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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

The evolution of the South Semitic script is still poorly understood. An attempt to quantify the variation and model it on a genetic tree, based on weighted features that have diagnostic value (think morphological innovations in historical linguistic terms). www.academia.edu/177870340/Al...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

NACAL 49 /fin Next year in Chicago!

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

NACAL 49 Paris begins today The final program can be found at this link: drive.google.com/file/d/1Pzgi... The abstract booklet is here: drive.google.com/file/d/1S5T8...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#New on #OCIANA - inscriptions from #BES26 are now coming online. The first text is a drawing of a camel by a pre-Islamic 𝒈𝒍𝒅/gallād/ :). Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions... Explore the site, HRN 1, here: (ociana.osu.edu/sites/984).

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

#New on #OCIANA - a large panel of Variant 1 #Safaitic inscriptions from site MG1 is now online. Among these is an invocation of the initial prayer type. This formula is an important lnk btw Thamudic B and Safaitic. it reads: *hā roṣ́aw(a) sāʿed qoṣayyata ben ʿaleyy wa salema

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

If you are within driving (or flying) distance of Austin, Texas next week, do not miss this fantastic gathering 'Timelines of Arabic 4'. My talk will handle the Paleo-Arabic corpus. Pic. Another angle of Abd-Shams inscr. I took during fieldwork in 2024. events.teams.microsoft.com/event/844c04...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

BES26 has concluded. Incredible new discoveries. Some will go directly up on OCIANA and others will require full-length publications. Stay tuned.

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

#New_Site #OCIANA! At least 15 men record building a remarkable cairn and grieving for a man called Wrd, including his sons. The site is also home to AMSI 41, the famous inscription terminating in 'w m mt ls fsy' 'and from death, there is no deliverance!' ociana.osu.edu/sites/983

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

#New on #OCIANA - A South Arabian abecedary from NW Arabia, discovered by Yahya Albalawi. The inscription, written by a Minaean, records a unique variant of the South Arabian script, with some letter forms closer to North Arabian. Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...

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Maarten Kossmann @maartenkossmann.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

It is with great sadness that we learned that Harry Stroomer, em. prof. of Afroasiatic linguistics at Leiden University has passed away. Harry was the founder of Amazigh studies in Leiden and the Doktorvater of a whole group of scholars in Amazigh studies (me included). May his soul rest in peace.

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Can you read this? Paleo-Arabic is the most important material witness to the immediate context of Islam's rise. Learn to analyze these documents and how they help write history in the last course of EI's summer cycle: Intro to Paleo-Arabic (Aug. 10-14): tinyurl.com/4shnfv7j

Paleo-Arabic iscr next to cross from hisma

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

#New on #OCIANA - a fascinating collection of #Safaitic inscriptions associated with the burial of a man called Ẓʿn, edited by students of the Safaitic summer school. The 1st is here: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions... See the collection here: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions... More to come soon!

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

#New on #OCIANA - 2 newly published South Semitic partial abecedaries (halḥamqaries). 1. Himaitic: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions... 2. Taymanitic: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions... What they share in common is part of a fascinating story about the spread of the script. See: academia.edu/167205988/Al...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

The epigraphic languages of Arabia are indispensable for the study of Islamic origins and the ancient Near East. But there are few places in the world where one can learn this material. The Epigraphic Institute (www.theepigraphicinstitute.org) offers such courses, beginning with Safaitic and Sabaic

theepigraphicinstitute.org

The Epigraphic Institute

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Maarten Kossmann @maartenkossmann.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

For further info on this group of texts: bsky.app/profile/maar...

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Marijn van Putten @phdnix.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

A Punic/Libyco-Berber bilingual (at least for the name part) which gives us a nice key to the phonetic values of the Libyco-Berber signs. The Punic reads: lynwʕkn bn knrdʕt bn msyʕln ṭnʔ ʔbnm ʔlʔ "For Yagwakan, son of Kanradat, son of Mesyalan these stones were erected"

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩! #NACAL (North Atlantic Conference on Afro-Asiatic Linguistics) 49# in Paris - Call for Papers. Key dates - Abstract Submission: June 15, 2026 Acceptance: June 30, 2026 Conference: 30 Sept to 2 Oct, 2026 Email: nacalinguistics@gmail.com For more: sites.google.com/view/afroasi...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Very important interview with Dr. Hythem Sidky - Mathematics and Manuscripts - reconstructing the Quran of Mohammed's time www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtMQ...

youtube.com

CAN WE RECONSTRUCT THE PROPHET'S QUR'AN? Dr. Hythem Sidky on Manuscripts, Memory, and Mathematics

YouTube video by Near East by Midwest Podcast

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Livestream tomorrow on the burning questions of late antique Arabia’s religious history. Join here: www.youtube.com/live/iJ4zsdI...

youtube.com

Livestream with THE Prof. Ahmad Al-Jallad: Were the Arabs really pagans at the dawn of Islam?

