1Most of the inscriptions given below were found in excavations conducted by the Palmyra Museum in the Northern wall area. Over many years, Kh. al-As‘ad was clearing systematically the outer face of the city wall commonly attributed to Diocletian between the Museum of Palmyra and Diocletian’s camp at the Western end of the ancient ruins. During this work several hundreds of fragmentary sculptures were found, some of them inscribed. It is obvious that they were reused as building material in the fabric of the wall. Nearly all these monuments are funerary and were most probably taken from the tombs of the Northern necropolis which is extending in front of the wall.
2After a few new examples of foundation and concession inscriptions, some sixty new epitaphs are published, allowing to enlarge the onomastic stock of Palmyrene epigraphy.
3Funerary plaque with a concession inscription. H. 41 cm, w. 32 cm, letters 20 mm.
Figure 1.
Inv. 1518/9318
gwmḥy’ [- - -]
d qšṭy[hwn - - -] ywl-
ys ’wrlys ’lys [- - -]-
4 ws ydy‘bl lywlys ’wr[l]-
ys ‘dwn br br‘th br m‘n
m‘lyk bb’ ‘l ymynk lh wlb-
nwhy wlbny bnwhy lyqrhwn d-
8 y ‘lm’ byrḥ ’lwl šnt
554.
“The loculi [… ] of their rights [ … has ceded Iul]ius Aurelius Aelius […]us Yedi‘bel to Iulius Aurelius ‘Adwan son of Bar‘ateh son of Ma‘an, to your right as you enter the door, to him and to his sons and his grandsons, in their honour for ever. In the month of Elūl, year 554 (September 243 ad).”
4The object of the cession were some loculi “and their rights”, i.e. the right to dispose of them.
5L. 5: ‘dwn rather than ‘rwn, see Ingholt 1935, p. 104, nr. XII (where the resh are dotted, and the reading ‘dwn clear).
6After ad 212 all Palmyrenes have adopted the imperial gentilicia Iulius Aurelius while dropping any earlier gentilicia they might have had before (cf. Schlumberger 1942/1943, p. 54-55). This practice is contrary to what happened in the rest of the Roman Empire, where old gentilicia were kept and the gentilicium Aurelius was acquired by new citizens only. This difference was not explained until now and might have been the result of a municipal decree or a special imperial favour. In this case, a family of Aelii has kept (or reverted to) their gentilicium held since the time of Antoninus Pius or even Hadrian. Our Yedi‘bel boasted as a result at least three Latin names, while his fourth one could be his Greek proper name ending in -os.
7A plaque in 3 fragments. Lower right quarter missing. W. 46 cm, h. 38 cm, letters 20 mm.
Figure 2.
Inv. 2983/9507
mlkw wtymrṣ[w] bny ḥggw br
tymrṣw zwzy ’l[..] ’ḥbr l’yd‘n
br yrḥbwl’ br ’yd‘n br yrḥbwl’
4 dhby sṭr’ m[qbl]’ w’tr’
mqbr’ dy [- -]’
[- - -] rb mdnḥyhw[n]
[- - -] btr kwt bnwr
[- - -] bnyhwn dy mlkw
8 [- - -]lqbr’ dnh
[- - -’n]š bmnth mgwḥ’
[- - -] mn lh’
8On the plinth:
[- - -] l‘lm’
9K written like P, Y vertical. Judging from the script, the date could be mid-2nd century.
“Malku and Taimarṣu, sons of Ḥagegu, son of Taimarṣu Zuzai Al[..], ceded to Aiad‘an, son of Iarḥibôla, son of Aiad‘an, son of Iarḥibôla dhby … the wall opposite and the place of sepulture of … their eastern … after Bonnur … the sons of Malku… for this tomb … nobody in his share form loculi …from here … for ever.”
10For the name zwzy, see RSP 116 (ad 241): it may concern the same family. The dictionary of Stark (1971, p. 68) cites several proper names of four letters beginning in Al-: ’lhw, ’lwr, ’lpy… The name dhby, “Golden One” (si vera lectio) is new.
11The object of the cession is “the wall in front” and some space already used for burial. At the end there was perhaps a clause prohibiting making of loculi (gwḥ’, known variant of gwmḥ’) in the part of the tomb conceded.
12Upper left corner of a framed plaque. H. 25 cm, w. 17 cm, letters 12 mm.
Figure 3.
Inv. 1443/8601
m‘r[t’ dh - - -]
br mq[ymw - - -]
br ‘lyš[’ - - -]
4 wl’ḥw[hy - - -]
yq[r - - -]
’[- - -]
“This cave … son of Moqimu, … son of ‘Alaiša … for his brother … honour …”
13Lower left part of a plaque with inscription. W. 30 cm, h. 22 cm, letters 22 mm.
