The Tayma stones, also Teima or Tema stones, are a collection of more than 130 Achaemenid-era Aramaic inscriptions found in Tayma, in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The most famous one from the collection, and the largest, is called the Tayma Stele (KAI 228âÂÂ230). The second largest is the Salm Stele (CIS II 113âÂÂ115).
The first four inscriptions were found in 1878 and published in 1884, and included in the Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum II as numbers 113âÂÂ116. In 1972, ten further inscriptions were published. In 1987 seven further inscriptions were published. Many of the inscriptions date to approximately the 5th and 6th centuries BCE.
The inscriptions were first discovered in modern times by Charles Montagu Doughty in 1876. He copied two of the texts, and his notes were later published in his 1888 Travels in Arabia Deserta. A handwritten note below the copies stated that: "Another stone with a like inscription is said to be among the fallen down in the ruin of the Hadaj".
French explorer saw the steles in situ in 1878, and took copies of them which he published in the Bulletin de la Société de Géographie de Paris. Huber made a second trip to retrieve the steles, but he died before he could publish them. The first publication was made by Theodor Nöldeke on July 10, 1884, with information provided by Julius Euting.
German traveler mentioned that he had found seen the stone on Sunday February 17, 1884 AD during his visit to Tayma, accompanied by .
Carved of limestone weighing 150 kg, length 110 cm, width 43 cm, and thickness 12 cm, and it has an inscription in the Aramaic language of twenty-three lines.
It was originally to be sent to Germany, but ultimately was sent to France, where it is now displayed in the Louvre Museum.
The head of the person standing in the upper part of the obelisk resembles the helmets that used to appear on the heads of the warriors of Assyrians and Babylonians.
The inscription tells how the priest Salm-shezeb, son of Pet-Osiri, introduced a new god, Salm of Hagam, into Tema; how his temple was endowed, and how Salm-shezeb founded a hereditary priesthood there. On the side, figures of Salm and Salm-shezeb
<blockquote></blockquote> (Translation revised by JM Roche after F. Briquel Chatonnet 1997)
The steles have historical significance, as they represent an important part of the history of Tayma and of the history of the Arabian Peninsula. The Saudi Antiquities Authority have stated their desire to repatriate the stones, as they are at the forefront of the national archaeological treasures found abroad.