The onomasticon of the Himaitic and Ancient South Arabian inscriptions from Ḥimā: a comparative overview and insights into their cultural and linguistic layers
Keywords:
onomasticon , Himaitic , Ancient South Arabian , inscriptions , onomasticon typologyAbstract
The ever-growing corpus of inscriptions from Ḥimā recorded and digitized by the MAFSN mission provides an extremely rich onomastic repertoire of over 23,800 personal names. The majority of these inscriptions are written in the Himaitic-Thamudic script, while the rest are in the monumental South Arabian script. Several hundred texts are carved in Arabic script, while a few others are in other Semitic and non-Semitic scripts (Nabataean, Nabataeo-Arabic, Syriac, and Greek).
This study provides a comparative overview of the onomasticon of the first two categories, focusing on the typological features of proper names, including their structure, linguistic patterns, and theophoric elements. Archaic onomastic traits, such as the use of mimation and names derived from verbal roots, are examined alongside the distribution of names invoking both North and South Arabian deities. The corpus also displays phonological and morphological features unique to the region or associated with North Arabian languages.
This research identifies significant differences in name types and linguistic patterns between the different script traditions and script sub-varieties used in the region. Such script variation also correlates with certain formulaic expressions and linguistic features. The onomastic data therefore seem to converge on the idea that the area of Ḥimā was a complex ethnolinguistic landscape in which different populations interacted, perhaps through different historical periods.
References
Bibliographic references
Al-Jallad A. 2018. What is Ancient North Arabian?. Pages 1–43 in D. Birnstiel and N. Pat-El (eds.), Re-engaging Comparative Semitic and Arabic Studies. (Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes, 115). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
Amaldi D. 1989 Pages 71–88 in A. Avanzini (ed.), Problemi di onomastica semitica meridionale. (Seminari di orientalistica, 1). Pisa: Giardini editori e stampatori.
Bron F. 1991. Les noms propres sudarabiques du type « yfʾl +nom divin ». Pages 86–91 in Études sud- arabes ; recueil offert à Jacques Ryckmans. Louvain-la-Neuve: Institut Orientaliste de Louvain.
Bron F. 1994. Remarques sur l’onomastique sudarabique archaïque. Pages 62–66 in N. Nebes (ed.), with the collaboration of R. Richter, I. Kottsieper & M. Maraqten, Arabia Felix Beiträge zur Sprache und Kultur des vorislamischen Arabien Festschrift Walter W. Müller zum 60. Geburtstag. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
Gelb I. 1962. Ethnic reconstruction and onomastic evidence. Names 10/1: 45–52
Glassner J.-J. 2000. L’onomastique “amorrite” dans la péninsule Arabique. Pages 123–127 in L. Milano, S. de Martino, F.M. Fales & G.B. Lanfranchi (eds.), Landscapes Territories, Frontiers and Horizons in the Ancient Near East Papers presented to the XLIV Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale Venezia, 7-11 July 1997. Padova: Sargon srl.
Hazim R. 1994. Ein Typus altsüdarabischer theophorer Namen. Pages 95–101 in N. Nebes (ed.), with the collaboration of R. Richter, I. Kottsieper & M. Maraqten, Arabia Felix Beiträge zur Sprache und Kultur des vorislamischen Arabien Festschrift Walter W. Müller zum 60. Geburtstag. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
Kogan L. Proto-Semitic lexicon. Pages 179–258 in Stefan Weninger (ed.) In collaboration with G. Khan Michael, P. Streck & J.C.E. Watson, The Semitic Languages (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikations-Wissenschaft, 36). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.
Kootstra F. 2017. The Taymanitic onomasticon. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy: 254–263.
Layton S.C. 1990. Archaic features of Canaanite personal names in the Hebrew Bible. (Harvard Semitic Monographs, 47). Brill.
Macdonald M. 1999. Personal names in the Nabataean realm A review article. Journal of Semitic Studies 44/2: 251-289.
O’Connor M. 2004. The Onomastic Evidence for Bronze-Age West Semitic. Journal of the American Oriental Society 124/3: 439–470.
Oppenheim A.L. (ed.) with the assistance of E. Reiner & M. B. Rowton, R. T. Hallcock editorial secretary 1956. The Assyrian Dictionary Volume 6 Ḫ of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.
Prioletta A. 2018. “New Research on the Thamudic graffiti from the region of Ḥimā (Najrān, Saudi Arabia).” Pages 53–69 in M. C. A. Macdonald (ed.), Languages, scripts and their uses in Ancient North Arabia, Papers from the Special Session of the Seminar for Arabian Studies held on 5 August 2017. (Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, Supplement 48). Oxford: Archaeopress.
Prioletta A. 2022. The inscriptions in Ancient South Arabian script from Ḥimā: A preliminary historical and cultural appraisal. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 51: 271–282.
Prioletta A. 2022b. Les inscriptions en thamoudéen de la région de Ḥimà (Arabie saoudite): description linguistique, analyse comparative et aréale. Université Sorbonne Nouvelle/Inalco - Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales. [MA dissertation. Unpublished].
Robin C.J. 2023. Le vieil arabe de Najrān: une variété archaïque de la langue arabe dans la région de Najrān vers Le début de l’ère chrétienne. (Association Semitica & Classica). Paris: Geuthner.
Robin C.J. (forthcoming). Najrān en Arabie: La ville des martyrs chrétiens. Leiden: Brill.
Robin C.J. & Gorea M. 2016. L’alphabet de Ḥimà (Arabie séoudite). Pages 310–375 in I. Finkelstein, C.J. Robin & T. Römer (eds), Alphabets, texts and artifacts in the ancient Near East. Studies presented to Benjamin Sass. Paris: Van Dieren.
Robin C.J., Schiettecatte J. al‐Saʿīd S.F., Arbach M., Charloux G. & Dridi H. 2022. Une halte dans la steppe. Les gravures rupestres de ʿĀn Jamal près de Ḥimà (région de Najrān, Arabie saoudite)—A Stop- over in the steppe. The rock carvings of ʿĀn Jamal near Ḥimà (Region of Najrān, Saudi Arabia). Paris: Académie des Inscriptions & Belles‐Lettres.
Schimmel A. 1989. Islamic names. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Streck M.P. 2000. Die Amurriter. Die onomastische Forschung Orthographie und Phonologie Nominalmorphologie. (Das amurritische Onomastikon der altbabylonischen Zeit,
Band 1). Verlag Münster: Ugarit.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Archaeopress Publishing, Oxford, UK