Figure 4.
Inv. 1457/8672
[- - -] br [- - - ly]qrh[wn]
[- - -]’ [- - -]
[- - -]
4 [- - - ywly’ ’wrl]y’ ’[..]šm’ brt bl[n]w-
[r - - -]bḥyhy mn gwmḥyn tlt’
[- - -y]hb lklh wlbnh wlbn’
[- - -]
“…in their honour … [Iulia] Aurelia A[..]šema, daughter of Belnu[r] … during his life, from three niches … he has given to all and to his son and the sons …”
14The feminine name ’[..]šm’, with one or two letters missing in the lacuna, is new.
15In l. 5, gw written in a ligature.
16Date: around ad 200?
17Funerary plaque with two half-figures of priests holding sacrificial vessels. W. 102 cm, h. 68 cm. On the left a priest with a laurel wreath on his modius, a veil hanging behind, attached on two rosettes with palm branches. The other priest has his face and the front of his modius broken. His right hand rests on the right shoulder of his son.
18Found on the grounds of the Desert Police (north from the Museum).
Figure 5.
Inv. 2678/8984
19Inscription on the right:
[… b]r tybwl | ḥbl
“- - - son of Taibbol, alas!”
20Inscription between the two figures:
rg’ brh ḥbl
“ Raga (?), his son, alas!”
21The name rg’ could also be read dg’ (“fowl”), but the former is well attested in Arabic (“Hope”). See Harding 1971, p. 235 and 270, with reference to Littmann 1943, nr. 542.
22Date: mid-2nd century.
23Fragment broken on the left side. Cursive, angular script. H. 17 cm, w. 11 cm.
Figure 6.
Inv. 1514/9295
šlm[t] | brt | lšmš | ḥbl
“Šalmat, daughter of Lišamš, alas!”
24The names are very common. 3rd century script.
25Arched undecorated stele, h. 36 cm, w. 24 cm.
Figure 7.
Inv. 1488/9407
ḥbl m‘ny | br nwrbl
“Alas! Ma‘nai, son of Nurbel.”
26The form of the stele and the script point to a rather early date.
27Cursive and irregular script.
Figure 8.
Fragment, no number
ṣlm[t - - -] | ’ḥt’ ’tt | zb[d]bwl ṭbt’ |ḥbl
“Image of - - - Aḥta, wife of Zabdibol, the good one, alas!”
28L. 2: alternatively, one could read ’dt’. It is a feminine name, as shown by the adjective ṭbt’ in the following line.
29L. 3: epithets pertaining to the qualities of the deceased are rare, although they are very common in Greek (χρηστός, χρήσιμος, ἄλυπος).
303rd century script.
31Broken fragment, h. 16 cm, w. 13 cm.
Figure 9.
Inv. 1519/9319
[…]t’ br[t] | šlm’ br | ṭwr ḥbl. | ’tt b‘ly | br mlk’l | [ḥ]bl
“[…]ta daughter of Šalma, son of Ṭur, alas! Wife of Ba‘lai, son of Malak’el, alas!”
32ṭwr is not attested , but see ṭwr’ ‘mountain’ ou ‘duration’ (syr.). The script is irregular and partly cursive. For b‘ly, see 32, 37, 50, and especially 42 (b‘ly br zbyd’ br mlk’l). Obviously, several of them belong to the same family.
33Fragment of a half-figure. No photo.
tm’ ’tth
“Tamma his wife.”
34Cursive script.
Figure 10.
Inv. 1519/9319
’qm’ br|t ḥyrn ’t|t lšmš | ‘šty | [ḥb]l
“Aqma, daughter of Ḥairan, wife of Lišamš ‘Aštai (?), alas!”
35L. 4 : ‘šty, hypocoristicon of ‘štwrg’?
363rd century script, irregular and partly cursive.
Fragment, w. 19 cm, h. 12 cm, letters 15 mm.
Figure 11.
Inv. 1377/7939
ḥbl | šm/qy
“Alas, Šamai (or Šaqai?) ”
37Very uncertain reading. Neither name is attested, not even in other dialects of Aramaic.
38Half-figure of a woman. Head chipped off. Spindle and distaff in the left hand, trapezoidal fibula.
Figure 12.
Inv. 2660/8943
39Over the left shoulder:
rtzyrn br | yd‘w br | rb’l [br] |...|...|...| br ḥ[ry] | dk’ ḥbl
“- - -, son of Iad‘u, son of Rabbel, son of [3 lines obliterated], freedman of Daka, alas!”
40Over the right shoulder, vertically, cursive:
[.]rtny brt | yd‘w ’by | ḥbl
“- - -, daughter of Iad‘u, my father, alas!”
