BES20 268

Image © OCIANA; CC BY
Siglum
BES20 268
Transliteration
l rb bn hmlk bn nhḍ bn ḥmyn bn ġḍḍt bn ʾnḍt bn ws²yt bn ḍf bn gnʾl ḏ- ʾl rhy w ḫl ʿwḏ
OCIANA
Translation
By Rb son of Hmlk son of Nhḍ son of Ḥmyn son of Ġḍḍt son of ʾnḍt son of Ws²yt son of Ḍf son of Gnʾl of the lineage of Rhy and he kept watch for ʿwḏ
OCIANA
Language and Script
Safaitic 2

Interpretation

Commentary

There is no agreement regarding the geneology of the tribe of ḍf beyond this eponymous ancestor. Several iterations place a figure called rhy as the as the grandfather or great grandfather of ḍf. This inscription records ḍf as belonging to the lineage of rhy. It is unclear if this figure bears any relation to the tribe of rhw known from the Thamudic B inscriptions. 

Ahmad Al-Jallad

Editio Princeps
OCIANA
Field Collector
BES20 team

Technique
Lightly incised
Direction of Script
Boustrophedon

  • [BES20] Inscriptions recorded during the Badia Epigraphic Survey 2020 and published here
Site
Wādī Mismā al-šarqī, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
Date Found
2020
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Genealogy, Watch (keeping), Lineage (ancestor)
Old OCIANA ID
#0057815
Download Images
Updated 03 Apr, 2026 by Ahmad Al-Jallad

Cite this Site

Ahmad Al-Jallad and OCIANA, 'BES20 268,' ed. A. Al-Jallad and M.C.A. Macdonald, OCIANA, 03 Apr, 2026. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/26904. Accessed: 13 May, 2026.