An Inscription in Ancient South Arabian Script, 34057_I01

During the 2017 excavation season in the site of Madâ'in Sâlih (Saudi Arabia), a fragmentary text in Ancient South Arabian musnad characters and mentioning the goddess al-'Uzza was brought to light in Area 34. The article discusses the phraseology of the inscription, which has close connections with the linguistic features attested in a group of monumental inscriptions from Qaryat al-Faw, rather than with Ancient South Arabian. The inscription, which is hypothetically dated between the 1st century BC and the 3rd century AD, may therefore provide direct proof of the presence in ancient Hegra of at least one individual from one of the communities composing Qaryat al-Faw's society, like the 'l 'hnkt.