ISB 95

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus: ISB 95: reads 95 and 95.1 as one text l {ʾs¹d} bn ṣm{ʿ}n w ġnm h- mlk brktn b- db and translates the narrative as "and the king raided two pools at DB"
Commentary: The first seven letters have been hammered over and the 7th appears to be an enormous f. The text then runs at right angles to the beginning for the next four letters in which the two examples of b are at right angles to the direction of the text and upside-down in relation to each other. Both features are not uncommon. The text then turns again at right angles to run below the beginning. The bġnmh has not been found before but is of a form well-known in Safaitic in which a common name is placed between b and h to form a new name. The last two words of the text are clear on the photograph but difficult to interpret. Brkt is the name of a place of semi-permanent water, apparently in the area where the ḥarrah meets the ḥamād to judge from the distribution of the texts which mention it, and could be modern Burquʿ (see Macdonald 1992: 27–30). It seems unlikely that someone would declare himself "king of Brkt" in a graffito like this and so we have suggested translating mlk as "owner", though in what sense he could claim to be the "owner" of a watering place is difficult to imagine. So this interpretation is proposed very tentatively.

Associated Remains

None

Associated Inscriptions

[NAEN] Macdonald, M.C.A. North Arabian Epigraphic Notes I. Arabian archaeology and epigraphy 3, 1992: 23-43.
[ISB] Oxtoby, W.G. Some Inscriptions of the Safaitic Bedouin. (American Oriental Series, 50). New Haven, CT: American Oriental Society, 1968.

Updated 16 Sep, 2024 by OCIANA