34 r Brannon Wheeler
of the sanctuary is related to a vision. The Deir ̔Alla inscription records
the vision of Ballam, son of Beor, the “seer of the gods,” and another Old
Aramaic inscription is attributed to “the hand of the seer and the hand
of the diviner.”^60 An Aramaic inscription from Elephantine records the
bringing of a dream to the temple for interpretation.^61 In an inscription
from Hatra it is stated that the altar and the chapel were dedicated after
someone saw a vision in a dream [dhzy’ bhlm’].^62 Stephanus the Byzantine
relates that Aretas, son of Obadas, received a prophecy from his father
about the founding of a city in Arabia, the vision of a man dressed in
white on a white camel as a site of the new city, which was to be built on a
rock.^63 Several Safaitic inscriptions mention visions including the dream
of a well, the vision of a father from the wilderness, and the vision of an
uncle accompanied by a drawing of a woman thought to represent Allāt
who is invoked in the inscription.^64
Many of the inscriptions record ritual activities practiced at the sanctu-
ary or location of the pilgrimage. A Safaitic inscription appears to record
the circumcision of the person named on the stone, a practice mentioned
by Origen and Bardesanes as common among the “Ishmaelites” at the
age of thirteen.^65 Another Safaitic inscription mentions the practice of
augury [ ̔f], and the practice of writing or inscribing at the location of
the sanctuary is widespread.^66 Examples of writing include the writing
of personal names and the name of locations from which visitors trav-
eled.^67 Also common is the nonliterary depiction of seven dots, dashes,
and crescents—symbols normally attributed to a group of seven Babylo-
nian deities.^68 Some inscriptions show that pilgrims recorded their visit
by inscribing the name of a deity.
Wani b. Fasi cut [tqt] the name of he who is above him so that he
might favor him, bless him, and guide him [fardh ws ̔dh w’hrth].^69Drawings of human, animal, and nonrepresentational figures are also
common, as is the drawing of items thought to have been sacrificed and
dedicated at the site.
Inscriptions and archaeological evidence often attest to pilgrimages to
sanctuaries for the purpose of making an offering. An Old Aramaic chal-
ice from Iran, dated to 600 bce, is inscribed as an offering to a deity.^70 A
silver bowl from Tell al-Maskhūta in the eastern Nile Delta, dated to the
fifth century bce, is inscribed as being an offering to “the God” [hn-’lt]
from Qynw, son of Geshem, king of Qedar.^71 Three bronze statues are
̆