BES20 22

Interpretation

Commentary: r{ẖ}tlr: The author's name is difficult to make sense of. The first letter seems to be a r and resembles the smaller r later on in the inscription. The second letter initially looks like a large swastika-like t in square script. This seems unlikely given that only one arm has the swastika hook and that the letter immediately after it is a normal t. One would suggest that the letter is actually a large ẖ (compare with the ẖ of the final name). The name rẖtlr does not seem very promising and is unattested; however, it is quite clear on the stone. {ẖ}rd: Both ẖ and ʾ are possible for the first letter, but the style of ʾ in the name Hbʾl is very different , so one would be confident in the reading as ẖrd. The inscription runs over the first name of BES20 19.

Inscriptions recorded during the Badia Epigraphic Survey 2020 and published here

Site: Wādī al-Mismā al-Šarqī, c. 52 km north-west of Al-Ruwayšid, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan