South Semitic abecedaries in the Arabian Peninsula. Some contextual and functional issues

In the Semitic world, abecedaries, i.e. epigraphic documents that present an ordered succession of letters, constitute a rather composite textual category that can give rise to several interpretations. In this article, an overview of examples from northern and southern Arabia will be given. This vast region presents an almost homogeneous graphic tradition, but with somewhat different social premises and literacy dynamics. First, the main problems concerning certain Safaitic, Thamudic, Hismaic and Dedanitic abecedaries from northern Arabia will be discussed.