#New on #OCIANA - The #Dhofari Script 2 inscriptions documented by Dr. Al-Mashikhi, many thanks for his hard work. DhI 8 is simply remarkable. The Mušrikīn of the Quran state: 'nothing dooms us but Fate (ad-dahr)'. DhI 8 states: 'Dahr, lord of plunder and fear, burned fiercely'.
November 18, 2025 at 2:05 PM
An important 'time out' by a very clear thinker. Much of what Shoemaker claims about the Hijaz on the eve of Islam is conclusively disproved by material evidence, which grows by the year. I have a surprise, too, from my last survey mission (May 2025) between Taif-Mecca and Medina
shorturl.at/8IG8f
shorturl.at/8IG8f
Scepticism as method in the study of Quranic origins: A review article of Stephen J. Shoemaker, Creating the Qur’an: A Historical-Critical Study (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2022) | Bull...
Scepticism as method in the study of Quranic origins: A review article of Stephen J. Shoemaker, Creating the Qur’an: A Historical-Critical Study (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2022) - Volu...
resolve.cambridge.org
November 16, 2025 at 9:08 AM
An important 'time out' by a very clear thinker. Much of what Shoemaker claims about the Hijaz on the eve of Islam is conclusively disproved by material evidence, which grows by the year. I have a surprise, too, from my last survey mission (May 2025) between Taif-Mecca and Medina
shorturl.at/8IG8f
shorturl.at/8IG8f
Reposted by Safaitic
A brilliant thread by my brilliant friend @bnuyaminim.bsky.social. But let's think about this circumstantial evidence a bit more. Are names really indicative of one's language or ethnicity (hard to pin that down actually)? This Nabataean from NW Arabia belongs to the clan of Banī Baʿlnatan...
So I'm adding Baalnathan (also a nice baby name) to my list of probably- or possibly-Aramaic Nabataean names, like Rabbel. Another minor piece of circumstantial evidence that the Nabataeans weren't just "Arabs that wrote Aramaic". (Discussion in this article 👇)
5/6
5/6
What can Nabataean Aramaic tell us about Pre‐Islamic Arabic?
Nabataean Aramaic contains a large number of loanwords from Arabic. Together with other evidence, this has been taken as an indication that the Nabataeans used Aramaic as a written language only, whi...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:07 PM
A brilliant thread by my brilliant friend @bnuyaminim.bsky.social. But let's think about this circumstantial evidence a bit more. Are names really indicative of one's language or ethnicity (hard to pin that down actually)? This Nabataean from NW Arabia belongs to the clan of Banī Baʿlnatan...
A brilliant thread by my brilliant friend @bnuyaminim.bsky.social. But let's think about this circumstantial evidence a bit more. Are names really indicative of one's language or ethnicity (hard to pin that down actually)? This Nabataean from NW Arabia belongs to the clan of Banī Baʿlnatan...
So I'm adding Baalnathan (also a nice baby name) to my list of probably- or possibly-Aramaic Nabataean names, like Rabbel. Another minor piece of circumstantial evidence that the Nabataeans weren't just "Arabs that wrote Aramaic". (Discussion in this article 👇)
5/6
5/6
What can Nabataean Aramaic tell us about Pre‐Islamic Arabic?
Nabataean Aramaic contains a large number of loanwords from Arabic. Together with other evidence, this has been taken as an indication that the Nabataeans used Aramaic as a written language only, whi...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:07 PM
A brilliant thread by my brilliant friend @bnuyaminim.bsky.social. But let's think about this circumstantial evidence a bit more. Are names really indicative of one's language or ethnicity (hard to pin that down actually)? This Nabataean from NW Arabia belongs to the clan of Banī Baʿlnatan...
What is the threshold of evidence required to 'revise' our understanding of history? And how do we use sources to know about the past? Prof. Sean Anthony gives us his origin story and then a story about the origins of Islam, and how we know what we think we know.
youtu.be/UkybqiiRLg8?...
youtu.be/UkybqiiRLg8?...
