Bronze Age World

Reading ancient testimony

Ask who produced the document, for whom, and for what purpose. Distinguish its ancient creation from its modern edition or translation. Survival and excavation shape what can be read today.

Use the linked edition and reliability notes for the author, audience, transmission and limits of this particular source. Missing information is not an assurance of neutrality.

Document and modern access

Type: critical epigraphic corpus
Publication: L'Erma di Bretschneider

Open DOI or stable record (opens in a new tab)

Records informed by this source

relationship Earliest securely contextualized Old South Arabian epigraphic horizon — located or analytically grouped within — Yemen highlands
Evidence confidence: high
informs · contextualizes · Corpus introduction and eighth-century Jawf texts
Provides critical editions of the earliest substantial corpus.
relationship Earliest securely contextualized Old South Arabian epigraphic horizon — located or analytically grouped within — Jawf and Hadramawt research zone
Evidence confidence: high
informs · contextualizes · Corpus introduction and eighth-century Jawf texts
Provides critical editions of the earliest substantial corpus.
date assertion Earliest substantial Old South Arabian inscription horizon in the Jawf — date assertion
Evidence confidence: very low
informs · critiques interpretation · Corpus introduction and earliest securely dated texts
Provides the current epigraphic basis.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: high
informs · provides primary evidence · Nashshān corpus entries
Provides the critical texts.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: high
informs · provides primary evidence · Nashshān corpus entries
Provides the critical texts.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: high
informs · provides primary evidence · Nashshān corpus entries
Provides the critical texts.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: very high
informs · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and eighth-century inscriptions
Provides the primary-text corpus.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: very high
informs · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and eighth-century inscriptions
Provides the primary-text corpus.
relationship Research record — associated with
Evidence confidence: very high
informs · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and eighth-century inscriptions
Provides the primary-text corpus.
ranked model model_osa_low_chronology_rank1
Evidence confidence: high
informs · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction
Provides the textual basis.
date assertion Nashshān — date assertion
informs · provides primary evidence · Nashshān corpus entries and contextual commentaries
Provides critical editions of early texts.
date assertion Earliest securely contextualized Old South Arabian epigraphic horizon — date assertion
informs · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and eighth-century Jawf texts
Provides critical editions of the earliest substantial corpus.
date assertion Early Jawf city-states — date assertion
informs · provides primary evidence · Vol. II corpus and contextual entries
Provides the textual basis.
claim Nashshān, Kamna, Haram, Maʿīn/Qarnā and Inabbaʾ are securely visible as named Jawf city-states in the eighth to sixth centuries BCE, not as documented second-millennium kingdoms.
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides primary evidence · Corpus entries organized by city-state
Provides the primary texts.
claim Traditional high chronologies and later king lists do not provide sufficient evidence to project mature Sabaean, Minaean, Qatabanian or Hadramite polities into the poorly docume…
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction
Shows the date and nature of the surviving early corpus.
claim The earliest substantial and historically useful Old South Arabian inscription horizon in the Jawf is best placed in the eighth century BCE, near and just after the release endp…
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and earliest inscription entries
Provides the critical text editions and contextual dating.
property Inscription attested
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and inscription entries
Provides critical editions of early Old South Arabian texts.
entity Nashshān
Evidence confidence: moderate
supports · provides primary evidence · Nashshān corpus entries and contextual commentaries
Provides critical editions of early texts.
entity Earliest securely contextualized Old South Arabian epigraphic horizon
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and eighth-century Jawf texts
Provides critical editions of the earliest substantial corpus.
entity Early Jawf city-states
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides primary evidence · Vol. II corpus and contextual entries
Provides the textual basis.
event Early city-state horizon at Nashshān
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides primary evidence · Nashshān corpus entries
Provides the critical texts.
event Earliest substantial Old South Arabian inscription horizon in the Jawf
Evidence confidence: very high
supports · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and eighth-century inscriptions
Provides the primary-text corpus.
property assignment Earliest securely contextualized Old South Arabian epigraphic horizon — has property — Inscription attested
Evidence confidence: near certain
supports · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and entries
Provides the texts and contexts.
date assertion Early city-state horizon at Nashshān — date assertion
Evidence confidence: moderate
supports · provides primary evidence · Nashshān corpus entries
Provides the critical texts.
date assertion Earliest substantial Old South Arabian inscription horizon in the Jawf — date assertion
Evidence confidence: high
supports · provides primary evidence · Corpus introduction and eighth-century inscriptions
Provides the primary-text corpus.
relationship Nashshān — member of historical horizon — Early Jawf city-states
Evidence confidence: near certain
supports · provides primary evidence · Nashshān corpus entries
Provides the direct city-state attestation.
relationship Early Jawf city-states — attested by — Earliest securely contextualized Old South Arabian epigraphic horizon
Evidence confidence: near certain
supports · provides primary evidence · Corpus organized by city-state
Provides the primary attestation.