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CIH 81
Jändl 2009: 231, pl. XII
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 | 1.8 | ||
| Chronology |
| ||
| Textual typology | Dedicatory text |
GENERAL NOTES
| For a general hypothesis of a date for the bronze tablets from ʿAmrān, cf. Avanzini 2008 b. |
TEXT
1 ʿbds²ms¹m bn Ḥyẓm hqny ʾlmqh
2 ḏ-Hrn ms³ndn ḏ-s²ft-hw w-wqf
3 l-hw ṯwrm b-kn mtʿ-hmw bn ʿw—
4 s¹ ḏ-kwn b-ʾrḍn b-ḫrf S¹mhkrb
5 bn Tbʿkrb bn Fḍḥm w-hʾḫr—
6 w hwfyn mwkln w-nkr b-ʿly-h—
7 mw ḏ-yftḥn byt-hmw w-yhḏlln
8 qny-hmw w-ms²ḥkn ʿdy ṣnqn((Ṣnqn)) w-h—
9 ṯb l-ʾlmqh tʾmnm w-l s¹ʿd-hmw
10 ʾṯmrm w-ʾwldm ʾḏkrm w-rḍy
11 ʾmrʾ-hmw bny Mrṯdm
| 10 | ʾḏkrwm is the plural attested in the period B, in the period D we have ʾḏkrm. |
TRANSLATIONS
| English | |
1 ʿbds²ms¹m, of the family Ḥyẓm, dedicated to ʾlmqh 2 ḏ-Hrn the tablet which he promised Him and made over 3 to Him a bull, when He saved them from the 4 pestilence which there was in the land in the year of S¹mhkrb 5 son of Tbʿkrb of Fḍḥm; but they delayed 6 in offering the dedication, and He punished them 7 in that their house was laid waste 8 and their property ravaged, and grief in Ṣnqn (in distress); so 9 they gave ʾlmqh assurance of their faith; and may He grant them 10 fruits and male children and the goodwill of 11 their lords, the family Mrṯdm. |
| 2-3 | SD suggested the meaning "to affix" for wqf ("he affixed to it a bull"). I prefer the early translation of Beeston 1937 a: 19. In CIH 80 a bull as well as a bronze tablet are dedicated. |
| Beeston 1937 a | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1937. Sabaean inscriptions. Oxford. |
| Beeston et al. 1982 (=SD) | Beeston, Alfred F.L., al-Ghūl, Maḥmūd ʿA., Müller, Walter W. and Ryckmans, Jacques 1982. Sabaic Dictionary (English-French-Arabic). Dictionnaire Sabéen (anglais-français-arabe). Louvain-la-Neuve: Éditions Peeters / Beirut: Libraire du Liban. |
OBJECT INFORMATION
| Deposit | London, The British Museum, BM 48459=1862,1028.7 |
| Support type | Artefact » Plaque » With framework |
| Material | Bronze |
| Dimensions | h. 26.5, w. 17, th. 0.2 |
| Link to object record |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | ʿAmrān |
| Ancient site | ʿmrn |
| Geographical area | ʿAmrān |
| Country | Yemen |
| Archaeological context | Religious context: Temple of ʾlmqh ḏ-Hrn |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
Dedication made when the god saved the dedicator from a pestilence. But the author delayed in offering the dedication and in showing his gratitude to the god. Apparently, if the wishes of the god were not satisfied, the fault immediately became collective, extending from the individual to his entire family (ll. 5-6: they delayed).
An oversight which roused the ire of the god was equivalent to blasphemy, and an affirmation of the author's unswering faith had to be given, in addition of course to the completion of the dedication.
An oversight which roused the ire of the god was equivalent to blasphemy, and an affirmation of the author's unswering faith had to be given, in addition of course to the completion of the dedication.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Beeston 1937 a: 19-20 | Beeston, Alfred F.L. 1937. Sabaean inscriptions. Oxford. |
| Jändl 2009: 121-122, pl. XII | Jändl, Barbara 2009. Altsüdarabische Inschriften auf Metall. (Epigraphische Forschungen auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, 4). Tübingen: Wasmuth / Berlin: Wasmuth. |
| Avanzini 2008 b | Avanzini, Alessandra 2008. Criteri editoriali per la pubblicazione dello CSAI. Egitto e Vicino Oriente, 31: 145-157. |