YouTube video by Exploring the Quran and the Bible

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

#New on #OCIANA : Join a brief tour of Al-Munḏir's mountain in the Jordanian Ḥarrah! Ancient crosses, Safaitic, rock art, and Paleo-Arabic with stunning views. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcRi...

youtube.com

BES24 Walkthrough

YouTube video by OCIANA

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Just published on DiCoNab: a new Paleo-Arabic inscription, by yours truly, perhaps referring to the Ghassanid raid on khaybar in 567 CE. Sheds more light on the northern dialect and writing school of Arabic at this time - see the card for details. diconab.huma-num.fr/inscriptions...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

An introduction to the Dhofari script and the background of the name Muhammad/Mahmed (the AI thumbnail says 2500 BCE for some reason, unrelated to video!). With best wishes, youtu.be/BoltvOGEmjQ?...

youtu.be

Lost Script of Arabia Finally Deciphered — What It Reveals About the Name Muhammad

YouTube video by MythVision Podcast

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Public lecture on Thursday in Paris. I will deliver a lecture on the linguistic pre-history and history of the Mecca region, based on two seasons of epigraphic fieldwork carried out btwn '21-'22. Welcome.

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

#New on #OCIANA: Is this the oldest #Arabic inscription yet discovered? The famous #Bāyir inscription is now online. An ancient Arab calls upon the Canaanite gods: Malkom, Kemosh, and Qaws to protect the wells of Bāyir (ancient: ʾabāʾir). Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Monday in Cambridge - سلم اىىم www.ames.cam.ac.uk/events/paleo...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Five years ago now surveying the extremely harsh terrain south of Mecca. Inscriptions forthcoming...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

#New Is Baʿal-Samīn (the storm deity) an ʾ𝒍𝒉 𝒔̣𝒅𝒒 'a just god?' Rain-making prayers in ancestral Arabian religion and the expectation of divine 'justice' in a multipolar divine world. A extremely important #Safaitic inscription published here: shorturl.at/oJvMW.

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

#New on #OCIANA: The ancient Arabian divine world was populated by independent powers. The author of this #Safaitic inscription calls upon an assembly of 7 gods to save "from what Bʿls¹mn (the storm god) has unjustly wrought upon us" = 'drought' Find more: shorturl.at/UyXCr

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

#New on #OCIANA: A #Dhofari itinerarium (prayer for travel): "help him who has departed; give long life (to him who) is fed up with staying in one place". How many can still relate to this... ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Was Biblical literature translated into Arabic before Islam? This is the million-dollar question. This paper argues that two pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions contain an Arabic trans. of Deuteronomy 6:5 via the New Testament. Find more: www.academia.edu/164814783/Al...

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Jens Notroff @jensnotroff.com · 22/12/2025

Did a small stone from #GöbekliTepe represent the very beginnings of #writing? Did archaeologists really overlook such an important find all this time? - Spoiler: No, it doesn’t. And we didn’t. On Irving Finkel's "controversial theory" at @lexfridman.bsky.social: trowelandpen.com/2025/12/22/h...

trowelandpen.com

Hidden in plain sight: Did archaeologists really overlook evidence for early writing at Göbekli Tepe?!

When Irving Finkel, esteemed Assyriologist and Assistant Keeper of Ancient Mesopotamian script, languages and cultures at the British Museum, who’s always good for some really great public ou…

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Marijn van Putten @phdnix.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

After the major technical difficulties last time, me and Gabriel Reynolds decided to do another Live Q&A. So, of course, the first thing that happened was that my WiFi died, and then we got audio issues. After some editing it is now put back online! www.youtube.com/live/vkiji1e...

youtube.com

Qur'an Manuscripts and Qur'anic Arabic: Live Q & A with Dr. Marijn van Putten!

YouTube video by Exploring the Quran and the Bible

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

#OCIANA #Top_10_in_2025 : The #OCIANA team inserted more than 1500 new inscriptions into the database. Here are our top ten (with a three-way tie at #10) of the year, just in case you missed them! From Nabonidus to Dahr, let us known what you think! www.academia.edu/145461821/OC...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

New NExMW podcast. OSU grad students discuss their experience on BES25. Tune in to hear about new, exciting discoveries and high adventure. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLxx...

youtube.com

To the Ḥarrah and Back Again | OSU grad students discuss epigraphic fieldwork

YouTube video by Near East by Midwest Podcast

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

#Behind_the_scenes: The first inscriptions from the #Mecca region are going into #OCIANA. They are not public now, but you can get an idea of the distribution here! Can you see what I see? More coming very soon. (yellow are inscriptions not available to the public yet). Photo - wadi nu'man (#7)

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

#Updated on #OCIANA - The first Ancient South Arabian inscription from the Ḥarrah, from Zalaf, Syria! Was it carved by a North Arabian who learned the script or a wandering South Arabian trader? Impossible to know! But its irregularities tell a story. Find more: ociana.osu.edu/inscriptions...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

#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'.

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

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...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

#OCIANA Update! GIS info is now available for the #Dhofari inscriptions! More of these texts will be inserted soon so keep you eye on the 'last updated' page.

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

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

Anthony origins, Islamic origins, and a career between tradition and revision | Prof. Sean Anthony

YouTube video by Near East by Midwest Podcast

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

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...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

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...

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Safaitic @safaitic.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

#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...

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