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Cullen 2
Beeston 1988 a: 37 (photo)
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 | 1.6 | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text - fragmentary |
TEXT
[... ...]
1 ḫlfn ḥmdm (b)-(ḏt)[ ... ... qd]—
2 mtn w-l-wzʾ Bʿl S²bʿn hwfy-[hmw]
3 qdmt yzʾn qdm l-byt-hmw [..]—
4 (ʾ) w l-ḫmr-hmw ḥẓy w-rḍw m[rʾy-hm—
5 w] ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb w -ʾḫy-hw Y[ʾzl By—
6 n] mlky S¹bʾ w-ḏ-Rydn b(n)[y Frʿm]
7 Ynhb mlk S¹bʾ w-l-ḫmr-h[mw ʾlmqh]
8 bʿl S²bʿn wfy grybt-h[mw w-ʾʾḏn-h]—
9 mw w-ʾṯmr w-ʾfql ṣdq(m)[ w l-ḫryn-hm—
10 w] ʾlmqh bn bʾs¹tm (w)-[nkytm w-ḫy]—
11 btm w-qlmtm w-nḍʿ [w-s²ṣy s²nʾm]
12 b-ʾlmqh bʿl S²(b)[ʿn]
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
[ ... ...] 1 the votive-object (?) in gratitude because he had [successfully fulfilled] the office of 2 overseer. And may the Lord of S²bʿn continue to grant them success 3 in future tenure of the overseership, on behalf of their house [...] 4 And may ʾlmqh vouchsafe to them the favour and goodwill of their lords 5 ʾls²rḥ Yḥḍb and his brother Yʾzl Byn, 6 kings of Sabaʾ and ḏu-Raydãn, sons of Frʿm 7 Ynhb, king of Sabaʾ; and may ʾlmqh, 8 Lord of S²bʿn, vouchsafe to them the safety of their bodies and their faculties; 9 and fine fruits and crops; and may ʾlmqh defend them 10 from evil and mischief and drought 11 and insect pests, and the illwill and malice of any enemy. 12 By ʾlmqh, Lord of S²bʿn. |
| 1 | Beeston suggests to attribute to the word "ḫlfn" the meaning of "she-camel". In fact, he thinks that it probably denotes a votive object, i.e. a figurine or statuette to which the inscription was attached. |
| Beeston 1988 a: 35 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1988. Two Sabaic texts. Raydān, 5: 33-37. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Support type | Stone piece |
| Material | Stone |
| Dimensions | h. 24.5, w. 16, th. 9 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | al-Bayḍāʾ |
| Ancient site | Ns²qm |
| Geographical area | Jawf - Wādī al-Buhayra |
| Country | Yemen |
| Archaeological context | Religious context: Temple of ʾlmqh bʿl S²bʿn |
| Notes | Beeston notes that the object is said to come "from the Marib area", but in the inscription, the god ʾlmqh bʿl S²bʿn is invoked. A temple S²bʿn for the cult of ʾlmqh was located in Nashq. |
| Link to site record |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Beeston 1988 a: 33-35, 37 (photo) | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1988. Two Sabaic texts. Raydān, 5: 33-37. |