While various writers[1] have listed and translated the Ge‘ez
legends on the coins of the ancient Ethiopian
Ge‘ez (Ethiopic) is a Semitic language which survives to this day as the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Christian Church. Table 1 gives the Ge‘ez alphabet of 26 letters in Ge‘ez alphabetic order[3]. Five letters have not yet been found on coins and others appear in only one word. The coin alphabet is an unvocalised one consisting of consonants only; rarely vocalised[4] letter forms indicating a consonant and specific following vowel are used on the coins. Ge‘ez letters also occur on Aksumite coins in monograms of the kings' names, as symbols (control marks?) and even in Greek legends; Ge‘ez punctuation marks appear on rare occasions[5]. All these are outside the scope of this article.
Table 2 lists the Ge‘ez legends with the coin types on which they appear. In this and later tables Roman letters are used[6].
Tables 3 and 4 provide vocabularies of words and names (divine names, personal names and place names) appearing on coins, giving the vocalised form (in italics) where known and the meaning. In the vocalised form the vowels are added[7] and the consonants may be doubled. Sometimes as noted there are alternative vocalisations yielding different meanings. In these tables and Table 5 Roman alphabetic order[8] is used for convenience.
Table 5 provides the vocalisation and translation of each legend.
I am grateful to David Appleyard for his help with linguistic issues.
COPYRIGHT (C) VINCENT WEST 1999
Ge‘ez Letter |
Roman Letter |
On Coins? |
Ge‘ez
Letter |
Roman
Letter |
On
Coins? |
|
h |
yes |
|
k |
yes |
|
l |
yes |
|
w |
yes |
|
H[9] |
yes |
|
‘ |
yes - only in y‘by |
|
m |
yes |
|
z |
yes |
|
š[10] |
yes |
|
y |
yes |
|
r |
yes |
|
d |
yes |
|
s |
yes |
|
g |
yes |
|
q |
yes - only in msql |
|
t[11] |
no |
|
b |
yes |
|
p[12] |
no |
|
t |
yes |
|
s[13] |
no |
|
x[14] |
yes |
|
d[15] |
no |
|
n |
yes |
|
f |
yes - only in fšH |
|
’ |
yes |
|
p[16] |
no |
King(s) |
AC Type(s) |
Metal(s) |
Obv. Legend |
Rev. Legend |
|
|
|
|
|
Wazeba |
15 |
AV |
wzb ngš ’ksm b’sy zgly |
As obv. |
|
16 |
AR |
wzb ngš |
(none) |
|
17,18 |
AR |
wzb ngš |
(wzb) ngš ’ksm[17] |
Wazeba/Ousanas |
19 |
AR |
wzb ngš |
(Greek) |
Anonymous? |
66 |
AR |
ngš bxs’..’?[18] |
’[gz]’bHr bkl[19] |
Mhdys |
67, 69 |
AV,AR |
ngš mw’ mHdys |
bz msql mw’ |
|
70 |
AE |
mHdys ngš ’ksm |
bz mw’ bmsql |
Kaleb |
111,i[20] |
AR,AE |
ngš klb |
lhgr zydl |
Wazena |
117,i |
AR |
ngš wzn |
zy‘by lmdxn ngš |
Anonymous, AGD[21] |
125,i,ii, 126,i,ii |
AR |
ngš ’ksm |
zy‘by lmdxn ngš[22] |
|
118-123 |
AE |
l’Hzb zydl |
zwzn zngš |
Joel |
129,133 |
AR,AE |
ngš ’y’l |
(Greek) |
|
130.135 |
AR,AE |
’y’l |
ngš |
|
131,132 |
AE |
ngš |
’y’l |
|
134,i |
AE |
ngš ’y’l |
krsts msln |
Hataz |
138,139,142 |
AR,AE |
Htz |
ngš |
|
137,141 |
AR,AE |
ngš Htz |
šhl l’Hzb |
|
140 |
AE |
(none) |
Htz ngš ’ksm |
|
144 |
AE |
ngš ysr’l |
šhl l’Hzb |
Gersem |