41The names of the woman and her brother are new and uncertain. The man seems to have commissioned this tombstone for a daughter of his father (his own half-sister?) and another one for a freedman, whose relation to him was perhaps explained in the three missing lines.
42The name dk’ “pure”, is attested. For the same family, see CIS 4030, 4050.’by “my father” does not occur as a personal name. The use of the first person affix is rare: see Nöldeke 1904, p. 92-93. Date: end of 2nd century–beginning of 3rd century.
43Half-figure of a man with a veil behind. Two tablets in his left hand. Vertical two lines over the left shoulder.
Figure 13.
Half-figure of a man with a veil behind. Two tablets in his left hand. Number unknown
‘trn br | qrdwn ḥbl
“‘Atran (?), son of Kerdôn, alas!”
44On the tablets, letters b and ly (?)
45qrdwn is obviously the Greek name Κέρδων. ‘trn/‘tdn is attested only once and as a feminine name.
46Date: second half of 2nd century.
47Plaque with a half-figure of a woman holding a jewel-box. Embroidered tunic under the cloak and veil. Upper left corner missing with a half of the head and probably a standing boy. H. 49 cm, w. 38 cm, letters 20 mm.
Figure 14.
Inv. 2984/9508
b‘y’ brt | khyly br | ḥyrn ḥbl | wmqymw ’ḥwh | ḥbl
“Ba‘ya, daughter of Kohaili, son of Ḥairan, alas! And Moqimu, her brother, alas!”
48L. 1 : b‘y’ is otherwise unattested, but probably formed from the root b‘y, “to desire”.
49Date: second half of 2nd century; note the shape of -t, l.1, almost like in Syriac estrangela.
50Fragment of a plaque: woman’s head and the upper left corner with inscription. W. 40 cm, h. 25 cm, letters 17 mm.
Figure 15.
Inv. 2934/9458
’qm’ brt | ḥyrn ’ytyb[l] | ’‘rg | ’m’ dy mlkw | br nš’ br |ntnbl
“Aqma, daughter of Ḥairan Aitibel A‘arg, mother of Malku, son of Neša, son of Natanbel.”
51’‘rg and ntnbl are new. For the former, Harding 1971, p. 55 (“Lame”, see Littmann 1943, nr. 564). For the latter, “Bel has given” (hypocoristica ntny and ntn) Briquel‑Chatonnet 1991, p.83.
52Date: 3rd century. For the shape of ‘ain, see 32.
53A man reclining, in Iranian dress. His head and feet are lost. He is holding a skyphos in his left hand. W. 73 cm, h. 44 cm.
Figure 16.
A man reclining, in Iranian dress. Number unknown.
54On the skyphos, three lines, painted in red:
tymrṣw br | ‘t‘qb ’šgdt | ḥbl
“Taimarṣu, son of ‘Ate‘aqab Ašgadat, alas!”
55L. 2 : see šgd/r’ Inv XI, 26 (and šgry, CIS II, 3, 3994). Syriac šgdt’ is “almond”. For another example of the name, see Gross 2005, p. 90, nr. 1, obviously from the same family (tymrṣw w‘t’qb bny zbdbwl br ‘gylw ’šgdt).
56Date: end of 2nd or beginning of 3rd century.
57Stele with a standing boy holding a bird. Lower part missing, broken at left. H. 22 cm, w. 22 cm.
Figure 17.
Inv. 2935/9459
n’r[y] | zbyd[’ br] | mlk[w] | br [...] | ḥ[bl]
“Noarai Zebida, son of Malku, son of - - -, alas!”
58L. 1 : n’ry as in RSP 119 (Greek transcription Νοαραιος, see CIS II, 3, 3917).
59Date: beginning of 2nd century.
60Rounded aniconic stele, lower part missing, broken at left. H. 20 cm, w. 21 cm, letters 30 mm.
Figure 18.
Inv. 2928/9452
tymrṣw br | mlkw br [….] | ḥbl
“Taimarṣu, son of Malku, son of - - -, alas!”
61Date: 1st century script.
62Fragment in soft limestone, broken at left and in the lower part. W. 38 cm, h. 26 cm. Red painted letters 40-55 mm.
Figure 19.
Inv. 2979/9503
ṣlm’ dnh dy ‘[… br] | zbdbwl br ty[...] | wdy ’mtlt b[rt …] | wdy yrḥbwl[’ ...]
“This image is that of … son of Zabdibol, son of Tai…, and of Amatallat, daughter of …, and of Iarḥibola …”
63The word ṣalma, usually translated as “statue”, is in singular and should have referred here to a plaque with three figures.
64Date: 1st century (script).
65Stele with a standing woman holding spindle and distaff. H. 32 cm, w. 16 cm. Inscription very unclear.
