The distribution of the Dadanitic inscriptions according to their content and palaeographical features

The Dadanitic inscriptions are found in the oasis of al-ʻUlā and Madāʼin Sāliḥ (north-west Saudi Arabia). They have been incised or carved in the rock-face as well as on stones (stelae). The inscripstions can be classified by their content as follows: votive inscriptions, which are dedicated to a god, the majority to the Dadanititc chief deity Dgbt, funerary inscriptions, most of which have been recorded close to the tombs in Jabal al-Khuraybah; royal inscriptions, which make reference to the place name Ddn (modern al-ʻUlā), mlk ddn, or to the group name Lhyn, mlk lhyn; and finally the dated inscriptions. Regarding the palaeography, we can find inscriptions recorded in a formal or an informal script, inscriptions which contain a mixture of letter-forms, and carved inscriptions in which the last lines are incised. The content of the inscriptions and to some extent their palaeography differs considerably from place to place, especially in al-ʻUlā. The purpose of this paper is to present the geographical distribution of known inscriptions within these two oases with regard to their philological and cultural content and palaeography