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

Abstract

This contribution identifies a previously unrecognised mode of reckoning time in the inscriptions-the stars. Twelve zodiacal constellations are identified, along with the constellations Orion and the Pleiades.

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

“…If the nomads used an ideal 360‐day calendar without intercalation or a purely lunar calendar, then the months would move forward each year by four days with the former and 11.25 days with the latter . This, however, seems impossible in light of the re‐occurring phrase, mlḥ w ḏkr w ʾmt ‘Aquarius and Aries and Libra’, which corresponds to the similar triad of season, dṯʾ w qyẓ w s²ty ‘the season of the later rains and the dry season and the winter’ (Al‐Jallad : 218–222). Were the months not fixed to the seasons, such a statement would have little significance, as mlḥ , ḏkr and ʾmt would occur at different times depending on the year.…”

“…If the zodiac names were signs corresponding to the months, then we would expect the equivalent zodiac sequence to begin with ḏkr Aries, the sign corresponding to Nisan, the first month of the Babylonian year. Instead, the zodiac sequence begins with mlḥ Aquarius, which is the constellation that, when occupied by the sun, transitions into dṯʾ (Al‐Jallad : table 3), thus marking the beginning of the first season of the Safaitic year. A few inscriptions suggesting that mlḥ could refer to the beginning of the year are known, for example SIJ 37: w mlḥ f h lt s 1 lm w fṣyt m‐ bʾs¹ ʾ‐ s¹nt ‘and Aquarius appeared, so, O Lt, may this year bring security and deliverance from misfortune’ (see also KhMNS 14, 15) .…”

“…The reconstructed meaning of this word, ‘goat‐fish’ (Al‐Jallad : 222), is not the equivalent of the Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic names of the constellation, which are simply ‘goat’ or ‘young goat’. The Akkadian suḫurmašû ‘goat‐fish’ would then seem to be its direct source.…”

“…If gml simply means ‘joined’ (see Lane 460b–c), then the term may have been based on the iconography rather than oral transmission. As Greenfield (: 99) points out, in most iconographic representations of Gemini, one finds two images in close contact, but if gml refers instead to a camel, then it must represent a unique reimagining based on the actual stars constituting the constellation (Al‐Jallad : 224).…”

“…Part I of this paper (Al‐Jallad ) identified the zodiacal constellations in the Safaitic inscriptions and their use for the reckoning of time. Ten of the twelve classical constellations were securely identified and possible candidates for the other two, Sagittarius and Cancer, were discussed.…”