Figure 20.
Inv. 2974/9498
ḥbl | rmy | brt | ‘rym[’](?)
“Alas! Rami, daughter of ‘rym[’].”
66L. 2: The name rmy is elsewhere masculine. L. 4 : ‘Arima, “Shrewd” is attested (PAT 1506, 1585), but here letters are indistinct.
67Head of a woman, part of a slab.
Figure 21.
Inv. 2939/9463
68To the right, inscription:
[ḥb]l | ’mtbl | brt | […]m’
“Alas! Amatbel, daughter of - - -.”
69Head of a woman, to the left fragment of inscription. H. 26 cm, w. 48 cm, letters 20 mm.
Figure 22.
Inv. 3008/9549
[ṣl]mt ’by’ [brt] | hrms br | ḥry […]
“Image of Abaya, daughter of Hermes, freedman of …”
70The form ’by‘ (CIS II, 3, 4432, alternatively but less probably ’sy‘, see Stark 1971, p. 63) is known, ’by’ would result from the weakening of the final laryngeal (?). Hermes is common for freedmen at Palmyra (see Yon 2002, p. 276) as in the Roman world in general (see Gawlikowski 1998, p. 145 and Solin 2003, p. 368-380).
71Date: 3rd century. Dotted resh.
Figure 23.
Inv. 3012/9553
72Rectangular stele of a man in himation, standing in front of a veil. Head and feet missing. H. 40 cm, w. 25 cm, red painted letters 10 mm.
73Inv. 3012/9553
74To the left:
šmg’ | br zbd|bl
“Šamga, son of Zabdibel.”
75The first name is a variant of smg’ which appears on an unpublished votive relief from the Allat sanctuary. See Harding 1971, p. 357 (šmj).
76Date: second half of 1st century.
77Rectangular stele of a standing woman. Lower part and head missing. H. 20 cm, w. 23 cm, letters in red 12 mm.
Figure 24.
Inv. 3007/9548
ḥbl ’mt’ | brt zbyd’ | br šm‘wn
“Alas! Amata, daughter of Zebida, son of Šim‘on.”
78Date: mid-1st century.
Figure 25.
Inv. 3014/9555
79Man’s head, left corner of the plaque, with inscription. H. 22 cm, w. 33 cm, letters 20 mm.
ṣlm | zbyd’ br | zbdbl br | ydy‘bl
“Image of Zebida, son of Zabdibel, son of Iedi‘bel.”
80Date: end of 1st century?
81Half-figure of a man in himation, head missing. Plinth with inscription. H. 26 cm, w. 35 cm, letters 18 mm.
Figure 26.
Inv. 3022/9565
ḥyrn br [..]ml’ [br] šmn’
“Ḥairan, son of [..]Male, son of Šamna.”
82šmn’: maybe šqn’ (šqn is known).
83Second half of 2nd century.
84Funerary plaque with half-figure of a man in himation, a veil hanging behind. Face chipped off. H. 47 cm, w. 40 cm, letters 20 mm. Inscription to the right.
Figure 27.
Inv. 2739/9198
mrywn | br whby br | mrywn ḥbl
“Marion, son of Wahbai, son of Marion, alas!”
85Date: end of 1st century.
86Fragment of a plaque. Man’s head, inscription over the left shoulder. H. 35 cm, w. 27 cm, letters 20 mm.
Figure 28.
Inv. 2512/8752
ml’ | br | ‘tnwr | ḥbl
“Male, son of ‘Atenur, alas!”
87Date: end of 2nd century.
88Fragment of a plaque with inscription. H. 17 cm, w. 26 cm, letters 18 mm.
Figure 29.
Inv. 1463/8735
tymw b[r] | zbdbl b[r] | tymw ḥbl
“Taimu, son of Zabdibel Taimu, alas!”
89Date: first half of 2nd century.
90Upper part of a stele. Woman embracing a man to her left, a veil hanging behind him. H. 22 cm, w. 30 cm, letters 20 mm.
Figure 30.
Inv. 2535/8779
š‘šmš ’mt[’] | brt | ‘gyl[w] | ’ḥ|th
“Ša‘šamaš. Amata, daughter of ‘Ogeilu, his sister.”
91The deceased Ša‘šamaš is a little boy, his big sister is consoling him. The patronymic is of course common to both.
92L. 1: compound of šmš “Sun”. See Stark 1971, p. 115 (on PAT 1358), s.v. š‘’ hypocoristicon of š‘’l “Servant of god” (Safaitic, Littmann 1904, p. 123).
93Date: beginning of 2nd century.
94Stele with a standing boy holding tablets and a bird. Head broken off, once covered by a pointed cap. H. 43 cm, w. 25 cm, letters 25 mm.
Figure 31.
