LP 4

Siglum
LP 4
Transliteration
l ʾnʿm bn ʾnf bn grmʾl w wgd s¹fr ʾnʿm f ngʿ w rʿy h- ʾbl s¹nt mrq nbṭ gw ḏ
OCIANA
Translation
By ʾnʿm son of ʾnf son of Grmʾl and he found the inscription of ʾnʿm, so he grieved in pain [for him] and he pastured the camels the year in which the Nabataeans passed by this watering place
OCIANA
Language and Script
Safaitic

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus
LP 4: gw ḏ "this valley" for "this watering place" CSNS pp. 93, 192: s¹nt mr(d) nbṭ ʿwḏ " the year ʿwḏ rebelled against the Nabataeans" for s¹nt mrq nbṭ gw ḏ "the year in which the Nabataeans passed by this valley"
Commentary
It is tempting to make the emendation suggested by CSNS, but mrd in the sense of "he rebelled" requires ʿl- "against", and the supposed ʿ of ʿwḏ is very large compared to the other examples in the text. On the other hand, the use of a postposed demonstrative ḏ with a noun which is not preceded by the article is very rare. See the discussion in Al-Jallad 2015: 81–82. For the interpretation of gw see Groom 1983: 128. It is appropriate to Al-Ḥifnah, the location of this inscription, which is place where water is retained just below the surface.

  • Al-Jallad, A. An Outline of the Grammar of the Safaitic Inscriptions. (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics, 80). Leiden: Brill, 2015.
  • Butler, H.C., Norris, F.A., Stoever, E.R. Geography and Itinerary. Syria: Publications of the Princeton University, Archaeological Expeditions to Syria in 1904-1905 (Division I, Section A: by E.R. Stoever from the notes and journal of F.A. Norris) and 1909 (Division I, Section B: by H.C. Butler). Leiden: Brill, 1930.
  • Groom, N. A Dictionary of Arabic Topography and Placenames. A Transliterated Arabic-English Dictionary with an Arabic Glossary of Topographical Words and Placenames. London: Longman / Beirut: Librairie du Liban, 1983.
  • [LP] 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.
  • [Wetzstein II] Wetzstein, J.G. Reisebericht über Hauran und die Trachonen nebst einem Anhange über die sabäischen Denkmäler in Ostsyrien. Berlin: Reimer, 1860.
Site
Ruǧm al-Ḥifnah, Al-Suwaydāʾ (al-Sweidah) Governorate, Syria
Date Found
1904
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Date (s¹nt), Domestic animals, Finding inscription(s), Genealogy, Grieving, Outside peoples, Pasturing, Topographic features
Old OCIANA ID
#0008588
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Updated 16 Sep, 2024 by OCIANA