A Study of south Arabian Inscriptions from the region of Dhamar (Yemen)

This thesis presents the results of the epigraphic surveys conducted by the author in the region of Dhamar (Yemen). The 120 Ancient South Arabian Sabaic inscriptions presented here are a selection of the documentation found in many sites. They include unpublished and some other published texts, which needed some corrections. The edition of the text (preliminary information, transcription, translation and comment) is preceded by an introduction on the geography of the region and a description of the sites. The inscriptions have been divided in five chapters, chronologically arranged as follows: 8th/7th - 5th century BC, 4th -end of the 1st century BC, beginning of the 1st - mid-2nd century AD, mid-2nd - beginning of the 4th century AD (most of these inscriptions were engraved in the 2nd half of the 2nd century AD), beginning of the 4th - mid-6th century AD. Each chapter is followed by a historical and linguistic analysis, which highlights the new important data with which these inscriptions improve our knowledge of the South Arabian civilization, particularly of its history. The reading of the text is based on the original photographs taken by the author, which are available in the plates.