CH.R691

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus: Corbett (2010: 358) ccommented: "This text is carved in a variant of the Thamudic E/Ḥismaic script. The ʾ here may be functioning as the initial character of the normal Arabic definite article ʾl, where the l has assimilated with the following consonant g. The text signs a drawing of a male camel (a1) that was carved to the left of the inscription".
Commentary: The dialect normally expressed in the Hismaic script does not use a definite article and so if ʾ- does represent the definite article it is more likely that the text is by one of the dialects normally expressed in the Safaitic script. It is much less likely that it is by someone whose dialect used ʾl- and assimilated the l before [g] since we have no record of any dialect which did this in ancient Arabia.

[CH.] Corbett, G.J Mapping the mute immortals: A locational and contextual analysis of Thamudic E/Ḥismaic inscriptions and rock drawing from the Wādī Ḥafīr of southern Jordan. PhD Thesis (University of Chicago). 2010.

Updated 16 Sep, 2024 by OCIANA