Inv. 2281/8273
’dynt | brh | [ḥ]bl
“Odainat, his son, alas!”
95Date: second half of 2nd century.
96Upper right corner of a framed plaque. Head and torso of a sleeping diner. H. 44 cm, w. 29 cm, letters 18 mm. Inscription on listel above.
Figure 32.
Inv. 2787/8708
mlkw br ‘bdnḥš[- - -]
“Malku, son of ‘Abdnaḥaš[- - -].”
97‘bdnḥš means “Servant of Fortune”. See the name nḥšṭb in Palmyrene and ‘bdnḥy in Syriac.
98Date: end of 2nd–beginning of 3rd century.
99Half-figure of a man. H. 52 cm, w. 42 cm, letters painted in red 23 mm.
Figure 33.
Inv. 2392/8614
100Above the left shoulder:
’hwdy | br ml’ | ssy ḥbl
“Ahewadi, son of Male Sasai, alas !”
101L. 1: ’hwdy (see ’hwd/Αεουαδου) or ’hwry (but pointed resh on the following line; see Stark 1971, p. 65). l. 3: hypocoristicon of ssn? (see Stark 1971, p. 102, on etymology).
102Date: second half of the 2nd century.
103Inscription from a funerary plaque, vertically over the left shoulder. Head chipped off. H. 22 cm, w. 22 cm, letters 10 mm.
Figure 34.
Inv. 1440/8598
zbyd’ | br sby | zbyd’ | ḥbl
“Zebida, son of Sabi Zebida, alas!”
104See the preceding number, where the reading ssy is certain; here sby looks more plausible.
105Date: beginning of 3rd century.
106Half-figure of a woman. H. 57 cm, w. 42 cm, letters 15 mm.
Figure 35.
Inv. 2384/8605
107Over the left shoulder:
ḥbl | ‘tšb’ | brt | zbyd’ | ’tt ‘g’ | br b‘ly
“Alas! ‘Atešoba, daughter of Zebida, wife of ‘Ogga, son of Ba‘lai.”
108The ‘ain has a peculiar, inverted form. See 50 (b‘ly | br ‘gylw) and 5 above for the same family group. ‘tšb’ is rather unfrequent; in Greek, Αθησωβα (Inv VIII, 64). Meaning uncertain.
109Date: second half of 2nd or 3rd century?
110Half-figure of a man in himation, the head missing. H. 33 cm, w. 41 cm, letters 10 mm on the folded document in his left hand.
Figure 36.
Inv. 2418/8648
lbt ‘lm’
“For the house of eternity.”
111Numerous parallel texts with the same inscription (see Balty 1996, p. 438, and n. 24 on p. 440-441).
Figure 37.
Arched undecorated stele with 3 lines
‘gb’ brt | rmy [br] tymn’| ḥbl
“ ‘Agba, daughter of Rami, son of Taimna. Alas!”
112‘gb’ (in CIS II, 3, 4436) is marked as uncertain by Stark (1971, p. 104, following CIS), but is congruent with the original reading of Spoer. The new inscription confirms the reading.
113Date: 1st century.
114Upper right corner of a plaque. Man’s head, palm fixing the veil, inscription. H. 35 cm, w. 21 cm, letters 10 mm.
Figure 38.
Inv. 2607/8865
ḥbl | tym[‘]md br | ’bw[hy ?]
“Alas! Taimo‘amed, son of Abuhi.”
115’bw[hy ?]: “his father”. For family relationship names as personal names, see Nöldeke 1904, p. 92-93, but the man could be simply a son of unknown father.
116Date: end of 2nd century.
117Upper right corner of a plaque. Sculpture missing, only the rosette fixing the veil remains. H. 18 cm, w. 16 cm, letters with red paint 18 mm.
Figure 39.
Inv. 1456/8670
zb’ br | ‘ttn br | zb’ ḥb[l]
“Zabba, son of ‘Attatan son of Zabba, alas!”
118The form ‘ttn is an already known contraction of the more common ‘tntn.
119Date: 2nd century.
120Right half of a man’s half-figure. Veil. H. 46 cm, w. 18 cm, letters 12 mm.
Figure 40.
Inv. 2428/8660
121Over the left shoulder:
mwq[…] | br | lšmš | b‘ly | ḥ[bl]
“Muq…, son of Lišamš, Ba‘lai, alas ”
122L. 1, not on the photograph; no name beginning in mwq– is attested. The same b‘ly family as in 32, 42 and 50.
123Figure of a boy standing to the right of a half-figure of which only the outline of man’s hairdo and a palm attaching the veil remain vertically over the right shoulder. H. 21 cm, w. 21 cm, letters 10 mm.
Figure 41.
Inv. 2580/8830
[’]bgr m/qlbṭ’ […].
