḫ-hw "from the illwill of His heart and the illwill of her brother". The pronouns in this text are somewhat puzzling. At the line 8 -hw after mḥrm is surely referred to the God, but -hw after ʾlbs¹ in the same line is referred to one of the women who had committed the offence. |
| CIAS: i, 87-88 | Beeston, Alfred F.L., Pirenne, Jacqueline and Robin, Christian J. 1977-1986. Corpus des inscriptions et antiquités sud-arabes: Vol. I (1977): Tome 1. Inscriptions. Tome 2. Antiquités; Vol. II (1986): Le Musée d’Aden. Tome 1. Inscriptions. Tome 2. Antiquités. Louvain: Peeters. [Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres] |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Ṣanʿāʾ, The National Museum, YM 441 |
| Support type | Artefact » Base » Of statue with dedicatory inscription |
| Material | Stone |
| Dimensions | h. 21, w. 16, th. 4 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Maḥram Bilqīs |
| Ancient site | ʾwm |
| Geographical area | Maʾrib |
| Country | Yemen |
| Archaeological context | Religious context: Temple of ʾlmqh bʿl ʾwm |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
In the text two dedicants are mentioned, but only one committed the offence.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| CIAS: i, 87-89 (photo) | Beeston, Alfred F.L., Pirenne, Jacqueline and Robin, Christian J. 1977-1986. Corpus des inscriptions et antiquités sud-arabes: Vol. I (1977): Tome 1. Inscriptions. Tome 2. Antiquités; Vol. II (1986): Le Musée d’Aden. Tome 1. Inscriptions. Tome 2. Antiquités. Louvain: Peeters. [Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres] |
| Jamme 1985: 261-262 | Jamme, Albert W.F. 1985. Miscellanées d'ancient arabe XIV. Washington. 2025/04/17; https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.38250301. [Privately printed] |