CGNE(a) 1

id: 618

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The inscription was found in 1914 at Tell al-Shuqāfiyah (30.51667 / 31.8) in Lower Egypt. Although it appears to have come from a wall it was found by itself on top of the tell (CGNE(a) p. 1). It is now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
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[dnh] [by]{t}ʾ {d}[y] [bnh] ----
[br] [..]{b}w lʾlktbʾ ʾ[lhtʾ]
[ʿl-] ḥyy mrʾn ṣyw ʾpklʾ
[w] [ḥ]yy npšh w dy yhwh šm [-h]
[dk]yr qdmyh w bʾwytw {b-} šlm b21 lpḥnšy dy [š-
nt] 4 ltlmy mlkʾ dy hy [šn-
t] [1] {l-} {m}rʾn ṣyw ʾpklʾ {šlm}
Word list - CGNE(a) 1
  • [..]{b}w – Man’s personal name 1
  • [1] – Number in numerals 1
  • 4 – Number in numerals 1
  • 21 – Number in numerals 1
  • ʾwytw – Place name 1
  • ʾ[lhtʾ] – Subst. sg. emphatic 1
  • ʾlktbʾ – Divine name 1
  • ʾpklʾ – Subst. sg. emphatic 2
  • b- – Preposition 3
  • [by]{t}ʾ – Subst. sg. emphatic 1
  • [bnh] – Suffix conjugation pʿl (G-stem) 1
  • {d}[y] – Determinative relative pronoun 4
  • [dk]yr – Passive verbal form pʿyl 1
  • [dnh] – Demonstrative pronoun masc. sg. 1
  • -h – Enclitic personal pronoun sg. 3
  • hy – Suffix conjugation pʿl (G-stem) 1
  • [w] – Conjunction 3
  • ḥyy – Subst. sg. construct 2
  • yhwh – Prefix conjugation pʿl (G-stem) 1
  • l- – Preposition 4
  • mlkʾ – Subst. sg. emphatic 1
  • mrʾ – Subst. sg. suffixed 2
  • -n – Enclitic personal pronoun pl. 2
  • npš – Subst. sg. suffixed 1
  • [ʿl-] – Preposition 1
  • pḥnšy – Month name 1
  • ṣyw – Man’s personal name 2
  • qdmy – Subst. sg. suffixed 1
  • šlm – Subst. sg. absolute 2
  • šm – Subst. sg. suffixed 1
  • [šnt] – Subst. sg. construct 2
  • tlmy – Non Nabataean ruler’s name 1
[د ن ه] [ب ي] {ت} ا {د} [ي] [ب ن ه] ----
[ب ر] [ ..] {ب} و ل ا ل ك ت ب ا ا [ل ه ت ا]
[ع ل] ح ي ي م ر ا ن ص ي و ا ف ك ل ا
[و] [ح] ي ي ن ف ش ه و د ي ي ه و ه ش م [ه]
[د ك] ي ر ق د م ي ه و ب ا و ي ت و {ب} ش ل م ب 21 ل ف ح ن ش ي د ي [ش-
ن ت] 4 ل ت ل م ي م ل ك ا د ي ه ي [ش ن-
ت] [ 1] {ل} {م} ر ا ن ص ي و ا ف ك ل ا {ش ل م}
[This is the temp]le which X [son of Y built] for Al-Kutbāʾ t[he goddess] [for] the life of our lord Ṣyw (Ṣeyô), the priest [and for] his own [l]ife and in order that his own name [be rem]embered in her presence and in ʾwytw. Peace. On 21st of Paḥonsy in the 4th [year] of Ptolemy the king which is the [1st year] of our (l)ord Ṣyw (Ṣeyô) the priest. {Peace}.
The reading and translation are those of SNGK.
CGNE(a) line 2: [br yrḥbn]wlʾ wktb ʾ[grpʾ?], “[son of Yarḥib]ola? and he wrote the e[pigraph]” for [br ----]{b}w l- ʾlktbʾ “[son of ---- built] for Al-Kutbā t[he goddess]”;
LNIE(b) followed by GNNS: w ktb ʾ[grw], “and he wrote a c[ontract of lease]”; line 3: LNIE(b) followed by ĠNNS: l-mrʾ pṣyw for l-mrʾ-n ṣyw; line 8: LNIE(b) followed by GNNS: {l-mrʾ} pṣyw for {l-m}rʾ-n ṣyw, in both lines interpreting pṣyw as “Fuṣaaiyu (or Ruḍaiyu)".
Line 6: LNIE(b) (šl)m, “it was completed” for “Peace”.
Clermont-Ganneau was the first to edit the text from several squeezes and a photograph. His article was published twice in 1919 = CGNE(a) and 1924 = CGNE(b). The stone is badly damaged and almost all of line 1 and most of line 2 are destroyed, as well as the beginnings and ends of the other lines. While the script is clearly Nabataean, Colombo 1995 (CNPTShi) p. 186–187 suggests that the k “like the number 3 (lines 2 and 7)” and the ṣ “made of three tracts (lines 3 and 8) display characteristics of the archaic Palmyrene script.” However, her conclusions from this have generally not been followed.
See Starcky 1966 (SPN) col. 239–230 for a more detailed analysis of the script.
Strugnell has argued that the place name ʾwytw (line 5) is modern Qaṣrāweṭ where excavations recovered a fragmentary inscription. From a reading of this, made with J. Starcky, Strugnell suggests it was another temple to the goddess Al-Kutbā (1959, SNGK, p. 34–35).
It is not clear to which Ptolemy's reign the inscription is dated. Starcky (SPN, col. 929) suggests Ptolemy XII (80–51 BC), XIII (51–47 BC), or XIV (47–44 BC), the latter two reigning with their sister Cleopatra.
For palaeographical discussions about the dating, see:
– Starcky, SPN, cols 929–930;
– Strugnell, SNGK, p. 35;
– Cross 2003 (CDJS), n. 112.
On the possible origins of the name ṣyw (lines 3 and 8) see Albright 1959 (ASNNG).
1 photo links
CGNE(a) 1 photo
1 facsimile links
CGNE(a) 1 facsimile

9 editions or commentaries found

reference reading category translation category page photograph copy squeeze card status
CGNE(a)
Clermont-Ganneau 1919, RHR 80 		Editio Princeps Editio Princeps 1–29 opposite p. 1 p. 2 Checked
CGNE(b)
Clermont-Ganneau 1924, Nabatéens en Égypte 		Same as editio princeps Same as editio princeps 229–257 pl. 7 p. 230 Checked
CNPTShI
Colombo 1995, Aram 7 		Commentary Commentary 183–187 Checked
DiCoNab
Digital Corpus of the Nabataean and Developing Arabic Inscriptions 		Correct reading Correct translation Checked
GNNS
Ġānim 2016, Nuqūš nabaṭiyyah 		Other reading Other translation 33–34 Checked
HQGN
Hackl 2003, Quellen 		Other reading Other translation 356–358 Checked
LNIE(b)
Littmann 1954, BSOAS 16 		Other reading Other translation 227–230 Checked
SNGK
Strugnell 1959, BASOR 156 		Other reading Other translation 31–35 Checked
SRLNIE
Starcky 1955, Syria 32 		Other reading Other translation 155–156 Checked
last change: 09/04/2025 - 10:19:49 (Laïla Nehmé)
created on: 03/03/2025 - 17:29:04 (Laïla Nehmé)