124The reading [’]bgr (dotted resh) is fairly sure. The Syriac root lbṭ means “to incite”, so mlbṭ’, Melabbaṭa, could be a participle Pa‘el used as a name, but the first letter looks rather like a qoph. Date: 3rd century?
125Woman standing on a plinth. To her right a man was standing, of whom only one foot remains. H. 53 cm, w. 33 cm, letters 10 cm.
Figure 42.
Inv. 2577/8826
126Inscription in the upper right corner of the stone.
šlmt | brt | br‘t’ | ḥbl
“Šalmat, daughter of Bar‘ate, alas!”
127Date: first half of 2nd century.
128Rounded stele with a niche in which a man is standing, wearing a himation. H. 44 cm, w. 26 cm, letters 18 mm.
Figure 43.
Inv. 2572|8819
129On the plinth:
zbyd’ br ‘wyd’ b[r] | blyd‘ vacat ḥb[l]
“Zebida, son of ‘Awida son of Bolyada‘, alas!”
130Date: 1st century.
131Fragment with inscription. H. 21 cm, w. 13 cm, 23 mm.
Figure 44.
Inv. 2471/8710
ḥggw br | tymrṣw | br ḥggw | qwz’
“Ḥagegu, son of Taimarṣu, son of Ḥagegu Quza.”
132qwz’ “weasel” in Syriac. New name at Palmyra, but see P. Euphr. 6-7 (Κωζα/qwz’). Nöldeke 1904, p.75-90, on animal names as personal names.
133Upper left corner of a plaque. H. 14 cm, w. 18 cm, letters 20 mm.
Figure 45.
Inv. 1458/8683
ḥbl b‘ly | br zbyd’ | br mlk[’l]
“Alas! Ba‘lai, son of Zebida, son of Malak’el.”
134Traces of the aleph in the last name.
135Date: first half of 2nd century.
136Fragment of a plaque. Head missing, only end of veil and the palm left. H. 21 cm, w. 35 cm, letters 15 mm.
Figure 46.
Inv. 1461/8708
mws’ bt | m‘ny br | zbdbwl | ḥbl
“Musa, daughter of Ma‘nai, son of Zabdibol, alas!”
137mws’ (from Greek Moῦsα) is attested only once, as a masculine name (PAT 0104). The reading mps’ is also possible —because the other waw in l. 3 is angular, though such name is unknown. L. 2: read m‘ny rather than mrny (mrn’, RTP 914a)
138Woman’s head, left upper corner of a plaque. H. 27 cm, w. 28 cm, letters painted in red 15 mm.
Figure 47.
Inv. 2465/8702
’qm’ | ’tt | ’rws | šlmt | br[t] | …
“Aqma, wife of Eros. Šalmat, daughter of…”
’rws is Greek Ἔρως, new at Palmyra in transliteration.
139Date: first half of 3rd century.
140Half-figure of a woman. H. 62 cm, w. 45 cm.
Figure 48.
Inv. 2719/9144
[b]ty brt | [y]rḥy br | whblt | [ḥb]l
“[.]tai, daughter of Iarḥai, son of Wahballat, alas!”
141bty seems to be a most obvious restoration, as one letter only is missing at the beginning of the following line (one can think as well of ‘ty or the like).
142Date: first half of 3rd century.
143Half-figure of a man. H. 52 cm, w. 46 cm.
Figure 49.
Inv. 2721/9153
ḥbyby br | [b]ryky | [rb]’ | [ḥ]bl
“Ḥabibi, son of Bareiki the elder, alas!”
144L.3: a short name ending with ’ is also a possibility.
145Date: second half of 2nd century.
146Half-figure of a woman. H. 50 cm, w. 41 cm.
Figure 50.
Inv. 2548/8795
’p’ brt | mqymw | ḥbl
“Apa, daughter of Moqimu, alas!”
147’p’ is new (this reading seems better than ’y’ or ’w’).
148Date: second half of 2nd century.
149Half-figure of a woman holding a baby. A girl standing to the left. H. 58 cm, w. 42 cm.
Figure 51.
Inv. 2611/8869
šbḥyt | dy mtq|ry’ ṭṭ’ | ’tt ‘gyl | yrḥy brh | ’mt’ brth | ḥbl
“Šabḥit, also called Tita, wife of Ogeil. Iarḥai her son, Amata her daughter, alas!”
150One would expect ṭyṭy’ for Titia. The name šbḥyt is new; it is formed on the root šbḥ “to praise”, see CIS 4382: šbḥy.
151Date: end of 2nd century.
152Fragment of a double stele with veils, one man’s head preserved.
Figure 52.
Inv. 2446/8680
153Inscription over left shoulder.
