BES20 1156

Siglum: BES20 1156
Transliteration: l ywly bn ms¹ʾl w h rḍw ġnmt w mḥlt {l} {-h} w {ġ}{n}{z} s¹nt f{r}d w ʾṯʿ ḥyw
Josef Bloomfield
Translation: By Ywly son Ms¹ʾl and O Rḍw [grant] spoil and {he had} a dearth of pasture and {he was distressed} in [the] year that {he was alone} and [O] ʾṯʿ [grant him] a long life
Josef Bloomfield
Language and Script: Safaitic 1

Interpretation

Commentary: Most of the narrative section of the inscription runs along the bottom of the stone, that is damaged by abrasion. Unfortunately, there are no close-up photographs of this section of the inscription, which means the reading here is rather tentative. Following mḥlt {l} {-h} there is a clear w. Next to the w, there is the top of a letter that is a clear shallow curve, like a r. In the enhanced photographs, this shape seems to have a slight hooked curve in the area that’s covered by abrasion, thus suggesting the reading of ġ. Only the tops of the next two letters are visible, but a reading of nz seems likely. The inscription then seems to transition into a dating formula with s¹nt, followed by a letter that seems to be a very faint f. The next letter could be a g or r. A reading of r seems more likely, at the letter is on a bump in the rock that perhaps causes the illusion of an enclosed circle. This leaves the word frd, known in Classical Arabic farada, to be alone (Lane 2363b). Finally, there is a second prayer without the vocative article. Josef Bloomfield

Associated Signs

cartouche

Associated Inscriptions

[BES20] Inscriptions recorded during the Badia Epigraphic Survey 2020 and published here

Updated 02 Jul, 2025 by OCIANA

Bloomfield, Josef. 'BES20 1156.' OCIANA. 02 Jul, 2025. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/45086. Accessed: 16 Aug, 2025.