Hudhud
Hudhud Logo
𐩠𐩵𐩠𐩵
ID: 6030

Text:

Translations:

1ʾbkrb ʾḥrs¹, of the family  [ʿblm] 
2and Yḥmḏl, dedicated to ʾlmqh Ṯhwn, 
3Lord of ʾwm, the statue in bronze as He ordered
4him in His oracle for the safety of his person and for that He delivered
5him from the disease of which he suffered since he returned from 
6the post ḏ-Lḥgm, when his lord despatched him
7to lead and organize  the Ḥimyarites in irregular troops (?),
8which were between the two armies and he suffered 
9from that disease once a year until He implored a good omen 
10from ʾlmqh and He ordered him this dedication
11and that he should seek help from Him once a year, on his responsabiliby, 
12since the moment when this dedication would take place and for the future; and ʾlmqh 
13promised and protected and gave favourable oracles and good news 
14to His servant ʾbkrb regarding the survival and the life from that 
15disease since the moment when this dedication would take place and for the future
16since the month of ḏ-Dnm of the year of ʾbkrb son of 
17Mʿdkrb of the family Fḍḥm; may ʾlmqh grant him 
18the goodwill of his lord S²ʿrm ʾwtr, king of Sabaʾ 
19and ḏu-Raydān, son of ʿlhn Nhfn, king of
20Sabaʾ, and may ʾlmqh deliver him from the malice 
21and the maleficence of any enemy. By ʾlmqh Lord of ʾwm.

Translation Notes:

6-8Beeston 1972 a's translation of the lines: "the care, along with the Ḥimyarites, of the ʾbdt who were in both armies". For ʾbdt he proposed "irregulars" on the basis of Ar. ābid "wilderness, untamed". However, in the SD, the translation for qwm b-ʿm is: "to organize (troops)", suggesting a translation "to direct the Ḥimyarites in irregular troops (?)".
Corrections to Jamme's translations in Höfner 1964 and Ryckmans 1966.

Chronological

Period: D

Physical

Support: Object → Artefact → Base → Of statue with dedicatory inscription
Materials: Stone
Measures: h. 39.7, th. 24
Decorations:
Figurative Subjects:
Symbol Shape: Totschläger
Subject Level 1: Symbol
Symbol Reference: God
Symbol Reference Text: ʾlmqh
Letter Measure: 3.2

Linguistic

Language: Ancient South Arabian → Sabaic → Central Middle Sabaic
Alphabet: Ancient South Arabian
Script Typology: Monumental writing
Textual Typology: Dedicatory text
Writing Techniques: Incision
Concordances: MaMB 271, Sh 16

Spatial

Site: Maḥram Bilqīs, Maʾrib, Yemen
Ancient Name: ʾwm
Type of Site: Religious area with a necropolis

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