An ancient Arabian zodiac. The constellations in the Safaitic inscriptions, Part II

Abstract

The second part of 'An ancient Arabian zodiac. The constellations in the Safaitic inscriptions' discusses the position of the Arabian zodiac vis-a-vis other parapegmata from antiquity, and takes up a comparative etymological study of the zodiac names in an attempt to locate their source. Four appendices discussing tangential issues that arose in the course of this study follow.

Dadanitic b-rʾy as referring to a local calendar?

“… C 1338 l ḥml b{n} [n] s 2 bt bn ktm w r [ʿ] y h- ʾbl b- rʾy ḏkr bq{l} “By ḥml {son of} { ns 2 bt } son of ktm and he [pastured] the camels during the rising of Aquarius on fresh {herbage}.” 21 C 523 l ʾlh bn bʾẖh bn trb w wrd h- nmrt b-ks¹ʾ mlḥ “By ʾlh son of bʾẖh son of trb and he went to water at Namārah during the cosmical setting/full moon of Aquarius.” 22 Al-Jallad managed to link all twelve attested forms to the different signs of the zodiac, based on both their etymology and the activities and seasonal circumstances described in the inscriptions, which all correspond to the moment of the rising of the signs mentioned (Al-Jallad 2014: 228). In part II of this article (Al-Jallad 2016), he examines the cultural context of the dating formula in more depth. In this article Al-Jallad adds that the Safaitic system was most likely a mixed system, in which the constellations of the zodiac were integrated into a local practical star calendar or parapegma 23 (Al-Jallad 2016: 89–90), similar to the anwāʾ system discussed by Varisco (1991: 23).…”

“…In part II of this article (Al-Jallad 2016), he examines the cultural context of the dating formula in more depth. In this article Al-Jallad adds that the Safaitic system was most likely a mixed system, in which the constellations of the zodiac were integrated into a local practical star calendar or parapegma 23 (Al-Jallad 2016: 89–90), similar to the anwāʾ system discussed by Varisco (1991: 23).…”

“…Unfortunately there is no direct evidence in the Safaitic inscriptions to decide what ks 1 ʾ referred to exactly 24 . Making a distinction between the two is especially complicated as the setting of an asterism coincides with the period in which the full moon occupies that constellation (Al-Jallad 2016: 94). There is one attestation of a Safaitic inscription in which ks 1 ʾ seems to be substituted with ṭʿn 25…”

“…In this case rʾy could refer to the appearance of the new moon, in parallel to its usage in Safaitic (the rising or appearance of an asterism) (Al-Jallad 2014, 2016) and its etymology (“to appear” from “to see”). Based on its etymology, ṭʿn could then be argued to work with a meaning “end of the month/lunar cycle” or “last decade of the month” as proposed by Beeston (1956: 7), based on its meaning “to enter (the phase in which it is invisible)”.…”

ʿArab,ʾAʿrāb, and Arabic in Ancient North Arabia: The first attestation of(ʾ)ʿrbas a group name in Safaitic

“…two years in a row)”. On the interpretation of these texts and the time periods, see Al‐Jallad (2016).…”