Anthony origins, Islamic origins, and a career between tradition and revision | Prof. Sean Anthony
YouTube video by Near East by Midwest Podcast
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 10:25 AM
What is the threshold of evidence required to 'revise' our understanding of history? And how do we use sources to know about the past? Prof. Sean Anthony gives us his origin story and then a story about the origins of Islam, and how we know what we think we know.
youtu.be/UkybqiiRLg8?...
youtu.be/UkybqiiRLg8?...
Pre-Islamic Arabic and Greek! The #Safaitic abecedary we posted earlier this week was far more interesting than originally thought. A close re-reading of the stone revealed the entire Safaitic alphabet in the Greek letter order!
See the study here: www.academia.edu/144853577/Al...
See the study here: www.academia.edu/144853577/Al...
November 8, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Pre-Islamic Arabic and Greek! The #Safaitic abecedary we posted earlier this week was far more interesting than originally thought. A close re-reading of the stone revealed the entire Safaitic alphabet in the Greek letter order!
See the study here: www.academia.edu/144853577/Al...
See the study here: www.academia.edu/144853577/Al...
The Quran displays various arrangements of mysterious, disconnected letters. The magico-sacred aspect of the alphabet stretches far into the pre-Islamic past. This Safaitic text begins with a prayer to Allāt followed by a partial abecedary.
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
November 6, 2025 at 8:11 AM
The Quran displays various arrangements of mysterious, disconnected letters. The magico-sacred aspect of the alphabet stretches far into the pre-Islamic past. This Safaitic text begins with a prayer to Allāt followed by a partial abecedary.
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
#Incredible ! There is good evidence that Greek literacy was relatively widespread among the ancient Arabs east of Ḥawrān. Here, our #Safaitic author partially writes out the Safaitic letters in the Greek order, omitting vowels!
Find more on #OCIANA: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more on #OCIANA: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
November 5, 2025 at 8:51 AM
#Incredible ! There is good evidence that Greek literacy was relatively widespread among the ancient Arabs east of Ḥawrān. Here, our #Safaitic author partially writes out the Safaitic letters in the Greek order, omitting vowels!
Find more on #OCIANA: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more on #OCIANA: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Near East X Midwest podcast - The fall and rise of comparative Semitic linguistics | a conversation with Prof. Na'ama Pat-El.
Listen in: youtu.be/vPUhcfPrLqM
Listen in: youtu.be/vPUhcfPrLqM
The fall and rise of comparative Semitic linguistics | a conversation with Prof. Na'ama Pat-El
YouTube video by Near East by Midwest Podcast
youtu.be
October 27, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Near East X Midwest podcast - The fall and rise of comparative Semitic linguistics | a conversation with Prof. Na'ama Pat-El.
Listen in: youtu.be/vPUhcfPrLqM
Listen in: youtu.be/vPUhcfPrLqM
#Testing #Testing - want to visual a linguistic feature like 'N-assimilation'? Compare the distribution of the word 'daughter' spelled 𝒃𝒏𝒕 (left) and 𝒃𝒕 (right). Overall, we can see that N-assimilation is less common and that it did not reach East Arabia. But there are still bugs...
October 22, 2025 at 9:44 AM
#New on #OCIANA: A #Dhofari script 2 inscription from the Yemeni al-Mahrah region, documented by a local and sent to OCIANA for preservation.
It records hopelessness as the goats (ʾrn, cf. Mehri rawn), the flock of the writer, were afflicted with illness
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
It records hopelessness as the goats (ʾrn, cf. Mehri rawn), the flock of the writer, were afflicted with illness
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
October 18, 2025 at 4:48 PM
#New on #OCIANA: A #Dhofari script 2 inscription from the Yemeni al-Mahrah region, documented by a local and sent to OCIANA for preservation.
