KME 48

Image © G.M.H. King and M.C.A. Macdonald
Siglum
KME 48
Transliteration
s²rbb br dlf
Giuliano Castagna
Translation
s²rbb son of dlf
Giuliano Castagna
Language and Script
Dhofari/Dhofari 1a

Interpretation

Commentary

s²rbb: Personal name soundly attested in Safaitic, which finds also a remarkable parallel in the Jibbali/Shehret reduplicated adjective śərbɔ́b 'white mixed with another colour' (MLZ: 508).

dlf: This personal name must be a cognate of dɔf (Castagna & Cerqueglini 2026), a personal name used in Dhofar and meaning 'rock' in Jibbali/Shehret (Johnstone 1981: 39). The loss of post-vocalic /l/ occurs regularly in Jibbali/Shehret and the Dhofari varieties of Mehri (Rubin 2014: 35-37; Watson 2012: 35-37).

Giuliano Castagna

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

Technique
Painted
Direction of Script
Left to right

  • [MLZ] Al-Maʿshani, A.b.M. 2014. Muʿǧam Lisān Żufār. Bayrūt: Lubnān.
  • 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 [Unpublished but available on http://www.ancientarabia.co.uk/ under "Projects"/"Dhofar epigraphic project".] 1993.
  • Castagna, G. & L., Cerqueglini. 2026. The Dhofari/South-east Arabian Inscription KME 48: Some remarks on a Modern South Arabian Anthroponym. Journal of Semitic Studies. Advance Articles.
  • Rubin, A.D. 2014. The Jibbali (Shahri) Language of Oman. Leiden: Brill.
  • Watson, J.C.E. The Structure of Mehri. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2012.
Site
Area E - Between the Medinat al-Haq road and the town of Tawi Atir, Dhofar Governorate, Oman
Date Found
1991-1992
Current Location
In situ
Subject
Genealogy
Download Images
Updated 02 Mar, 2026 by Ahmad Al-Jallad

Cite this Site

Giuliano Castagna, 'KME 48,' ed. A. Al-Jallad and M.C.A. Macdonald, OCIANA, 02 Mar, 2026. https://ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions/46016. Accessed: 05 Mar, 2026.