MISS.A 1

Siglum: MISS.A 1
Transliteration: ----{l/ġ} b k l ( > y/ġ/r ) n ( > ġ/r/h/ʾ ) r l( > d/z ) ( > s¹/ḍ ) d ( > q ) l ( h > r ) y m n ( > ʿ ) ʾ ( > ḏ/ʿ ) r ( > ṯ ) k ẓ s¹ t ḥ d q ḍ ġ ṭ s² f g ḫ y ṯ
Translation: --- B K L Y Ġ R N Ġ R H ʾ R L D Z S¹ Ḍ D Q L H R Y M N ʿ ʾ Ḏ ʿ R Ṯ K Ẓ S¹ T Ḥ D Q Ḍ Ġ Ṭ S² F G Ḫ Y Ṯ

Interpretation

Commentary: The fourth surviving letter l seems to have been altered to read first y, then ġ, and then r. Similarly, the following letter, n, seems to have been transformed first into a ġ, then a r then a h and finally a ʾ. This is succeeded by a r and the next letter, l seems to have been modified to a d and then a z; and the r + l were then altered to a ṣ and finally a ḍ. The following d has been made into a q, the following l into a h and then a r. This is followed by ym and then n which has been transformed into a ʿ, and ʾ which has been transformed into a ḏ and then with a ʿ carved over it. This is followed by a r which has been made into a ṯ. After this the remaining letters appear to have been left as they were carved. Altogether, the original contained 29 letters comprising all the letters of the Safaitic alphabet except ṣ and w. It is therefore not an abecedary as such, but may have been an exercise. One might speculate that the alterations to the letters in the first half were made by someone trying to show the similaritity in shape between various letters. See Macdonald, Al Muʾazzin & Nehmé 1996: 439-441.

Associated Inscriptions

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.