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Ja 750 MaMB 282
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 | 2.1-2.3 | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
TEXT
1 Frwly Myḥyn w-bny-hw ʿbd—
2 ʾbs¹ w-ʾls¹ʿd w-ʾṯt-hw Wdʿ—
3 [..] hqnyw ʾlmqh bʿl-ʾwm ṯwrn
4 [ḏ-ḏ]hbn ḥg-n s²ft-hw l-qbly ḏ-s¹bʾ ʿ—
5 [dy] ʾrḍ Ḥḍrmt blt-n ʾḏn-hw ʿ[dy]
6 [hb]ʿyw(([ḏ-h]ʿyw)) b-ms¹bʾn w-ẓmʾw w-s²m l-ʾlm—
7 [qh] zʾdʾm((tʾdʾm)) b-hbtn l-grmy mwm ḏ-
8 [ys¹]tqynn w-yfʿ ḫyl ʾlmqh w-wkb—
9 [w] qll mwm ḏ-s²rḥ ʾfs¹-hmw ʿdy m—
10 [ẓʾ]w ms¹bʾn w-mwn w-l-ḏ-hʿn-hmw ʾ—
11 [lm]qh bn ftḥm ḏ-kyn bn-hmw b-
12 [ʿm] Hdym((hdym)) ḏ-kd ʾfs¹-hmw w-hʿn-hm—
13 [w ]ʾlmqh w-l-hʿnn-hmw ʾlmqh bn l—
14 [ḫb]n((l[ḫy]n))((l[ḫm]n)) ḏ-yknn byn-hw w-byn ʾṯt-hw
15 [w-l-]((k-m ))hʿnn-hmw ʾlmqh bn hwt lḫ—
16 [bn]((lḫ[n]))((lḫ[mn])) b-ʿm ʾṯt-hw w-l-hʿnn-hmw bn nḍʿ w-s²—
17 [ṣy] s²nʾm ḏ-rḥq w-qrb b-ʾlmqh[ bʿl-ʾwm]
| 2-3 | Jamme: Wdʿ[tn]. |
| 6 | ḏ-hʿyw: variant suggested by Beeston 1969: 228. |
| 7 | If Jamme's reading of zʾdʾm is correct, Beeston suggests that it could be an engraver's error and he proposes the variant tʾdʾm. See Beeston 1969: 228-229. |
| 12 | Beeston considers hdym a common noun instead of a proper name, as proposed by Jamme. |
| 13-14, 15-16 | Beeston proposes the variants l[ḫy]n at lines 13-14 and lḫ[n] at lines 15-16. See Beeston 1969: 228. One more variant of lḫbn is suggested by Frantsouzoff; he proposes lḫmn. See Frantsouzoff 1999 b: 155. lḫm is attested in Ja 700, 11: "exchange of blows". Perhaps the integration proposed by Frantsouzoff is the most credible. |
| 15 | k-m variant suggested by Beeston 1969: 228. |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Frwly Myḥyn and his two sons ʿbdʾbs¹ 2 and ʾls¹ʿd and his wife Wdʿ[tn] 3 dedicated to ʾlmqh, Lord of ʾwm, this bull-statue 4 in bronze as he promised Him, because he had made a journey to 5 the land of Ḥaḍramawt without His permission so 6 that [...] on the journey and thirsted; then he promised to ʾlmqh 7 a payment (?) consisting in this gift for two skinfuls of water whereof 8 they might drink; and the power of ʾlmqh was manifested and they obtained 9 a small quantity of water which saved their lives until 10 they reached the caravan and the waterhole. Also for ʾlmqh having given them a favourable outcome 11 from a lawsuit which was originated by them against 12 the guide who had treacherously endangered their lives. Moreover, ʾlmqh has delivered them 13 and may ʾlmqh deliver them from 14 any further occurence of dispute between him and his wife 15 as ʾlmqh did in the past deliver them from the dispute on this occasion 16 with his wife and may He protect them against hostility and 17 wickedness of enemy who is far and near. By ʾlmqh, Lord of ʾwm. |
| 6 | [ḏ-h]ʿyw: (Beeston) "they lagged behind", he suggests to compare with Ar. aʿyā (root ʿYY) "he was fatigued, tired or wearied in walking or going, said of a man and of a beast". [hb]ʿyw: (Jamme) "they acted corruptly". |
| 7 | zʾdʾm: (Jamme) "travelling provisions", Ar. zād. Noun pattern fʿlʾ, dubiously attested in ASA. tʾdʾm: (Beeston) "payment" from the root ʾDʾ. It is equivalent to Ar. taʾdiyah "payment, fulfilment". |
| 12 | hdym ḏ-kd: Beeston considers hdym a common noun from Ar. hādī. Kd from the root KYD; cf. Arabic kāda "betray". |
| 14 | If the integration of Frantsouzoff was accepted the meaning of ḫlm would be more concrete than "dispute", it could mean "beatings, blows". |
| 15 | The translation of the sequence of the verbs tenses follows Beeston's translation. If Beeston is right and the infinitive at the beginning of the line should be taken to refer to the past, we cannot integrate [w-l-]hʿnn-hmw (Jamme and Frantsouzoff). Beeston integrates: [k-m] hʿnn-hmw. |
| Beeston 1969: 228-230 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1969. A Sabaean trader's misfortunes. Journal of Semitic Studies, 14: 227-230. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Mārib |
| Support type | Artefact » Base » Of statue with dedicatory inscription |
| Material | Stone |
| Dimensions | w. 25.3, th. 18 |
| 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: 220-223 | 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. |
| Beeston 1969: 227-230 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1969. A Sabaean trader's misfortunes. Journal of Semitic Studies, 14: 227-230. |
| Bron 1985 a: 136 | Bron, François 1985. Sur une locution conjonctive en araméen et en sabéen. Pages 133-136 in Christian J. Robin (ed.). Mélanges linguistiques offerts à Maxime Rodinson par ses élèves, ses collègues et ses amis. (Comptes rendus du Groupe linguistique d'études chamito-sémitiques. Supplément, 12). Paris: Librairie orientaliste Paul Geuthner. |
| Frantsouzoff 1999 b: 155 | Frantsouzoff, Serguei A. 1999. Die Frau im antiken Südarabien. Pages 151-169 in Werner Daum, Walter W. Müller, Norbert Nebes and Walter Raunig (eds). Im Land der Königin von Saba. Kunstschätze aus dem antiken Jemen. 7. Juli 1999-9. Januar 2000. Staatlichen Museum für Völkerkunde München. Germering: I.P. Verlagsgesellschaft / Munich: I.P. Verlagsgesellschaft. |