147,150 |
AR,AE |
grsm |
ngš |
|
148,149 |
AE |
ngš grsm |
bkrsts ymw’[23] |
Armah |
151 |
AR |
ngš ’rmH |
šhl wslm |
|
152 |
AE |
ngš ’rmH |
fšH wslm l’Hzb |
|
153 |
AE |
ngš ’rmH |
fšH lykn l’Hzb |
Word |
Vocalisation (if known) |
Meaning |
|
|
|
’Hzb |
’aHzáb |
people (plural of Hezb) |
b- |
ba- |
in, by, through |
b’sy[24] |
be’seya |
man of (from[25] be’si "man") |
bz |
ba-ze |
by this |
fšH |
feššeHá |
joy |
hgr |
hagar |
city, country |
kl |
kwellu |
everything |
l |
la- |
to, for (and special uses noted in Table 5) |
mdxn |
madxen |
saviour |
msln |
mesléna |
with us |
msql |
masqal |
cross |
mw’ |
mawá’i |
victorious. See ymw’ |
ngš |
neguš |
king |
|
neguša |
king of |
slm |
salám |
peace |
šhl |
šáhl |
mercy |
w- |
|
and |
y‘by |
yá‘abbeyo |
"he exalts him" (from[26] ’a‘baya "to exalt") |
ydl |
yedlu or yedallu |
"may it be suitable" or "he is suitable" (from[27] dalawa "to be suitable") |
ykn |
yekun |
"let there be" (from[28] kona "to be") |
ymw’ |
yemawwe’ |
"he conquers" (from[29] mo’a "to conquer"). See mw’ |
z- |
za- |
who, of |
z |
ze |
this |
Name
Group |
Name |
Vocalisation (if known) |
Meaning |
|
|
|
|
Divine Names |
|
|
|
|
’gz’bHr |
’Egzi’abeHér |
God (literally "The Master of the Land") |
|
krsts |
Kerestos |
Christ |
|
|
|
|
Personal Names |
|
|
|
|
’rmH |
’ArmaH |
Armah |
|
’y’l |
’Iyo’él |
Joel |
|
bxs’..’ |
(unknown) |
BXSA..A[30] |
|
grsm |
Gersem |
Gersem |
|
Htz |
Hataz |
Hataz |
|
klb |
Kaleb |
Kaleb |
|
mHdys |
(unknown) |
MHDYS[31] |
|
wzb |
conventionallyWazeb(a) |
Wazeba |
|
wzn |
conventionally
Wazena |
Wazena |
|
ysr’l |
Yesrá’él |
|
|
|
|
|
Place Name |
|
|
|
|
’ksm |
’ |
|
|
|
|
|
Uncertain Name |
|
|
|
|
zgly |
(unknown) |
ZGLY[32] |
Legend |
Vocalisation
(if known) |
Translation |
|
|
|
’[gz]’bHr bkl |
’Egzi’abeHér ba-kwellu |
God in everything[33] |
’y’l |
’Iyo’él |
Joel |
bkrsts ymw’ |
ba-Kerestos yemawwe’ |
through Christ he conquers |
bz msql mw’ |
ba-ze masqal mawá’i |
by this cross victorious |
bz mw’ bmsql |
ba-ze mawá’i ba-masqal |
by this victorious, by the cross |
fšH lykn l’Hzb |
feššeHá la-yekun la-’aHzáb |
let there be joy to the people[34] |
fšH wslm l’Hzb |
feššeHá wa-salám la-’aHzáb |
joy and peace to the people |
grsm |
Gersem |
Gersem |
Htz |
Hataz |
Hataz |
Htz ngš ’ksm |
Hataz neguša ’ |
Hataz king of
|
krsts msln |
Kerestos mesléna |
Christ is with us |
l’Hzb zydl |
la-’aHzáb ze-yedlu (or za-yedallu) |
may this be (or he who is) suitable for the people |
lhgr zydl |
la-hagar ze-yedlu (or za-yedallu) |
may this be (or he who is) suitable for the city/country |
mHdys ngš ’ksm |
MHDYS neguša ’ |
MHDYS king of
|
ngš |
neguš |
king |
ngš ’ksm |
neguša ’ |
king of
|
ngš ’rmH |
neguš ’ArmaH |
king Armah |
ngš ’y’l |
neguš ’Iyo’él |
king Joel |
ngš bxs’..’ |
neguš BXS’..’ |
king BXSA..A |
ngš grsm |
neguš Gersem |
king Gersem |
ngš Htz |
neguš Hataz |
king Hataz |
ngš klb |
neguš Kaleb |
king Kaleb |
ngš mw’ mHdys |
neguš mawá’i MHDYS |
the victorious king MHDYS |
