The Origin of the anwa' in Arab Tradition

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

“…The names of the zodiacal ʾanwāʾ of this system also suggest the influence of the solar zodiac. For example, Šaraṭ or Šaraṭayn is the same term of the first asterism of the lunar zodiac, αβ Arietis, the two horns of the Ram and the beginning of the zodiacal year (Varisco : 8). One nawʾ is simply called Ǧawzāʾ ‘twins’, no doubt referring to the constellation Gemini .…”

“…These stars were connected to the seasons, and their risings and settings were used to forecast weather phenomena, such as rain, wind and temperature. In the pre‐Islamic period, diviners regarded them as having influence over the appearance of rain, and would invoke them in rainmaking rituals, istisqāʾ (Varisco : 23). The connection of stars with the seasons echoes the triad of constellations and seasons mentioned above (i.e.…”

“…The magical function of the ʾanwāʾ extended beyond rain to rituals (Varisco : 24), and there is limited evidence for this in the Safaitic inscriptions. In one text, WH 3053, an author states: w rḥḍ b‐ h‐ ngm l‐ yḥg ‘he (ritually) cleansed while the sun was in Virgo in order to make a pilgrimage’, while another, C 4443, mentions cleansing during Sagittarius: w rḥḍ b‐ t br .…”

“…The few inscriptions mentioning the constellations in an anthropomorphic context may suggest a situation comparable to the mythological astronomy of the ʾanwāʾ system. These observations lead to the following conclusion: the seasonal star calendar of the Safaitic inscriptions was a hybrid system—it was similar in function and perhaps purpose to the pre‐Islamic ʾanwāʾ system, as reconstructed by Varisco (), but differed in that the system of asterisms employed was based on the Babylonian zodiac. The next question is, how did this come to be?…”

Dadanitic b-rʾy as referring to a local calendar?

“…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).…”