It records hopelessness as the goats (ʾrn, cf. Mehri rawn), the flock of the writer, were afflicted with illness
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
It records hopelessness as the goats (ʾrn, cf. Mehri rawn), the flock of the writer, were afflicted with illness
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
#New on #OCIANA - from the cosmopolitan world of ancient Arabia: ʾAkzam son of Ġawṯ, of the people of Rm (Rome?), records being driven away from the road (𝑠𝑎𝑏𝑖̄𝑙!) by the tribe of Thamūd, mentioned in the Quran! From near ʿarʿar عرعر KSA. Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
October 18, 2025 at 9:29 AM
#New on #OCIANA - from the cosmopolitan world of ancient Arabia: ʾAkzam son of Ġawṯ, of the people of Rm (Rome?), records being driven away from the road (𝑠𝑎𝑏𝑖̄𝑙!) by the tribe of Thamūd, mentioned in the Quran! From near ʿarʿar عرعر KSA. Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Reposted by Safaitic
Great interview of Dr. Charles Häberl on Mandaïc and other forms of Aramaïc and his work on them.
youtu.be/UJLZBMGxjZ4?...
youtu.be/UJLZBMGxjZ4?...
Concerning Mandaeans, Mandaic, and other matters | A conversation with Professor Charles Häberl
YouTube video by Near East by Midwest Podcast
youtu.be
October 16, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Great interview of Dr. Charles Häberl on Mandaïc and other forms of Aramaïc and his work on them.
youtu.be/UJLZBMGxjZ4?...
youtu.be/UJLZBMGxjZ4?...
INTRODUCING: Near East by Midwest Podcast, hosted by the department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures at OSU! First episode discusses Mandaic, Mandaeans, and other matters with Prof. C. Häberl. Don’t miss it!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJLZ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJLZ...
Concerning Mandaeans, Mandaic, and other matters | A conversation with Professor Charles Häberl
YouTube video by Near East by Midwest Podcast
www.youtube.com
October 16, 2025 at 6:02 PM
INTRODUCING: Near East by Midwest Podcast, hosted by the department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures at OSU! First episode discusses Mandaic, Mandaeans, and other matters with Prof. C. Häberl. Don’t miss it!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJLZ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJLZ...
#New on #OCIANA - a remarkable #Dhofari 1a text containing 3 generations of a family devoted to the deity 𝐑𝐚̄𝐦 'high, exalted'. The verb of devotion is 𝒌𝒘𝒓 (cf. Mehri kīwer) 'to love'.
Find more:
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more:
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
October 12, 2025 at 10:57 AM
#New on #OCIANA - a remarkable #Dhofari 1a text containing 3 generations of a family devoted to the deity 𝐑𝐚̄𝐦 'high, exalted'. The verb of devotion is 𝒌𝒘𝒓 (cf. Mehri kīwer) 'to love'.
Find more:
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more:
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
#New on #OCIANA - Perhaps one of the commonest themes in graffiti world wide are records of sexual intercourse. Ancient graffiti are no exception! This Script 2 #Dhofari txt reads:
{r}{ḥ}km w nk hls¹m
'Rḥkm and he had sex with Hls¹m'
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
{r}{ḥ}km w nk hls¹m
'Rḥkm and he had sex with Hls¹m'
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
October 10, 2025 at 4:06 PM
#New on #OCIANA - Perhaps one of the commonest themes in graffiti world wide are records of sexual intercourse. Ancient graffiti are no exception! This Script 2 #Dhofari txt reads:
{r}{ḥ}km w nk hls¹m
'Rḥkm and he had sex with Hls¹m'
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
{r}{ḥ}km w nk hls¹m
'Rḥkm and he had sex with Hls¹m'
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
#New on #OCIANA, the 1st #Dhofari Script 2 txt is now online. It is a simple 3 generation genealogy, 𝒅̣𝒍ʿ𝒕 (𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇) ʿ𝒎𝒓 (𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇) 𝒍𝒃𝒏𝒎. These texts are written horizontally rather than vertically and have a lovely butterfly 𝒎.
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
October 6, 2025 at 9:40 AM
#New on #OCIANA, the 1st #Dhofari Script 2 txt is now online. It is a simple 3 generation genealogy, 𝒅̣𝒍ʿ𝒕 (𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇) ʿ𝒎𝒓 (𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇) 𝒍𝒃𝒏𝒎. These texts are written horizontally rather than vertically and have a lovely butterfly 𝒎.
