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MṢM 168
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 | Recessed | ||
| Execution technique | Incision | ||
| Measure of letters | 5 | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Construction text |
GENERAL NOTES
| On the basis of the mention of ʾrnydʿ the text should come from as-Sawdāʾ. Palaeographically it is between the end of B and the C period. |
TEXT
1 ʾws¹ʿṯt w-ʾws¹m w-ʾlwhb w-bn-hm—
2 w bnw ḏ-Ḫyrhmw ʾdm mlkn hwṯr—
3 w w-brʾ w-s²qr ḥrt-hmw Tġl m—
4 ḥmtm w-ms¹qtm l-ʾnḫl-hmw w-hry-
5 hmw b-ḏ-Mwhḏ[.] b-ʿṯtr w-Wdm w-ʾ—
6 rnydʿ w-b (ʾmrʾ)-(hm)w (ʾmlk )(S¹bʾ)
| 2 | Cf. CIH 937 for the group Ḫyrhmw. |
| 5 | Mwhḏt with a mistake of the engraver is a likely reading. |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 ʾws¹ʿṯt, ʾws¹m, ʾlwhb and their son(s), 2 descendants of ḏ-Ḫyrhmw, vassals of the king, laid the foundations, 3 constructed and completed their irrigation canal Tġl, for the 4 canalization and irrigation of their palmgroves and their 5 two cisterns (?) in ḏ-Mwhḏ[.], by ʿṯtr, Wdm and ʾ‒ 6 rnydʿ, and by their lords the kings of Sabaʾ. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Ṣanʿāʾ, Military Museum, MṢM 168 |
| Support type | Architectural structure |
| Material | Stone |
| Dimensions | h. 65, w. 56, th. 7 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Unknown (wādī al-Jawf) |
| Ancient site | Unknown |
| Geographical area | wādī al-Jawf |
| Country | Yemen |
| Archaeological context | Agricultural irrigation context: Canal Tġl |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
This text, written in Sabaic and mentioning the kings of Sabaʾ, dates back to the post-Minaean period of Nashan's history.