This small Sabaean inscribed stone artifact (left) from Melazo, a pre-Aksumite site near Aksum (see sketch map), dates from the 5th century B.C.E. and demonstrates a number of characteristics commonly found in materials associated with the kingdom of Da'amat, as well as with other Sabaean sites. First is the stepped plinth, a nearly universal architectural design element in the foundations of Sabaean buildings such as Enda Abuna Afse and Grat Ba'al Gibri at Yeha, as well as on monuments, altars, and other structures. Next is the text of the short dedicatory inscription. The first line identifies the person making the dedication, the second links the person named on the previous line to Marib (), most likely the ancient capital of the South Arabian kingdom of Saba, although the name also could refer to the river which flows from central Eritrea past Yeha and Aksum on its way toward the Blue Nile, or perhaps to an ancient city in Da'amat also named Marib (although none is known at this time), and the third names the Sabaean lunar god Ilumquh (), whose disk and crescent symbol was frequently used on Aksumite monuments such as the Matara hawulti (below left - click for larger view and a complete view of the monument, as well as more information about Ilumquh) and coins. Finally, the inscription itself employs a technique called boustrophedon, (roughly translated as "plowing the field," because the lines of text alternate direction, the first reading right to left, the second left to right, and so on, much like a farmer plowing a field back and forth). Most of the characters of the alphabet are directional, so one can see clearly which direction to read a line by the direction the letters are pointing. Note that the word Marib () consists of the letters MRYB reading from left to right, while the word Ilumquh () contains the letters 'LMQH (the first being a simple glottal stop) from right to left. Note especially the letter "M" which appears in both words, reading in both directions. This same boustrophedon writing technique was seen elsewhere, such as in early Phoenecian and archaic Greek texts, but while abandoned in most other languages, it survived far longer in Sabaean inscriptions. (The single verticle lines which appear throughout the inscription are word spacers.) The photo is from a 1967 tourism pamphlet, Ancient Sites of Northern Ethiopia, written by Francis Anfray, with photography by Kebbede Bogale.