BES20 37

Interpretation

Commentary: The inscription is difficult to read from the photographs and the lower half of the letters at the end of the inscription cannot be read with any certainty. s²{k}r: The second letter is either a b with the gap in the semicircle facing upwards, or a k. The interpretation of k has been given as there is a line coming from the semicircle visible on the photograph with enhanced contrast. m{n}{ʿ}: The second letter is a straight line. It could be read as a n or l, or even a y or h, if there are details hidden by the discolouration. Immediately after this letter, there is a large gap before the next distinctive letter. In this gap, there appears to be a dot in the centre that might be read as a ʿ. It may be the case that this is just a large gap with no letters. b{n} ----: The following letter seems to be a large semicircle, which one can almost certainly read as a b. Immediately after the b, there is what appears to be a vertical line, which is possibly a n. Following the apparent n, it is not possible to read any other letters on the stone, but this is probably due to the discolouration of the stone and angle of the photographs, rather than an actual absence of letters.

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