(left) šlmn | gdymt | ḥbl
“Šalman, (son of Gadimat,) alas!”
154See Nabatean gdymt, Greek Γαδιμαθος.
(right) [šl]mlt | [..]’dynt | [ḥb]l
“Šalamallat, [son of] Odainat (?), alas!”
155The reading ’dynt is rather uncertain, but the alternative qrynw or qrynt does not make any sense.
156Date: second half of 2nd century.
157Upper left corner of a slab. Letters painted in red.
Figure 53.
Inv. 1439/8583
ḥb’ brt | šmšgrm | br bny bzy | ’tt b‘ly | br ‘gylw | ḥbl
“Ḥabba, daughter of Šamšigeram, son of Bene Bazi, wife of Ba‘lai, son of ‘Ogeilû, alas!”
158Rather than two known personal names in l. 3, we prefer the sense “member of the Bazy family”. For bzy (“Falcon”), cf. Inv VIII, 24. Another stone from the tomb of the b‘ly family (cf. 5 above).
159Date: mid-2nd century.
160Fragment, upper right corner of a slab.
Figure 54.
Inv. 1438/8582
’qm’ | brt | ‘zy b[r] | mlkw | ḥbl
“Aqma, daughter of ‘Azzai, son of Malkû, alas!”
161RTP 707, 708 for ‘zy (shortened form of ‘zyzw, Stark 1971, p. 105).
162Date: 2nd century.
163Man’s head and upper right corner with inscription. H. 27 cm, w. 31 cm, letters 18 mm.
Figure 55.
Inv. 2452/8688
mqymw | br ḥyrn | ḥbl
“Moqimu, son of Ḥairan, alas!”
164Date: beginning of 2nd century.
165Double bust, man at right, woman on left, two veils behind, inscription between them. H. 46 cm, w. 53 cm, letters 19 mm.
Figure 56.
B 2817/9330
‘lyt | w‘ttn | bny | ’spwr|q | ḥbl
“Aliyat and ‘Attatan, children of Asporaq, alas!”
166L. 4-5: ’spwrq is the Iranian name Aspōrag or Spurrag, see Gignoux 2002, 145 and 846a respectively. The Greek form of the name Σποράκης is attested for a phylarchos of Anthemousias (Osrhoene) in the time of Trajan (Dio 68, 21); in Latin Sporacius (at Rome, ICUR VI, 16012). See as well P. Euphr. 5, where a lady is from the village of Magdala of Sphorakene (κώ(μης) Μαγδάλης τῆς Σφωρακηνῆς): Feissel & Gascou 1995, p. 114-116.
167Date: mid-2nd century.
168Broken upper right corner. H. 20 cm, w. 15,5 cm, d. 6 cm, red letters 20 mm.
Figure 57.
B 2838/9352
mlkw br | yrḥbwl’ | br tym[- - | - -]
“Malku, son of Iarḥibola, son of Taim…”
169The broken letter at the end could be a resh or a ‘ain, allowing restitutions tymrṣw or tym‘md, respectively.
170Upper part of a slab, man’s head preserved. Inscription painted in red in the right corner . H. 24 cm, w. 41 cm, letters 17 mm.
Figure 58.
B 2871/9365
whblt | br zbd’ | bbw ḥbl
“Wahballat, son of Zabda Babu, alas!”
171The name bbw is new.
172Date: second half of 2nd century.
173Fragment. H. 24,5 cm, w. 16 cm, red letters 16 mm.
Figure 59.
B 2860/9374
[ḥ]bl | [t]m’ | br[t] | mqymw | š[l]mny | ’tt | nbwzbd | dnh
“Alas! Tamma, daughter of Moqimu Šalmanai, wife of this Nabuzabad.”
174L. 2: the left leg of the first letter must be the remains of a t. L. 5: it is tempting to supply šlmny, even if the name (see CIS II, 3, 4198) is marked as doubtful by Stark (1971, p. 114).
175Half-figure of a woman broken on the right. H. 53 cm, w. 30 cm, letters 21 mm.
Figure 60.
B 2987/9514
šgl | ’mt | zbd’ | ṭlyt’ | dy nbwz’ | ḥbl
“Šegel, maid of Zabda, (and) girl of Nebuza, alas!”
176’mt means “female servant” in Aramaic, but in Palmyra appears here for the first time independently, and not in compound proper names. ṭlyt’ (as Ταλιθα in Mark 5:41) is the feminine form, previously not attested in Palmyra, of ṭly’ “child, young person” (sometimes “the younger” as opposed to rb’ “the elder”), but was translated by “servant” as well (as puer in Latin). This interesting text shows that there was a semantic distinction between the two, insofar as Šegel is a servant of one man and otherwise dependent on another.
177Date: 2nd century
178Head broken.
