418 inscriptions

Inscriptions

DʿMT and Aksumite texts in their attested scripts, with published translations and exact sources.

Deutsche Aksum-Expedition photograph of the 52-line RIÉ 189 Ethiopic inscription recording Ezana’s Noba campaign.
RIÉ 189ʿEzana’s Noba campaignAksum, Ethiopia

Catalogue

418 inscriptions in chronological order

Showing 7396
RIÉ 38

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 38Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainYeha

Inscription from Yeha

Surviving fragment, partly interpreted. The beginning is lost. The readings and meanings of the intervening words are uncertain; the final protective formula is translated by the edition.

Native-script transcription is not available here.

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 47

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 47Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainYeha

Inscription from Yeha

Surviving text, partly interpreted. mṭry designates the altar but its precise meaning is uncertain. The final sequence ws nsb tyw remains uninterpreted; “projection” describes the stone surface.

Native-script transcription is not available here.

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 58

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 58Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainMatara during the excavation of the mound B

Dedication from Matara during the excavation of the mound B

Surviving dedicatory fragment. The beginning, ending, and part of the divine name are lost; brackets retain the edition’s restoration.

Native-script transcription is not available here.

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 64

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 64Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainMatara during the excavation of the mound E2

Inscription from Matara during the excavation of the mound E2

Probable personal name. The same letter sequence names the tribe Bakīl elsewhere, but the edition considers a personal name more likely here.

BKLM

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 68

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 68Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainMatara

Inscription from Matara

Name; other marks uninterpreted. Two m signs on the right-hand stone remain uninterpreted.

ʿNYM

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 69

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 69Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainDibdib

Dedication from Dibdib

Published translation of the three-line dedication. DWL may designate a locality, region, people, or tribe; the edition does not resolve which.

Native-script transcription is not available here.

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 74

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 74Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainFeqya, engraved on a stone

Dedication from Feqya, engraved on a stone

Surviving dedication with editorial restoration. The lost verb could have been singular or plural. <This stone> is supplied from the object, not a surviving word.

Native-script transcription is not available here.

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 75

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 75Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainFeqya, engraved on a stone

Dedication from Feqya, engraved on a stone

Published translation of the surviving three-line dedication. <This stone> is supplied from the object. HYW is probably a co-dedicant.

Native-script transcription is not available here.

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 88

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 88Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainTokhonda, engraved on a stone

Inscription from Tokhonda, engraved on a stone

Alternative readings of a personal name. Both readings are offered; the root is secure but the final consonant is not.

SMʿN / SMʿS

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 89

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 89Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainKelette Afa, engraved on a stone

Inscription from Kelette Afa, engraved on a stone

Published translation. GʿSY may be a local name; its etymology is uncertain.

WKLʾL bn GʿSY

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 90

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 90Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainLaʿlay ʿAddi, engraved on a stone

Inscription from Laʿlay ʿAddi, engraved on a stone

Preserved personal name. The same name occurs in RIÉ 91 and 124–126.

GBRN

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 91

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 91Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainLaʿlay ʿAddi, engraved on a stone

Inscription from Laʿlay ʿAddi, engraved on a stone

Two preserved personal names. The etymology of ḤDBR remains uncertain.

GBRN // ḤDBR

Early highland inscriptionRead text
RIÉ 92

No verified photograph or facsimile of this artifact has been retrieved.

RIÉ 92Pre-Aksumite period; precise date uncertainLaʿlay ʿAddi

Inscription from Laʿlay ʿAddi

Two partly legible names from four texts. Only the names in Texts II and III are more or less legible; the reading and derivation of both remain doubtful.

WNʾN / ʿNʾN (?) // DBRY

Early highland inscriptionRead text

Source register

Source register

RIÉ 1–443, with separately numbered text versions, supplements, and Arabian witnesses from the checked corpus and DASI. Dates and uncertain identifications follow the cited editions; missing texts, translations, and images are recorded below.