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
While #Dhofari Script 1a is well understood and its corpus is growing, the much less frequently attested Script 2 remained illusive. Here are some notes on that variant for discussion: academia.edu/144277088/Al...
To learn about #Dhofari, tune in here: open.spotify.com/episode/0zVe...
To learn about #Dhofari, tune in here: open.spotify.com/episode/0zVe...
October 3, 2025 at 8:28 PM
While #Dhofari Script 1a is well understood and its corpus is growing, the much less frequently attested Script 2 remained illusive. Here are some notes on that variant for discussion: academia.edu/144277088/Al...
To learn about #Dhofari, tune in here: open.spotify.com/episode/0zVe...
To learn about #Dhofari, tune in here: open.spotify.com/episode/0zVe...
#NEW on #OCIANA - Drought is a major theme in the #Safaitic inscriptions. This text records a drought in the spring, during 𝒅̱𝒏𝒃 𝒅̱𝒌𝒓 (ذنب ذكر) 'the tail of Aries'! And calls upon the god Yayṯeʿ to deliver from the dry land.
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
September 24, 2025 at 2:47 PM
#NEW on #OCIANA - Drought is a major theme in the #Safaitic inscriptions. This text records a drought in the spring, during 𝒅̱𝒏𝒃 𝒅̱𝒌𝒓 (ذنب ذكر) 'the tail of Aries'! And calls upon the god Yayṯeʿ to deliver from the dry land.
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Happening at OSU this Friday-Sunday - #NACAL_48!
Three days of Afro-Asiatic linguistics. See the link for the program and registration.
nesa.osu.edu/events/north...
Three days of Afro-Asiatic linguistics. See the link for the program and registration.
nesa.osu.edu/events/north...
September 23, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Happening at OSU this Friday-Sunday - #NACAL_48!
Three days of Afro-Asiatic linguistics. See the link for the program and registration.
nesa.osu.edu/events/north...
Three days of Afro-Asiatic linguistics. See the link for the program and registration.
nesa.osu.edu/events/north...
Reposted by Safaitic
New issue of Journal of Semitic Studies Vol. 70, No. 2 (2025) academic.oup.com/jss/issue/70/2 @oxfordacademic.bsky.social @safaitic.bsky.social
Volume 70 Issue 2 | Journal of Semitic Studies | Oxford Academic
The official journal of the University of Manchester. Publishes items of interest to specialists in the main Semitic languages and in both Biblical and Islamic Studies. Extensive reviews of selected b...
academic.oup.com
September 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM
New issue of Journal of Semitic Studies Vol. 70, No. 2 (2025) academic.oup.com/jss/issue/70/2 @oxfordacademic.bsky.social @safaitic.bsky.social
The first epigraphic attestation of the Modern South Arabian lexical isogloss ġayg 'man' in a #Dhofari text
'Bar-Shahm son of Mb---- has love for a man'
Amorous expressions are common in the inscriptions, as is concealing the identity of the lover with generic nouns!
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
'Bar-Shahm son of Mb---- has love for a man'
Amorous expressions are common in the inscriptions, as is concealing the identity of the lover with generic nouns!
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
September 17, 2025 at 9:43 AM
The first epigraphic attestation of the Modern South Arabian lexical isogloss ġayg 'man' in a #Dhofari text
'Bar-Shahm son of Mb---- has love for a man'
Amorous expressions are common in the inscriptions, as is concealing the identity of the lover with generic nouns!
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
'Bar-Shahm son of Mb---- has love for a man'
Amorous expressions are common in the inscriptions, as is concealing the identity of the lover with generic nouns!
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
Lots of new grammar in the #Dhofari inscriptions, suggesting further links with the Modern South Arabian languages. The verb yġfrm 'may they pardon' shows the plural ending -m. See these two new texts just uploaded to #OCIANA
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
September 14, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Lots of new grammar in the #Dhofari inscriptions, suggesting further links with the Modern South Arabian languages. The verb yġfrm 'may they pardon' shows the plural ending -m. See these two new texts just uploaded to #OCIANA
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...
ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...