Jacobs & Macdonald 2009: 372–373

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus: DISCUSSION Macdonald in Jacobs, B. & Macdonald, M.C.A. (2009: 372) commented: "It is difficult to be certain whether it is in the Taymanitic or the Dadanitic script since many letters have similar forms in both alphabets. Reading from right-to-left, the second letter has its correct shape and stance in Dadanitic but would be upside-down if the text was Taymanitic. The third letter would be a f in Taymanitic but a g in Dadanitic. All the other letters have the same shapes in both scripts. A reading in either script produces no obvious interpretation and so the choice can only be on the balance of probabilities. If it is Taymanitic, the text would read, from right-to-left: l ḥfʾ b tʿ "By Ḥfʾ son of Tʿ" .... If the text is Dadanitic it would read from right-to-left lḥgʾ btʿ Lḥgʾ. May he be resolute!"" For the discussion of the use of btʿ here and in other Dadanitic graffiti see Macdonald in Jacobs, B. & Macdonald, M.C.A. (2009: 373), which is available on academia.edu.
Commentary: It seems that the inscription does not have any connection with the drawing.

Associated Drawings: On the rock face below the drawing of an Achaemenid horseman

Jacobs, B. & Macdonald, M.C.A. Felszeichnung eines Reiters aus der Umgebung von Taymāʾ. Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie 2, 2009: 364–376.

Updated 16 Sep, 2024 by OCIANA