481–512 of 512 entries. Copies and language versions retain their own references.

Aksumite corpus & Arabian witnesses30
  1. Ry 506

    552 CE · Murayghān, Saudi Arabia · Late Sabaic

    Abraha records a campaign against Maʿadd, military detachments, submission, and hostages.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  2. Ry 507

    523 CE · Biʾr Ḥimā, Saudi Arabia · Late Sabaic

    A damaged campaign text recounts attacks at Ẓafār and Makhāwān and operations toward Najrān.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  3. Ry 508

    523 CE · ʿān-Halkān, Saudi Arabia · Late Sabaic

    A Ḥimyarite commander’s account of attacks on Abyssinians and churches, and preparations at Mandab and Najrān.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  4. Sayed / Murayghān 2

    6th century CE; probably c. 552 · Murayghān, Saudi Arabia · Late Sabaic

    The qayl Mns¹ dhū-Dharnḥ records accompanying King Abraha on a campaign against Maʿadd.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  5. Wellcome A 103664

    6th century CE · Unknown, Unknown · Late Sabaic

    A fragmentary Christian inscription mentions Aksum and Abyssinian forces at Ṣanʿāʾ; it may belong to the same text as Ist 7608 bis.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  6. CIH 308

    Late 2nd–early 3rd century CE · Jabal Riyām, Yemen · Sabaic

    A Sabaean dedication records an alliance with GDRT, king of Ḥabašat. Several ancient copies preserve this longer version.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  7. CIH 308 bis

    Late 2nd–early 3rd century CE · Jabal Riyām, Yemen · Sabaic

    The shorter recension of the Riyām dedication, preserved in several copies. The photograph shows Gl 870+872.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  8. CIH 314+954

    3rd century CE · al-ʿAmāyid / ʿArsh Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    Two Sabaean officers dedicate bronze statues and record an embassy from Shammar dhū-Raydān and the tribes of Ḥabašat.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  9. CIH 350

    3rd century CE · Unknown, Unknown · Sabaic

    A damaged dedication recounts campaigns against several opponents, including Ḥabašat.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  10. Ry 533

    Early 3rd century CE · Rayda, Yemen · Sabaic

    Commanders serving Shaʿirum Awtar recount campaigns by land and sea in a dedication to their solar deity.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  11. MAFRAY-al-Miʿsāl 2

    253 CE · al-Miʿsāl, Yemen · Sabaic

    A military commemoration in the temple of the solar deity ʿAlyat, dated in the Ḥimyarite era.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  12. MAFRAY-al-Miʿsāl 5

    272 CE · al-Miʿsāl, Yemen · Sabaic

    A long temple text recounts military service under successive Ḥimyarite kings and campaigns involving Abyssinian forces.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  13. Ir 12

    Early 3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    Wfym ʾḏrḥ dedicates a bronze statue and bull after defending Ḥashid during the reign of Shaʿirum Awtar.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    No exact artifact image retrieved from the checked sources.
  14. Ir 19

    3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    Two qayls dedicate bronze statues after campaigns of Ilsharaḥ Yaḥḍub and Yaʾzil Bayyin against Ḥabašat and their allies.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  15. Ir 20

    3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    Hʿn dedicates a bronze statue after a campaign against Abyssinian forces under Nashʾakarib Yuʾmin Yuharḥib.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    No exact artifact image retrieved from the checked sources.
  16. Ir 28

    c. 312–316 CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    A Sabaean envoy records travel to the land of Ḥabašat and the Aksumites and his return with Abyssinian envoys.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    No exact artifact image retrieved from the checked sources.
  17. Ja 574

    3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    Two Sabaean kings dedicate silver statues after fighting Abyssinian forces and their allies in the western lowlands.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  18. Ja 575

    3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    A fragmentary royal dedication recounts a campaign from Ṣanʿāʾ into Sahratān and the coastal country.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    No exact artifact image retrieved from the checked sources.
  19. Ja 631

