OCIANA
Online Corpus of the Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia

WGLR 2

Siglum
WGLR 2
Transliteration
l mfʿt bn ʾḥ w h dṯn s¹q -n mṣlmḏwlmh
Translation
By Mfʿt son of ʾḥ and O Dṯn send rain on me mṣlmḏwlmh

Interpretation

Commentary
This inscription is difficult to interpret. S¹q could possibly be related to the imperative of Arabic saqā-hu "He [God] sent rain to him" (Lane 1384c), but -n as the first person singular/plural enclitic pronoun would be very unusual. For the rest we are unable to offer a convincing interpretation. The deity dṯn is known in Safaitic from LP 1097 (as reread in OCIANA from a new photograph) and in Thamudic B (HU 657, 727, JSTham 258, 262, HE 27, WHI 51, 55, 65, 66, 69, 77, 80+81, 82, 90, 91) and Thamudic C (HU 235, 388, 618). It is obviously different from the local deity ʾlt dṯn which is found in Safaitic in C 994, 1292, 2446, and 2984, where dṯn represents a place name, probably somewhere close to, or within, the Ruḥbāh in southern Syria. For a discussion see Macdonald, Al Muʾazzin & Nehmé 1996: 474–476.

Associated Signs
Cartouche to which 7 lines are attached

  • Harding, G.L. The Thamudic and Liḥyanite Texts (p. 36-52, 60-61, pl. 19-25) in P.J. Parr, G.L. Harding, J.E. Dayton, Preliminary Survey in N.W. Arabia, 1968. Part II: Epigraphy. Bulletin of the Institute of Archaeology, University of London 10, 1971: 36-61, pl. 19-31.
  • Ryckmans, G. Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum: Pars Quinta, Inscriptiones Saracenicae Continens: Tomus I, Fasciculus I, Inscriptiones Safaiticae. Paris: E Reipublicae Typographeo, 1950–1951.
  • Littmann, E. Safaïtic Inscriptions. Syria. Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expeditions to Syria in 1904–1905 and 1909. Division IV. Section C. Leiden: Brill, 1943.
  • Lane, E.W. An Arabic-English Lexicon, Derived from the Best and Most Copious Eastern Sources. (Volume 1 in 8 parts [all published]). London: Williams & Norgate, 1863-1893.
  • Macdonald, M.C.A., Al Muʾazzin, M. & Nehmé, L. Les inscriptions safaïtiques de Syrie, cent quarante ans après leur découverte. Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions & Belles-Lettres 1996: 435-494.
  • Thamudic Inscriptions recorded by Huber and renumbered in Van den Branden 1950 (BIT).
  • Winnett, F.V & Reed, W.L. An Archaeological-Epigraphical Survey of the Ḥāʾil Area of Northern Saʿudi Arabia. Berytus 22, 1973: 53-113 and 13 plates.
  • [Thamudic inscriptions published in Jaussen and Savignac 1909-22 (JS)].
  • Inscriptions recorded by the Safaitic Epigraphic Survey Programme in 1995 on the left bank of Wādī Gharz near its debouchment into the Ruḥbah, and published here.
Site
Left (east) bank of Wādī Ġarz near its debouchment into the Ruḥbah, Jordan
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Deity, Genealogy, Isolated Prayer, Weather
Script
Safaitic
Old OCIANA ID
#0036002
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