West Semitic Epigraphy

Presentation of the discovery of a Sabaean presence on the Somali coast. It results from the illegal excavation of an archaeological site in Somalia, a temple for which no
parallel is attested in the region. There, monumental Sabaic inscriptions were unearthed, their photographs were posted on the Web and simultaneously handed down to Christian Robin and Khaldun Nuʿmān in 2019-20. Since then, we have had the opportunity to present this discovery in order to prevent the illegal trafficking of these artefacts.

Much has been said concerning the broad outlines of the sequence of rulers and events in the 2nd century AD. However, the chronology remains incomplete: the fact that a Ḥimyarite king and a Sabaean king bore the same title at the same time — that is, king of Sabaʾ and dhū-
Raydān — has been a source of confusion; the fact that the succession was rarely dynastic but rather effected by co-option/adoption among the ruling families of the different tribes also complicates any chronological reconstruction; finally, some chronological gaps are still waiting for new epigraphic material to be filled. In this paper, the recent discovery of three new Sabaic inscriptions sheds new light on three grey areas of this century: 1) the beginning of the reign of the Sabaean king Wahabʾīl Yaḥūz; 2) the date of the reign of the Sabaean king Rabbshamsum Nimrān; and 3) the moment when the Ḥimyarite king Dhamarʿalī Yuhabirr took control of the Sabaean territory.

Aula Orientalis 33/2 (2015) 271-286. Final Proof.
This article presents the editio princeps of a Mandaic lamella from the Martin Schøyen collection. In the accompanying commentary, several Mandaic lexemes are discussed: abulia ‘fissures’, audana ‘desolated place’ and ʿbdunia ‘Abaddons’, gusparta ‘rooster’s comb’, d-p-n ‘to strike’, huṣa ‘palm frond’ (for later Manaic hukṣa), ṭasa ‘lamella, metal strip’, y-ṭ-b ‘burnish’, mitnia ‘loins’, m-r-s ‘to crush’, n-p-a ‘to shatter’ (< Aramaic n-p-ʕ), ʿumta ‘oath’, qmaha ‘amulet’, ragama ‘smiting’, šdqa ‘paralysis’, šuliata (pl. form) ‘afterbirths’ and šlutina ‘bat’. It also discusses the shift of *ʿu > i before a and orthographic interchanges of z and d.

In Near Eastern texts, mention is made of a goddess ‘ttrt ḫr/‘štrt ḥr which is sometimes rendered as the “Hurrian Astarte.” Until now, the second element * ḫr* has not been satisfactorily explained. In this article, a new etymology of the latter word is proffered
and this manifestation of the goddess Astarte is then associated with  Ἀφροδίτης λιµνησία “Aphrodite of the salt marshes.” It would then seem that this avatar of this Greek maritime goddess was borrowed from the Semitic world.

In this essay, I explore the literary background of 2 Sam 8:1b-14. The Old Sabaic royal summary inscription RES 3945/3946 exhibits significant structural and compositional parallels to the summary account of David's achievements. I argue that the quantity and quality of such similarities firmly locates the writing practices underlying the literary history of 2 Sam 8:1b-14 within a scribal tradition of narrating royal accomplishments shared in Israel and Ancient South Arabia. Based on this historical approximation, it is possible to revisit the problem of the passage's literary shape and position within the book of Samuel.

Keywords:
Epigraphy. Phoenicians. Punics. Iberian Peninsula. West Mediterranean.

Abstract:
This article reviews Phoenician and Punic inscriptions found in and around the Iberian Peninsula, which have been discovered or published in recent years (from 2009 year of the 10th International Congress of Palaeohispanic Cultures and Languages held in Lisbon until 2012 year of the 11th Congress held in Valencia). The text presents, contextualizes and analyses each new document and briefly discusses its epigraphic and historical interest.

Palabras clave:
Epigrafía. Fenicios. Púnicos. Península Ibérica. Medi- terráneo Occidental.

Resumen:
El siguiente trabajo pretende recoger los documentos epigrá- ficos fenicios y púnicos procedentes de la Península Ibérica y sus aledaños que han sido descubiertos o publicados en los últimos años. Recopilamos aquellos de los que hemos podido tener conocimiento (dentro de los proyec- tos de catalogación, estudio y edición de epígrafes fenicios que venimos desarrollando) desde la celebración del anterior congreso paleohispanístico, el X Colóquio internacional sobre Línguas e Culturas Paleohispânicas cele- brado en Lisboa en Febrero del 2009. Se presenta y contextualiza sintética- mente cada nuevo documento, según la información publicada o autorizada a publicarse, analizando brevemente su interés e implicaciones.

Dans cet article, nous examinons la phrase finale trouvée dans des dédicaces puniques k šmc qlɔ brkɔ, habituellement traduite « parce qu’il a entendu sa voix, il l’a béni » selon que les verbes expriment l’aspect ou qu’ils expriment la modalité.

Archaeological and epigraphic discussion of the Proto-Canaanite Ahitub insciption on a wooden utensil from Kahun (Egypt). Both a Middel Bronze Second Intermediate and an Bronze Age 16th Dynasty date are possible. In de first case the name is probably Ahitabu in de second case ahi-'asabu or something similar.

A new neopunic inscription from Wadi Freshiha (Libya) has been recognized as epigraphical evidence of a sanctuary dedicated to the Carthaginian goddess Tanit and to the Greek Kore/ Persephone. Discordant interpretations will be presented moving from linguistic and paleographic observations.

A new West Semitic inscription from Khirbet Qeiyafa is presented. It was incised in Canaanite alphabetic script on a pottery storage jar before firing. Radiometric dating of the relevant layer has yielded a date of ca. 1020–980 b.c.e. The last few years have seen the publication of several new Semitic alphabetic inscriptions dated to the late 11th–10th centuries b.c.e. and originating at controlled excavations in Israel (Khirbet Qeiyafa, Beth Shemesh, Tell eṣ-Ṣâfi, and Jerusalem). The new inscription is an important addition to this corpus.

Punic stelae found in Carthage or in various north african sites are preserved in italian museums and private collections. Data obtained from Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum and information given by archival sources will be collected in order to reconstruct a picture of political and cultural relationships among Italy, France and Tunis in the
second half of the nineteenth century.