GS 1

Text Information

Siglum
GS 1
Transliteration
l ddʾl w ts²wq ʾl- ʿ{b}tlġz ḏt ʾl ʾgʾ w ḏ{k}r -h {r}{ḍ}{y}
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Translation
By Ddʾl and he longed for {ʿbtlġz} of the lineage of ʾgʾ and may {Rḍy} {be mindful of} her
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Language and Script
Safaitic 3

Interpretation

Commentary

The author of this texts longs for a female from the people of ʾgʾ, likely the mountain of Ṭayyiʾ near Ḥāʾil, KSA. The inscription is carved in the variant 3 of Safaitic, which is typical of peripheral areas and is abundant in northern Saudi Arabia, around Dūmat al-Jandal and ʿArʿar. The name of female whom the author mentions is unknown in Safaitic, ʿbtlġz. It may be parsed as ʿbt perhaps the feminine of ʿabd, with assimilation > ʿabdt > ʿabtt. The following l is plausibly the definite article, and finally ġz may be a divine name. Or perhaps lġz is the divine name with no definite article. In either case, this seems to be the first attestation of such a deity.

Editio Princeps
OCIANA
Field Collector
Robert Hoyland and Michael Macdonald

Technique
Scratched
Direction of Script
Right to left

  • [GS] Inscriptions from Ǧabal Says recorded by Robert Hoyland and Michael Macdonald and published here
Site
Ǧabal Says, Syria
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Blessing, Genealogy, Outside peoples, Religion, Yearning
Old OCIANA ID
#0036032
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Updated 21 Feb, 2025 by Ahmad Al-Jallad