Ancient South Arabian (ASA) is a cluster of closely related central-Semitic languages, attested by epigraphic material spread from Saudi Arabia to Yemen and Oman and dated from the beginning of the 1^st millennium BC to the 6^th century AD. Represented by the largest consonantal system attested so far in Semitic (29 symbols), in both its monumental version on stone and its cursive version on wood, ASA includes the languages of mysterious and powerful kingdoms: Sabaean (and its dialects), Qatabānian, Minaean and Ḥaḍramitic. ASA inscriptions are of extreme relevance for reconstructing the linguistic history of pre-Islamic urban cultures of Arabia, the diffusion of North-West Semitic and its early contacts with the South Semitic area.

COURSE TARGETS: Students will master basic epigraphic methodology, ASA writing system, grammar, syntax and formulaic language of major ASA languages, and be able to autonomously consult ASA corpora and conduct comparative research. They will become aware of major issues and key topics in the linguistic history of Arabia, such as their impact on local Arabic dialects of southern Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman.