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Ja 567 MaMB 291
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 | 3.2 (min.); 3.9 (max.) | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
TEXT
1 ʾbʾmr ʾṣdq ḏ-ṣry-hw Mʿdkrb[ w-b]—
2 ny-hw Brlm ḏ-ṣry-hw Mʿdkrb [w-Krb]—
3 ʿṯt ḏ-ṣry-hw Ns²ʾkrb bnw ḏ-S¹ḥr hq[nyw]
4 ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm ṯlṯtn ʾṣlmn ʾl[y ḏh]—
5 bn ḥg-n ḏt hrʾy ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm ʿbd-
6 hw Brlm b-ws¹ṭ s¹nt-hw b-kn ḥlẓ b-wrḫ ḏ-ʿ—
7 ṯtr ḏ-ḫrf S¹mhkrb bn ʾbkrb bn Ḥḏmt k-yrʾyn-h—
8 w byn ṯrnhn ḏ-ḫlf mṣrʿy Qs¹dm ḏ-ygwn-hw k-l-y—
9 hqnynn ʾlmqh-bʿl-ʾwm ṯlṯt ʾṣlmm ḏhbm l-
10 wfy grybt-hmw w-rʾ k-s¹tmlʾ{}w b-ʿm ʾlmqh k-
11 hmy b-ṣdqm w-hkn < hkn> hwt ḥlmn w-wkbw b-ʿm
12 ʾlmqh k-b-ṣdqm w-hkn hkn hwt ḥlmn w-rʾ k-h—
13 qnyw ḏt hqnytn ḥg-n k-wqh ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾ—
14 wm l-wfy grybt ʾdm-hw ʾbʾmr w-bny-hw Brlm w-
15 Krbʿṯt bny ḏ-S¹ḥr w-l-wzʾ ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm h—
16 ʿnn w-mtʿn w-frqn grybt ʾdm-hw ʾbʾmr w-bny-
17 hw Brlm w-Krbʿṯt bn mwtm w-nkytm w-ḥlẓ s¹wʾ—
18 m w-l-ḫmr-hmw hwfyn-hmw b-kl ʾmlʾ w-mydʿ yzʾn—
19 n s¹tmlʾn w-s¹tydʿn w-tḍʿn b-ʿm-hw w-l-ḫmr-hmw ṣ—
20 ḥ lb-hw w-ḥẓy w-rḍw mrʾ-hmw ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb mlk S¹—
21 bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn bn Frʿm Ynhb mlk S¹bʾ w-l-wzʾ ws³f-h—
22 mw w-s¹ʿd-hmw ʾlmqh nʿmtm w-wfym w-ḥẓym w-kr—
23 btm w-ʾwldm hnʾm ʾly kwkbt ṣdqm w-ʾṯmrm n—
24 ʾdm hnʾm bn kl ʾrḍt-hmw w-ʾʾrḫ w-mngt ṣdqm
25 w-ḏt nʿmt w-tnʿmn l-grybt-hmw w-ʾwld-hmw w-ḏ-qn—
26 yw w-l-ḫryn-hmw w-mtʿn-hmw w-frqn-hmw bn kl bʾs¹tm
27 w-nkytm w-ʿbṭm w-tlftm w-ḫybtm w-qlmtm w-bn nḍʿ
28 w-s²ṣy w-s¹yb w-tṯʿt s²nʾm b-ʾlmqh-Ṯhwn-bʿl-ʾwm
| 8 | According to Jamme, Qs¹dm could be identified with Banū Qâsid of the tribe Yâfiʿ, in the Wadi Sulub. |
| 11 | Beeston 1981 c: 58 "we should supply an imperfect <yhkn> or a conditional perfect <hkn>. |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 ʾbʾmr ʾṣdq of whom Mʿdkrb is the protector, and his 2 son Brlm of whom Mʿdkrb is the protector, and Krbʿṯt 3 of whom Ns²ʾkrb is the protector, of the family S¹ḥr, dedicated 4 to ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, three statues in bronze, 5 as ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, has shown to His servant 6 Brlm during his sleep, when he was sick in the month of 7 ʿṯtr in the year of S¹mhkrb, son of ʾbkrb, of the family Ḥḏmt, when he saw Him 8 between the two bulls in the vicinity of the two gates of Qs¹dm, Who announced that 9 they should dedicate to ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, three statues in bronze, for 10 the safety of their persons, and they besought ʾlmqh that 11 if only He would in truth and reality bring to pass this dream, and they obtained from 12 ʾlmqh that in truth and in reality He did bring to pass this dream. And indeed they 13 dedicated this dedication as ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of 14 ʾwm, ordered for the safety of His vassals' persons ʾbʾmr and his sons Brlm and 15 Krbʿṯt, of the family S¹ḥr, and may ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm, continue to help 16 and to save and deliver His vassals' persons ʾbʾmr and his sons 17 Brlm and Krbʿṯt from death, mischief and sickness of evil, 18 and may He grant them their satisfaction in all the favours and divine favours they will continue 19 to seek, to ask and to implore from Him, and may He grant them the health 20 of his heart and the goodwill and the satisfaction of their lord ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb, king of Sabaʾ 21 and ḏu-Raydān, son of Frʿm Ynhb, king of Sabaʾ, and