    Early 3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    Qṭbn ʾwkn records an embassy to GDRT, king of Ḥabašat and the Aksumites, followed by campaigns involving the prince BYGT.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    No exact artifact image retrieved from the checked sources.
  20. Ja 635

    Early 3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    A dedication from the Awwām temple recounts military service, including operations involving Abyssinian forces.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    No exact artifact image retrieved from the checked sources.
  21. Robin-Umm Laylā 1

    c. 160–190 CE · Umm Laylā, Yemen · Sabaic

    A tribal agreement to strengthen defences and restore cisterns after Abyssinian forces reached the country.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  22. Ir 69

    3rd century CE · al-ʿAmāyid / ʿArsh Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    A Barʾān dedication combines favourable oracles, diplomacy with Ḥimyar, and campaigns against Abyssinian forces.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  23. FB-Maḥram Bilqīs 2

    First half of the 3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    An Awwām dedication recounts conflict with Abyssinian forces in Sihām and Wādī Ḥaraḍ under Laḥayʿathat Yarkham.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  24. Ja 585

    3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    Two brothers thank ʾAlmaqah for their father’s return after an embassy to the Abyssinians and imprisonment at S³wm.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  25. Murayghān 3

    c. 552 CE · Murayghān, Saudi Arabia · Late Sabaic

    A royal rock inscription records Abraha’s authority over Maʿadd and other Arabian communities.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  26. Ja 576+577

    3rd century CE · Maḥram Bilqīs, Yemen · Sabaic

    A long dedication of Ilsharaḥ Yaḥḍub and Yaʾzil Bayyin recounts wars, hostages, and conflict involving Abyssinian forces.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  27. Gr 210

    Late 2nd–early 3rd century CE · Jabal Riyām, Yemen · Sabaic

    A fragmentary statue base preserves a shorter version of CIH 308, including GDRT and the alliance.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    Partial English rendering: lines 10–11 only.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  28. al-Ḥasanī 2017

    Middle Sabaic period; absolute date uncertain · Jabal Ḏaẖār, Yemen · Sabaic

    A damaged building inscription records repairs to a city, houses, towers, and a burial place after an attack by an Abyssinian army. The surviving year-number is 98 or 198; its absolute date is not established here.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  29. Nāmī NAG 13–14

    Late 2nd–early 3rd century CE · South Arabia · Sabaic

    Alliance witness cited in the scholarly inventory; exact edition identified.

    Original
    Full edition not retrieved.
    English
    Full English translation not retrieved.
    Image
    No exact artifact image retrieved.
  30. MAFRAY al-Miʿsāl 3

    3rd century CE · Jabal Miʿsāl, Yemen · Sabaic

    Rock inscription cited for campaigns against Abyssinians; lines 8–9 are discussed in the corpus.

    Original
    Full edition not retrieved.
    English
    Full English translation not retrieved.
    Image
    No exact artifact image retrieved.
Earlier, later & uncertain comparisons2
  1. Ry 509

    First half of the 5th century CE · wādī Maʾsal, Saudi Arabia · Late Sabaic

    A Ḥimyarite royal campaign inscription of Abīkarib Asʿad and Ḥassān Yuhaʾmin. An Arabian comparison; neither its authorship nor its date is Aksumite.

    Original
    Full surviving edited text; losses and uncertain letters retained.
    English
    English translation of the surviving text; credit and qualifications in the reader.
    Image
    Verified artifact image or labelled facsimile.
  2. DAI Barʾān 2000-1

    Early 3rd century CE · Barʾān temple, Maʾrib, Yemen · Sabaic

    Campaign account of Shaʿirum Awtar cited as historical context; its text does not explicitly name Aksum or Ḥabašat.

    Original
    Edited Sabaic text available in DASI.
    English
    English and German translations available in DASI.
    Image
    No exact artifact image retrieved.