Safaitic

Safaitic is the name given to an alphabet used by tens of thousands of ancient nomads in the deserts of what are now southern Syria, north-eastern Jordan, and northern Saudi Arabia. Occasionally, Safaitic texts are found further afield, in western Iraq, Lebanon, and even at Pompeii. They are conventionally dated between the first century BC and the fourth century AD, although new epigraphic and archaeological evidence suggests pushing the date back to at least the third century BC. Safaitic has 28 distinct glyphs, all signifying consonants; vowels of any length are not written, and diphthongs are only very rarely expressed graphically. Safaitic is divided into a number of sub-scripts, indicated in OCIANA as “Styles”, ranging from 1-4 and with occasionally examples of idiosyncratic experimentation. The texts can be carved in any direction and there is no division between words. They are all graffiti or grave-markers. There is no indication that the Safaitic alphabet was ever used for writing in ink, which would have encouraged the use of a single direction and word division as aids to the reader. The long periods of idle waiting in the desert permitted the emergence of an elaborate writing tradition among the nomads east of Ḥawrān. The Safaitic inscriptions cover a range of genres, intersecting with the sacred and profane aspects of the lifeways of their authors. Texts often record dangerous activities, such as keeping on the look-out for enemies, going on raids, pasturing flocks alone, and long-distance migrations. These texts are often followed by a prayer for respite to the gods. Other inscriptions record funerary rituals, sacrifices, and other sacral activities. Nevertheless, the largest category of inscriptions is that of simple personal names and genealogies with no narrative content. Writers intended their inscriptions to be read by passersby, invoking the gods to grant boons upon those who read their texts, and the curse those who efface them. Indeed, a significant genre of texts involves the finding of the inscriptions of loved ones, and occasionally recording prayers made on the behalf of the absent inscriber. The ritualistic context for the Safaitic inscriptions has been the subject of a recent monograph by Al-Jallad (2022).