may ʾlmqh continue to increase them 22 and to grant them prosperity, safety, goodwill, blessings 23 and healthy, numerous and perfect children, and luxuriant, healthy 24 fruit crops from all their lands and good matters and luck, 25 and what has been and will be favourable for their persons and their children and for what 26 they possess; and may He deliver them and save them and protect them from any evil 27 and mischief, and calamity, ruin and drought (of lands) and insect pest (?) and from the malice 28 and the malice and the betrayal and the calumny of any enemy. By ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, Lord of ʾwm. |
| 10-12 | The text follows Beeston 1981 c, in objection with Jamme's version who translates "and now they have besought ʾlmqh that (it would) ever (be) in reality; and the realisation of this dream came to pass; and they have received from ʾlmqh that (it became) in reality; and the realisation of this dream came to pass". Jacques Ryckmans 1968a translates: "et voici qu'ils demandèrent à Almaqah que ces deux (taureaux, hmy) soient en réalité, et de réaliser ce rêve. Et ils obtinrent d'Almaqah que ce soit en vérité, et de matérialiser la réalisation de ce rêve". Both Jamme and Beeston consider hmy as a particle and not as a pronoun. |
| 27 | Ryckmans J. 1966, according to the Ar. ḫawba "faime", translates ḫybt as "famine" or "sécheresse". |
| Ryckmans, Jacques 1966: 475 | Ryckmans, Jacques 1966. Himyaritica 2. Le Muséon, 79: 475-500. |
| Ryckmans, Jacques 1968 a: 264-265 | Ryckmans, Jacques 1968. La mancie par ḥrb en Arabie du Sud ancienne: l'inscription NAMI NAG 12. Pages 261-273 in Erwin Gräf (ed.). Festschrift Werner Caskel zum siebzigsten Geburtstag 5. März 1966: gewidmet von Freunden und Schülern. Leiden: E.J. Brill. |
| Beeston 1981 c: 57-59 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1981. Notes on Old South Arabian Lexicography XII. Le Muséon, 94: 55-73. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Mārib |
| Support type | Artefact » Base » Of statue with dedicatory inscription |
| Material | Stone |
| Dimensions | h. 112.8, w. 36.9, th. 20.5 |
| 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 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Jamme 1962 a: 49-53 | Jamme, Albert W.F. 1962. Sabaean Inscriptions from Maḥram Bilqîs (Mârib). (Publications of the American Foundation for the Study of Man, 3). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. |
| Höfner 1964: 424 | Höfner, Maria 1964. Altsüdarabische Stelen und Statuetten. Pages 217-232 in Eike Haberland, Meinhard Schuster and Helmut Straube (eds). Festschrift für Ad. E. Jensen. Munich: Renner. |
| Ryckmans, Jacques 1966: 475 | Ryckmans, Jacques 1966. Himyaritica 2. Le Muséon, 79: 475-500. |
| Ryckmans, Jacques 1968 a: 264-265 | Ryckmans, Jacques 1968. La mancie par ḥrb en Arabie du Sud ancienne: l'inscription NAMI NAG 12. Pages 261-273 in Erwin Gräf (ed.). Festschrift Werner Caskel zum siebzigsten Geburtstag 5. März 1966: gewidmet von Freunden und Schülern. Leiden: E.J. Brill. |
| Beeston 1981 c: 57-59 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1981. Notes on Old South Arabian Lexicography XII. Le Muséon, 94: 55-73. |
| Müller, Walter W. 1986 a: 150-152 | Müller, Walter W. 1986. Altsüdarabische Inschriften. Pages 149-157 in Manfried Dietrich (ed.). Deutungen der Zukunft in Briefen, Orakeln und Omina. Religiöse Texte. 1. Otto Kaiser (ed.), Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments. 2. Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn. |
| Korotayev 1994: 158 | Korotayev, Andrey V. 1994. The social sense of Middle Sabaean epithet names. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 24: 157-164. |