WH 3809
Text Information
- Siglum
- WH 3809
- Transliteration
- l {{r}}bʾ{l} bn {{r}}{{b}}{{n}} bn bs¹ʾ {{b}}{{n}} {{ʾ}}{{s¹}}{{d}} bn gmr bn ḥbk bn ʾmt bn ʾḥs¹n
- Translation
- By {Rbʾl} son of {Rbn} son of Bs¹ʾ {son of} {ʾs¹d} son of Gmr son of Ḥbk son of ʾmt son of ʾḥs¹n
Interpretation
- Commentary
- The text begins with the letters of the first three names chiselled on the largest of three rocks and then continues with incised letters on the other two. Several letters in the first two names have been vandalised by the addition of lines and the filling in of spaces as can be seen on the photograph where the additions have a different ʿtextureʾ to the original letters. The second sign was almost certainly a r but the small hook at each end has been enlarged into a circle making the letter resemble a ṯ. The fifth sign was originally a l to which hooks were later added making it resemble a r. These hooks do not quite join the vertical. The second name has been rendered unintelligible. The first letter was originally a r like that of the first name but its small hooks have been joined by a vertical line giving it the appearance of a g or m. The next sign which has been made to resemble a curious ẓ was originally a bn where one end of the n was very close to one arm of the b. Whoever altered the inscription completed the join and made small extensions to the other ends of the n and b. He also joined the n of the following bn to the b of bs¹ʾ. The b and the n of the bn after bs¹ʾ have been joined and an extra line added to form what WH took to be a wasm. The text continues across the crack but the letters here are incised rather than chiselled. The first name after the crack has been very skilfully altered. One fork of the ʾ has been joined to make a ṣ. The following letter was originally a s¹ (the firmer semi-circle with a short line protruding from it) but has been turned into a m by the addition of a lighter outer semicircle. Finally the d has been changed into a q by the addition of a loop on the right side of the stem. Note that the family tree on p. 302 of CSNS should be amended to take account of these corrected readings. The genealogy in this text seems to differ from that in 3807 which runs dʾ(y) bn bs¹ʾ bn ʾs¹d bn gmr bn ʾḥs¹n bn ḥbk.
- Provenance
- WH Cairn 47 and this inscription were rediscovered and photographed by the Badia Epigraphic Survey in 2018 and the co-ordinates given are exact.
- Associated Inscriptions
- WH 3807–3808
- Winnett, F.V. & Harding, G.L. Inscriptions from Fifty Safaitic Cairns. (Near and Middle East Series, 9). Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1978.
- Site
- WH Cairn 47, Al-Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
- Date Found
- 1958–1959
- Current Location
- In situ
- Subject
- Genealogy
- Script
- Safaitic
- Old OCIANA ID
- #0014780
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