Figure 61.
Arched stela, with standing woman
ḥbl | ’mtlt | brt | ḥnbl
“Alas! Amatallat, daughter of Ḥennibel.”
179L. 2: last letter at the end of the following line.
180Date: 1st century.
181Broken on the left. Cursive script.
Figure 62.
Fragment of a slab
d/r[- - -] | m[- - -] | ḥb[l] | bwzd/r[- - -] | d/rtym[- - -] | br tym[w- - -] | qbwr[’- - -] | ḥb[l]
No translation of this fragmentary epitaph is possible.
182Inscription in the left corner.
Figure 63.
A bearded head on a fragment of a loculus slab
šlmn br | šlmn slwqw|s
“Šalman, son of Šalman Seleukos.”
183Date: second half of 2nd century.
Figure 64.
Fragmentary plaque
ḥbl ’qm[’] | brt ml[- -]
“Alas! Aqma, daughter of Mal[- -].”
184’qmt is another possible reading. The father’s name was mlkw or ml’.
185(F for funerary foundations and concessions)
186’bgr 38
187’bwhy 35
188’by’ 19
189’dynt 28; 49?
190’hwdy 30
191’wrly’ [F4]
192’wrlys F1
193’ḥt’ 4
194’yd‘n F2
195’ytybl 12
196’lys F1
197’mt’ 21; 27; 48
198’mtbl 18
199’mtlt 16; 58
200’spwrq 53
201’‘rg 12
202’p’ 47
203’qm’ 7; 12; 44; 51; 61
204’rws 44
205’šgdt 13
206bbw 55
207bzy (bny bzy) 50
208blyd‘ 40
209blnwr F4
210bnwr F2
211b‘y’ 11
212b‘ly 5; 32; 37; 42; 50
213bryky 46
214br‘t’ 39
215br‘th F1
216bty 45
217gdymt 49
218dhby F2
219dk’ 9
220hrms 19
221whby 24
222whblt 45; 55
223zb’ 36
224zbd’ 55; 57
225zbdbwl 4; 16; 43
226zbdbl 20; 22; 26
227zbyd’ 14; 21; 22; 31; 32; 40; 42
228zwzy F2
229ḥb’ 50
230ḥbyby 46
231ḥggw F2; 41
232ḥyrn 7; 11; 12; 23; 52
233ḥnbl 58
234ṭwr 5
235ṭṭ’ 48
236ydy‘bl F1; 22
237yd‘w 9
238ywly’ [F4]
239ywlys F1
240yrḥbwl’ F2; 16; 54
241yrḥy 45, 48
242khyly 11
243lšmš 2; 7; 37
244mws’ 43
245ml’ 23; 25; 30
246mlbṭ’? 38
247mlk’l 5; 42
248mlkw F2; 12; 14; 15; 29; 51; 54
249m‘n F1
250m‘ny 3; 43
251mqymw [F3]; 11; 47; 52; 56
252mrywn 24
253n’ry 14
254nbwz’ 56
255nbwzbd 56
256nwrbl 3
257nš’ 12
258ntnbl 12
259sby 31
260slwqws 60
261ssy 30
262‘bdnḥš [.]29
263‘g’ 32
264‘gb’ 34
265‘gyl 48
266‘gylw 27; 50
267‘dwn F1
268‘wyd’ 40
269‘zy 51
270‘lyš’ F3
271‘lyt 53
272‘rym’ 17
273‘šty 7
274‘tnwr 25
275‘t‘qb 13
276‘trn 10
277‘tšb’ 32
278‘ttn 36; 53
279qwz’ 41
280qlbṭ’? 38
281rdwn 10
282rb’l 9
283rg’ 1
284rmy 17; 34
285šbḥyt 48
286šgl 57
287šlm’ 5
288šlmn 49; 60
289šlmny 56
290šlmt 2; 39; 44
291šmg’ 20
292šmn’ 23
293šm/qy 8
294šm‘wn 21
295šmšgrm 50
296š‘šmš 27
297tybwl 1
298tymw 26
299tymn’ 34
300tym‘md 35
301tymrṣw F2; 13; 15; 41
302tm’ 6; 56
303[- - -]m’ 18
304[.]rtny 9
305rtzyrn 9
306[…]t’ 5
307’[. .]šm’ F4
308’l[- -] F2
309mwq[- -] 37
310ml[- -] 61
311ty[- - -] 16
312tym[- -] 54
As always, it is both a duty and a pleasure to thank the Directorate General of the Antiquities and Museums for the permission to work in the museum of Palmyra. We wish to thank as well the present Director of Antiquities in Palmyra, W. al-As‘ad, the Director of the Museum, Kh. al-Hariri, and the whole museum team who were extremely helpful during our work.
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