Stela BM 102600CIH 611 in the British Museum: water regulation between two bordering

A close examination of an inscribed limestone stela, BM 102600= CIH 611, revealed a number of interesting physical and textual features worthy of discussion. The stela, inscribed on all four sides, is from Ma'rib and may be dated to the second century BC indicates that the stela records the property rights of a tribe on an estate of land. Particular clauses refer to the regulation of the water supply and the exploitation of field products in relation to the bordering estate. The verb, yd'n, used to indicate the legal and correct employment of the water supply, occurs in a series of juridical documents of ancient South Arabia dealing with the administration of bordering private land properties. This body of texts, to which BM 102600= CIH 611 clearly belongs, reflects a specific juridical tradition within the ancient South Arabian legal system, which had been in existence since the archaic historical phase. The substantial involvement of major communal political bodies in the promulgation of these documents is a crucial factor that should be considered. The stela is 43.50 cm high and 24.50 cm wide. Given the nature of the break, and that around four to five lines may be missing from the beginning of the inscription, we cannot rule out that the stela was originally up to double its height. Traces of an ochrebased paint are preserved on the surface, which suggests that the entire piece was originally painted red. This stela's noticeable size, red surface, and fine carving in white limestone emphasize the importance of the inscription; it would have been an impressive monument erected in a significant position on the border of two neighbouring estates. Perhaps more importantly, there may have been a number of these monuments dotted around the landscape of Ma'rib, reinforcing the water rights of local landowners and emphasizing the power of the central authority. The essential features of the legal tradition underlying BM 102600= CIH 611 reflect the existence of a system of common law in ancient South Arabia. These data point to a society based on a centralized authority and a state closely concerned with the administration of its territory, in line with the rest of the ancient Near East.