A Safaitic–Greek Graffito by a Shepherd in the Black Desert of Jordan

ABSTRACT A newly discovered bilingual rock‐cut graffito from Qāʿ Raʿd is presented here. This Safaitic–Greek inscription recalls the stay of a shepherd and his flock in the basaltic desert of northeast Jordan. Although numerous documents have largely confirmed the presence of nomadic pastoralists in the same area, proven bilingual examples are exceptionally rare. This discovery once again raises questions about the role of the Greek language among the populations living on the outskirts of the Roman province of Arabia.