1. Introduction -- 2. Rites -- 3. Divinities and Their Roles in the Lives of Humans -- 4. Fate -- 5. Afterlife -- 6. Visual Representation of Deities and the Divine World -- 7. Amplification and Why Write -- 8. Worldview: A Reconstruction -- Appendix 1: Glossary of Divinities -- Appendix 2: Previously Unpublished Inscriptions -- Bibliography -- Index.
Summary
"This book approaches the religion and rituals of the pre-Islamic Arabian nomads using the Safaitic inscriptions. Unlike Islamic-period literary sources, this material was produced by practitioners of traditional Arabian religion; the inscriptions are eyewitnesses to the religious life of Arabian nomads prior to the spread of Judaism and Christianity across Arabia. The author attempts to reconstruct this world using the original words of its inhabitants, interpreted through comparative philology, pre-Islamic and Islamic-period literary sources, and the archaeological context"-- Provided by publisher.
