Princeton Expeditions to Syria (1899, 1904-1905, 1909)

1.

Nabataean Inscriptions in the Haurân

Between 500 B.C. - 50 B.C. [Suwêdā]]' C.J.S. 162: ' Tomb of Ḳamrat, which built for her Odinat her husband. '

40 B.C.(???) [Boṣra]], on altar with bull-heads; CJS 174: ' (this is) what (was) offered (by) Naṭar'ĕl, son of / Naṭar'ĕl, to the god of Ḳaṣiu / In the year XI of Maliku the king. '

1 B.C. Ḳanawât, stone lying in the temple; CJS 169: ' ....memory / ... stratege, because which / ... ^ erected ^ sepulchre / ... Odainat ....his wife / "

about 1 B.C. - 1 A.D. Sîʿ, fragments of temple-inscriptions, CJS 163, a) good memory for Naleikat, son of Ausîu, son of Mo'aiyeru b) ... and this {watch-tower(?) theatre(?) and guard-house (??) ... c) ....which he built for Ba'alŝamin... d) ...as long as he lived. In peace! II. E.L. Nab. 3: ...the inner and the outer temple .... (different inscriptions)

2

5 B.C. Sîʿ, on a stele; E.L. Nab 1: ' In the year BCC / VIII Ḳaṣiu / Ta'agallât, son of Ka'ammeh / son of Pabbū, son of Andū / son of Radif (Darif?), son of Kaṭṭaru / son of 'Abdū, made / this tomb / (for) his wife / Raẖailat, at his own / expenses. ' D

about 1 B.C. - 1 A.D. Sîʿ, fragment of a vase, CJS 167: ' ...bū, Tan'el, son ....' fragment of base of statue, CIS 168 'to (of) Šalm... '

beginning of 1 A.D. Sîʿ, base of statue, found in situ, now in Dublin, CIS 164: ' This is the statue, which erected the family 'Obaiŝat / to Maleikat the son of No'aiyerū, son of Nale'kat / because he made the temple higher /. Kaddu, son of 'Obaiŝat, architect. Peace! ' Sîʿ, CIS 165: ' Holy (??) to the family of Ḳaṣiu. CIS 166, 'Sûdu (Šawârū?) artist ' Both on bases of statues.

1 A.D. Boṣra, several fragments, illegible. CIS 177-179. CIS 180: stone cutter marks on stones in a church built 512, therefore: old material used. The form of Nabataean letters {symbol} and {Symbol} indicate about 1 B.C. - 1 A.D.

3.

47 A.D. Hebrâu: CIS 170: 1 ' In the month Tiŝrῑ of the year VII of Claudius 2 the emperor. 3 this is the door, which made Nalikū, the son of 4 Ḳaṣiu / (?) the priest of Allât. Say: Peace! ' CIS 171. '[Wa]h ballât, son of Nagyrū' On the breast of a broken statue. (about the same time)

55 A.D. Boṣra, over the door of an old church; CIS 182. 1 ' This is the temple which has built Rūhū, son of Nalikū, son of Aklabū, son of Rūhū, for Allât, their goddess, 2 who is in Ṣalkhad and whom has placed here Rūhū, son of Ḳaṣiu, with (or the great grandfather of) Rūhū the above mentioned, 3 in the month of August, of the year 17 of Nalikū, King of the Nabataeans, son of Ḳaretat, King of the Nabataeans, who loves his people? '

1st Centy A.D. Boṣra, on a sacophagus of black basalt, CIS 173: ' This is the sacophagus , which made Wahbĕl, son of Ausîū, / for Ta'mor his wife, the daughter of 'Abdêlgê / the eparchos? '

ib., on a tombstone; CIS 175: ' Nagênnat, daughter of / Naṭar'ĕl. '

ib. CIS 176: ' This is the altar, / which made Taimū, / the son of Waldân (?) for Baalŝamin (?) the god of Sa'idū. '

January 14, 1905

is-Summāḳiyât 9:00 A.M. Temp. 43 ° Baro. S 26.88 Baro. L. 27.13

Nimbus clouds going E. Breeze varying from #1 to #4 and from S. by E. to W. - through S. Light drizzle for 4 hours in afternoon What would be called a cold, damp, chilly rainy day. Moon & stars shining brightly in clear sky from 8 P.M. to 10 P.M. & then it clouded up again, clouds coming from W. Rainbow, partly double for 1/2 hr. from 4:00 P.M. Sunset cloudy.

is-Summāḳiyât, a town divided into 2 parts by a branch of Wadi Butm, one part N.W. of the other. There are ruins, and numerous inscriptions, mostly funereal, many in situ in old burying places to the E. of both parts of town. 10 Moslem, 15 Christian families.

B. & L worked most of day.

B. left camp about 11:15 A.M. with 2 servants & Haurânī guide returning to Umm is-Surab for the purpose of getting more measurements of ruins & to make a squeeze of a Nabataean inscription. It took him 1 hour trotting & cantering most of way. He left there at 3:10 for camp.

The guide was afraid of robbers, and while at Umm is-Surab, seeing four horsemen at a distance, climbed to the top of the church tower, and watched them anxiously for some time, crouched low & out of their sight behind some stones. At last he descend & said that thank God they were going in a different direction than toward us. Poor fellow, he had lived all his life in fear, in this border land without law, Druse to the E. and wild Arab tribes to the S., both at his very door. What a way to go through life!

Sî‘ April 4-5, 1909

The Nabataean altar found in front of the temple was split from top to bottom; but the important face, preserving the Nab. insc. the garland and the lions' heads, was quite perfectly preserved.

I made arrangements with the Druse Abu Nejib who took the head of Ba‘al Shaûm to Damascas four years ago to take this 1/2 altar and the relief to the Am. Consul at Damascas to be kept for me to carry to Constantinople for the Museum.

The relief was found in front of the East arches of the new temple, and probably was part of a frieze between the half column and the corner pilaster.

It represents a youth with Phrygian cap riding a bull and stabbing the bull with a knife.

See Photos of this and of altar.