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.

[BES20] 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

Updated 16 Sep, 2024 by OCIANA