Tayma, Saudi Arabia Inscriptions 450 BCE

For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts

Teima was an oasis along a trade route towards Yemen and from there onto India.

Teima (Tayma) Fortress Stone

(January 10, 2024) The Tayma oasis was an important trade stop in Arabia which was mentioned in cuneiform inscriptions and in the Bible. Taymāʾ had been visited by the European's Wallin in 1848, Guarmani in 1864, and Doughty in 1877. Charles Huber himself had passed through it in November 1880. 

This stone was found outside the town's fortress by either or both French explorer Charles Huber (1847-84) and language specialist J. Euting in 1884. It was Euting who mailed a squeeze of the Tayma inscriptions and his Nabatean inscriptions on June 12, 1884 from Jerusalem to his friend Nöldeke in Germany.

It is traditionally dated to between 400 and 500 BCE which is confirmed by the letter styles

The text reads:

  1. Freeing-up activity will equalize the emanations for Yahu (Y')
  2. The fertility-fluid considerations (focused emotions of emotion magic) will reveal that activity.
  3. Involve the combers (of the network, Ayu, eagle-vultures) with the facade (starry night sky) to equalize the facade
  4. Equalize the emanations with Hu's network-birds (eagle-vultures) to cull ineffectiveness.

Reference

William Facey (2022) Charles Huber: France's Greatest Arabian Explorer. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/88223984/Charles_Huber_Frances_Greatest_Arabian_Explorer, page 43

Teima Tablet 500-400 BCE

Photo by Franck-Roux (2003). From the Louvre.  Inventory number AO 27196. Dimensions 20.1 cm x 28.3 cm x 8 cm.
This was found outside the fort led by Charles Huber. Online at: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010151488

Teima Tablet 500-400 BCE

(January 10, 2024, updated January 7, 2025) 

Translation of Lines 1 and 2 in Akkadian (East Text 1)

(read right to left. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Vowels are italic bold,  Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration)
Letter Chart: Levant Lineage
  1.  IPu  Ṣu  Šu  Zu  Ya'u (East 1.1)  
  2.  Mu  ANu  Nu  Ṣu  U  A (East 1.2)

In English

  1.  Freeing-up activity will equalize the emanations for Yahu (Y')
  2.  The fertility-fluid considerations (focused emotions of emotion magic) will reveal that activity.

(January 10, 2024, updated January 7, 2025) 

Translation of Lines 3 and 4 in Akkadian (East Text 1)

(read right to left. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Vowels are italic bold,  Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration)
Letter Chart: Levant Lineage
  1. Ku  ZaPu  ZaMu  Šu  ZaMu (East 1.3)  
  2. Šu  Zu  Ḫu  PaYu  NaRu  E (East 1.4)

In English

  1. Involve the combers (of the network, Ayu, eagle-vultures) with the facade (starry night sky) to equalize the facade
  2. Equalize the emanations with Hu's network-birds (eagle-vultures) to cull ineffectiveness.

Teima Stele - Louvre AO1505

Found by Charles Huber and/or J. Euting, 1884. The runes are not quite readable in this photo.
From Wikimedia commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Teima_stone_Louvre_AO1505.jpg

Teima Long Stone

(January 7, 2025) Unfortunately, this stone is too weathered to get a good translation (at least with this single photograph). Yet is letter styles seem to date to around 500 BCE between the Judahite text style and the Persian Aramaic style.