ngš wzn |
neguš Wazena |
king Wazena |
ngš ysr’l |
neguš Yesrá’él |
king
|
šhl l’Hzb |
šáhl la-’aHzáb |
mercy to the people[35] |
šhl wslm |
šáhl wa-salám |
mercy and peace |
wzb ngš |
Wazeba neguš |
king Wazeba |
wzb ngš ’ksm |
Wazeba neguša ’ |
Wazeba king of
|
wzb ngš ’ksm b’sy zgly |
Wazeba neguša ’ |
Wazeba king of
|
zwzn zngš |
za-Wazena za-neguš |
of Wazena, of the king |
zy‘by lmdxn ngš |
za-yá‘abbeyo la-madxen neguš |
the king who exalts the saviour[36] |
[1]Most recently Munro-Hay S.C. and Juel-Jensen B., Aksumite Coinage, Spink & Son Ltd., 1995 (henceforth AC) which also contains an extensive bibliography
[2]For
more information on Ge‘ez see Lambdin T.O., Introduction to Classical Ethiopic
(Ge‘ez),
[3]For
charts of the letter forms appearing on coins see
[4]The vocalised syllabary consists of 202 characters
[5](Footnote deleted)
[6]For the legends in Ge‘ez letters see AC passim
[7]The vowels added are a e i o u and the long a and e vowels here represented by á and é
[8]The precise order used for the 21 letters found on coins is: ’ ‘ b d f g h H k l m n q r s š t w x y z
[9]Usually represented as h with a dot below, but here for typographical convenience as H. This suffices to distinguish it from h above except as the first letter of the personal name Htz (Hataz) where the initial letter is this one
[10]Possibly pronounced originally sh
[11]Usually represented as t with a dot below. Since it does not occur on coins, it does not appear again in this article
[12]The two p's are usually distinguished using dots above or below (see previous note)
[13]Usually represented as s with a dot below (see previous note)
[14]Pronounced originally ch as in German Bach
[15]Usually represented as d with a dot below (see earlier notes)
[16]See earlier note on p's
[17]Rarely wzb is omitted
[18]The only recorded specimen is fragmentary with perhaps two letters of the obverse legend missing. The last letter ’ may be a cross
[19]The letters gz in square brackets are restored (see previous note)
[20]''i" here for example refers to 111i
[21]AGD occurs only as a monogram
[22]Type 125i has the misspelling nnš for ngš
[23]AC in error omits the y
[24]This word also occurs in Greek legends on Aksumite coins as BICI
[25]be’seya is an early form; be’sé is the later one
[26]In the imperfect form
[27]In the subjunctive or imperfect form. Yet other possibilities are the forms yádlu and yádallu from the derived verb ’adlawa "to please"
[28]In the subjunctive form
[29]In the imperfect form
[30]Capital letters are used by convention in names with unknown vocalisation
[31]See previous note
[32]See previous note
[33]Not as in AC "from God's side we have it"
[34]la- is optional before the subjunctive verb in this construction
[35]For
type 144 of king
[36]A relative clause may precede the noun it modifies. The use of the pronoun suffix -o (him) on the verb and la- before the object is a special construction for definite objects