South Arabian zabūr script in the Gulf: some recent discoveries from Mleiha (Sharjah, UAE)

Abstract

While the so-called Hasaitic script in the Gulf region has long been understood as being an influence from South Arabia, the actual reason for, and the way of, adapting the Ancient South Arabian script in that region has remained a matter of dispute. Recent finds from Mleiha may now contribute to clarify this picture. The two objects, a small tablet of silver and the fragment of an amphora, are inscribed with a script that is neither Hasaitic in its common form (i.e. a close relative of the Ancient South Arabian monumental or musnad script) nor Aramaic, but rather a derivative of the so-called minuscule script or zabūr from Ancient South Arabia. The discovery of this script, which was used for everyday correspondence in ancient Yemen, is thus far unparalleled in the Gulf region. The paper provides a first decipherment and interpretation of the two inscriptions and draws some preliminary conclusions on the development of writing in the region.