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MṢM 147
By kind permission of GOAM
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 | Raised |
| Execution technique | Casting |
| Measure of letters | 2.5 |
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
GENERAL NOTES
| Chronologically it may be dated between period C and D. |
TEXT
1 Hws³n Yrdf w-Ẓbym bny H—
2 mtʿṯt hqnyy ʾlmqhw ʿdy
3 ʾwm ms³ndn ḥg-n wqh-hmy b-
4 ms¹ʾl-hw l-wfy bn-hmy ʿfṯm—
5 m w-l-ḏt yhs¹ʿdn ʾlmqh ʿb—
6 d-hw Hws³n nʿmtm w-ḥẓym
7 w-bry ʾḏnm w-mqmm b-s¹bʾt |
8 wqh-hw mrʾ-hw Rdʿm l-
9 s¹bʾ w-qtdmn ḏ-bn s²ʿ—
10 bn Ḏmry b-ʾrḍ Rdmn
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 Hws³n Yrdf and Ẓbym sons of H- 2 mtʿṯt dedicated to ʾlmqh at 3 ʾwm this inscription, as He had ordered them both in 4 His oracle, for the safety of their (of both of them) son ʿfṯm- 5 m, and in order that ʾlmqh should grant His 6 servant Hws³n prosperity, success 7 and soundness of faculties and material resources, in the task 8 that his lord Rdʿm had ordered him, (that is) to 9 undertake the direction of the (contingent) from the tri- 10 be Ḏmry, in the land of Rdmn. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Ṣanʿāʾ, Military Museum, MṢM 147 |
| Support type | Artefact » Plaque » With framework |
| Material | Bronze |
| Dimensions | h. 31.2, w. 23.6, th. 0.6 |
| 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 ʿdy ʾwm |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
The dedication is made by two brothers for the safety of the son of them both. This could be either a proof of a common marriage of brothers with the same woman, or that the son is meant to be generically under the responsibility of both his natural father and any other family member.
A member of the tribe Ḏmry is appointed to lead an expedition in the land of Radmān. We know that, when the alliance between Sabaʾ and Ḥimyar broke up, the two tribal fractions of Ḏmry, S¹mhrm and Qs²mm took sides with Sabaʾ and Ḥimyar respectively. The text could date back to that moment of fracture, happened after the reign of ʿmdn Byn, at the end of the 1st century AD. In this case, we must suppose that the dedicant was part of the tribe of S¹mhrm, which remained on Sabaʾ's side.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Catalogue 2000: 285, cat. 41 | 2000. Yemen. Nel paese della Regina di Saba. Catalogo della Mostra, Palazzo Ruspoli, Fondazione Memmo, Roma 6 Aprile - 30 Giugno 2000. Milan: Skira. |