CSAI
Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions

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Bahāʾ 1


Gajda, Arbach and Bron 1998: 104, fig. 2

INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Sabaic » Southern Middle Sabaic
ScriptAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Text directionRight-to-left
Text appearanceRecessed
Execution techniqueIncision
Measure of letters3
Chronology
PeriodC. Conjectural
Textual typologyConstruction text

GENERAL NOTES

The inscription dates back to the 1st c. AD, when the Hṣbḥ had separated from the kingdom of Qatabān. Cf. the Sabaic inscription MQ-Ḥaṣī 8, mentioning Hṣbḥ and S²bʿn, dated to 49 of the era of Nbṭm ḏ-Ḫrf (approximately of 14 AD).

TEXT

marker


   1  S¹ydm Mrṯ w-S²rḥʾl w-ʿbdʿm S¹yd ḏtw |
   2  Hṣb(ḥ) w-S²bʿn bqrw w-brḏ w-gyr ḏn rhṭn rh(ṭ)
   3  bn-hw ys(¹)nwnn ʿd wyn-hmw Ḥbbm w-ʾrḍ-hmw ḏt ʿk—
   4  mw hwt wynn Ḥbbm b-mlʾ ʿtr S²rqn w-b-rdʾ ʾs²ms¹-h—
   5  mw w-mnḍḥt ʾbyt-hmw w-ʿtr ḏ-Yfʿy w-S¹ḥr ḏ-Kwkbn w-
   6  ʿm ḏ-Bṭmm w-b-rdʾ mrʾy-hmw Mrṯdn Ys²ʿr w-S¹ʿdʿm Yḥ—
   7  md qyly Mḍḥym w-b-s²ʿt ʾdm-hmw ʾdm bny S²bʿn

Apparatus
1Note the Qatabanic relative pronoun ḏtw.
2The editors note that S²bʿn is most probably to be distinguished from the homonym family attested in the Central Qatabanic inscriptions.

TRANSLATIONS

French

   1  Sayyidum Marith, Sharaḥʾil et ʿAbdʿamm Sayyid, du lignage de
   2  Haṣbaḥ et Shabʿān, ont creusé, aplani et plâtré ce réservoir, réservoir
   3  d'où ils puisent l'eau pour leur vigne Ḥababum et la terre dont ils ont entouré
   4  cette vigne Ḥababum, avec la faveur de ʿAttar Shariqān et l'aide de leurs shams,
   5  des divinités tutélaires de leurs maisons, de ʿAttar dhū-Yāfiʿī, de Saḥar dhū-Kawkabān et de
   6  ʿAmm dhū-Buṭmum, et l'aide de leurs seigneurs Marthadum Yashʿar et Saʿadʿamm Yaḥmad,
   7  les deux qayls de Maḍḥī, et par le faveur de leurs vassaux, les vassaux des banū Shabʿān.
2For the meaning of the word rhṭ, see the commentary by the editors.
Gajda, Arbach and Bron 1998: 103Gajda, Iwona, Arbach, Mounir and Bron, François 1998. Une nouvelle inscription sudarabique des Haṣbaḥides. Semitica 48: 101-108.

OBJECT INFORMATION

DepositṢanʿāʾ, The National Museum
Support typeStone piece
MaterialStone
Dimensionsh. 33, w. 61.5
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin and provenance
Modern siteBahāʾ
Ancient siteunknown
Geographical areaLawdar
CountryYemen
Archaeological contextAgricultural irrigation context: Cistern
NotesThe stone was placed in front of a modern private house. The owner told he had found it during agricultural works near an ancient cistern close to the wādī bed.
Link to site record

CULTURAL NOTES

The onomastic formula of the authors has the name of clan S²bʿn added, the family that has autority on the region of wādī Bahāʾ. Moreover, for the first time the epithet is added to the individual name of the authors. This could be a hint of the autonomy gained by the Maḍḥī tribe from Qataban (cf. Robin 2005-2006: 46).

In this inscription, the epithets ḏ-Yfʿy of ʿṯtr and ḏ-Bṭmm of ʿm are attested for the first time. As for Yfʿy, the editors suggest that it may be a nisba of the near region of Yāfiʿ. As for Bṭmm, they note that in Arabic buṭm means lentisk (Pistacia lentiscus) the tree that produces the resin called ḍrw.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gajda, Arbach and Bron 1998: 101-108, fig. 2Gajda, Iwona, Arbach, Mounir and Bron, François 1998. Une nouvelle inscription sudarabique des Haṣbaḥides. Semitica 48: 101-108.
Robin 2005-2006 aRobin, Christian J. 2005-2006. Les banū Haṣbaḥ, princes de la commune de Maḍḥām. Arabia. Revue de Sabéologie, 3: 31-110.