CC BY 4.0
The above license applies to the data in this record, but not to any images displayed. The images are the property
of third parties and are either used with permission or reproduced from publications (see the credits below each image).
Jabal Riyām 2006-11
By kind permission of J. Schiettecatte
INSCRIPTION INFORMATION
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Sabaic » Early Sabaic | ||
| Script | Ancient South Arabian | ||
| Script typology | Monumental writing | ||
| Text direction | Right-to-left | ||
| Text appearance | Recessed | ||
| Execution technique | Incision | ||
| Measure of letters | 6 | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text - fragmentary |
GENERAL NOTES
| The inscription could be dated to the 7th century BC. |
TEXT
1 Mns²ʾm bn Ḍrfm hqny T—
2 ʾlb S²ḫtm bnt Hmtʿ w-b—
3 nt-h ḏt fdy bn ʿm ʿmyd—
4 ʿ bn ʾmns¹mʿ bn ʾrn((ʾrn)) w-(f)—
5 lṭ-hmy l-Tʾlb w-l-S¹mʿy
6 (ḥ)rty S¹mʿy w-wld-hmy w-
7 (kr)b-hmy l-Ḥs²dm w-l-S¹mh—
8 yfʿ ḥrt Ḥs²dm w-wld-h wr—
9 ḫm ḏ-ʾbhy ḏ-rs²wt (ʾb)[...]
10 [...]rn s¹m(ʿm )[... ...]
| 4 | it is not sure that ʾrn is a family name. The editors note: "on ne saurait dire ici avec exactitude si le terme ʾrn est un nom d'homme, de famille, un toponyme ou un substantif. Le contexte suggère un sens lié aux transactions dont l'inscription fait l'objet". |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Mns²ʾm, son of Ḍfrm, dedicated to T– 2 ʾlb S²ḫtm, daughter of Hmtʿ, and her 3 daughter, whom he bought from ʿmyd– 4 ʿ, son of ʾmns¹mʿ, he of ʾrn (?) and he 5 assigned the two of them to Tʾlb and S¹mʿy, 6 (namely) the two free women of S¹mʿy, and their children 7 and their obligation to Ḥs²dm, and to S¹mh– 8 yfʿ, the free woman of Ḥs²dm and her children. In the 9 month of ʾbhy, in the priesthood of ʾb[...] 10 [...]rn, guarantor [... ...] |
| 3 | the editors translate: "qu'il a payée à". |
| 4 | if ʾrn is not a proper name, but a substantive, we can very hypothetically think to the root ʾRY "collect, gather", ḏ-ʾrn: "together". |
| 4-5 | the editors translate flṭ as a substantive "concession". |
| 7-8 | S¹mhyfʿ seems here attested as a feminine proper name. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Support type | Artefact » Stela » Stela with framework |
| Material | Stone |
| Dimensions | h. 84, w. 56 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Jabal Riyām |
| Ancient site | Trʿt |
| Geographical area | Arḥab |
| Country | Yemen |
| Found | Reemployed. In modern times |
| Notes | The stela is placed in a courtyard of a modern house in Riyām village. |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
The consecration of the woman and her daughter was made for the god Taʾlab and the tribe Samʿī. The woman was acquired by the dedicator, see for some similar cultural aspects: Ṣirwāḥ-04.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Arbach and Schiettecatte 2012: 47-49, fig. 14 | Arbach, Mounir and Schiettecatte, Jérémie 2012. Inscriptions inédites du Jabal Riyām des VIIe-VIe siècles av. J.-C.. Pages 37-68 in Alexander V. Sedov (ed.). New research in archaeology and epigraphy of South Arabia and its neighbors. Proceedings of the "Rencontres Sabéennes 15" held in Moscow, May 25th –27th, 2011. Moscow: The State Museum of Oriental Art. |