KMG 90-94

Text Information

Siglum
KMG 90-94
Transliteration
kʿb{h}
brt hl
ḥmhy
w rʿ{b}{d}
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Translation
{Kʿbh} daughter of the tribe of Ḥmhy and {Rʿbd}
Ahmad Al-Jallad
Language and Script
Dhofari 1a

Interpretation

Commentary

kʿb{h}: A female name, presumably related to the word kuʿbun 'a girl's breasts' or kuʿbatun 'virginity' (Lane, 2616b). The final h is unlikely to be a reflex of the feminine ending -at, as this is in other cases transcribed by t. It may reflect a different morphological termination, perhaps the reflex of *ay or *āy. The masculine name kaʿb- is extremely common in the Arabian onomastica. 

brt: 'daughter', see KMC 66 and DhSh 4.4.

hlPerhaps the reflex of *ʾahl- 'family', 'tribe'; see DJJ 1.

ḥmhyThis word recurs frequently in the inscriptions but its interpretation has been hampered by the lack of context. If the understanding of hl is correct, then it should be understood as a tribal name. The root would appear to be ḥmy 'to protect', with an intrusive h reminiscent of the Ḥaḍramitic plural and may also be compared to the glide insertion in MSAL plurals. 

The interpretation of the final column on the left is unclear. The readings w r are certain as is the final d but what comes between are illformed. It is possible that we are dealing with another name, a companion of kʿbh.

Ahmad Al-Jallad

Editio Princeps
Al-Shaḥrī and King 1993
Field Collector
G.M.H. King and A.A.M. Al-Shaḥrī

Technique
Painted
Direction of Script
Vertical columns right to left

  • Al-Jallad, A. The Decipherment of the Dhofari Script: Three halḥam abecedaries and the first glimpses into the corpus. Jaarbericht Ex Oriente Lux (JEOL) 49, 2025d: 119-147
  • Al-Shaḥrī, A.A.M. & King, G.M.H. The Dhofar Epigraphic Project. A Description of the Inscriptions recorded in 1991 and 1992. [Unpublished but available on http://www.ancientarabia.co.uk/ under "Projects"/"Dhofar epigraphic project".] 1993.
  • [Lane] Lane, E.W. An Arabic-English Lexicon, Derived from the Best and Most Copious Eastern Sources. (Volume 1 in 8 parts [all published]). London: Williams & Norgate, 1863-1893.
Site
Area G - East of Tawi Atir, Dhofar Governorate, Oman
Date Found
1991-1992
Current Location
In situ
Subjects
Lineage (expressed in other ways), Name only, Women
Download Image
Updated 12 Oct, 2025 by Ahmad Al-Jallad

Cite this Site

Al-Jallad, Ahmad. 'KMG 90-94.' OCIANA. 12 Oct, 2025. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/45863. Accessed: 18 Jan, 2026.