The Nabataean timing system
The Nabataean timing system
Author(s): Mahdi AlzoubiSubject(s): Archaeology, Ancient World
Published by: Akadémiai Kiadó
Keywords: Nabataean; dating system; calendar; sundial; water clock; time measuring;
Summary/Abstract: Archaeological remains yield remarkable information concerning the Nabataeans’ timing system; excavations and surveys revealed water clocks, sundials and ground shadow clocks in Nabataean sites, namely Petra and Hegra. Besides, certain Nabataean inscriptions expose a good deal of evidence regarding the Nabataean timing terminology: ywm ‘day’; šnt ‘year’; yrḥ ‘month’; š c h ‘hour’; šbc ‘week’, lyly’ ‘night’ and zmn ‘time’ are the most frequently used terms found in the different Nabataean texts. Moreover, the excavations uncovered some archaeological evidence concerning the Nabataean annual calendar. The study adopts a comparative historical and linguistic perspective in investigating the different aspects of time measurement in Nabataean civilisation.
Journal: Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
- Issue Year: 69/2016
- Issue No: 3
- Page Range: 301-309
- Page Count: 9
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF