The latest scholarship by the world's greatest archaeologists and distinguished scholars.ğascinating finds from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament periods.Here is your ticket to join us as we discover more and more about the biblical world and its people.Įach issue of Biblical Archaeology Review features lavishly illustrated and easy-to-understand articles such as: ![]() We can learn about the society where the ancient Israelites, and later Jesus and the Apostles, lived through the modern discoveries that provide us clues.īiblical Archaeology Review is the guide on that fascinating journey. Get more biblical Archaeology: Become a Member This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on May 9, 2014. Rollston, Yosef Garfinkel and Aaron Demsky. Visit the BAS Scholar’s Study page Three Takes on the Oldest Hebrew Inscription to read assessments by scholars Christopher A. Not a BAS Library or All-Access Member yet? Join today. Siegel, “The Evolution of Two Hebrew Scripts,” Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 1979. ![]() Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman, “Beth Shemesh,” Biblical Archaeology Review, January/February 1997. Rollston, “What’s the Oldest Hebrew Inscription?” Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 2012. Learn more about the development of writing in the Levant in the BAS Library:Ĭhristopher A. Not a BAS Library member yet? Sign up today. BAS Library Members: Read the full article “The New Jerusalem Inscription-So What?” by Alan Millard as it appeared in the May/June 2014 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Along with other early inscriptions, including the Gezer Calendar and the Qeiyafa Ostracon, Millard contends that this inscription from Jerusalem may signal widespread-if elementary-literacy during the time of David and Solomon. What we can conclude is that the storage jar was inscribed in a place where ordinary workmen made pots, not in the lofty study of a royal scribe. Eilat Mazar has tentatively dated the wall in which the inscribed jar was found to the 10th century B.C.E.Īlan Millard believes that we will likely never know with certainty what the earliest alphabetic text from Jerusalem says. This Proto-Canaanite Jerusalem inscription dates to a time before the direction of letters (whether they were read right to left or left to right) had been firmly determined and before a distinction between Hebrew, Aramaic and Phoenician had been established. Alan Millard notes that at least seven different readings have been proposed by as many eminent epigraphers. The spectacular discovery of the inscription-the earliest alphabet letters found in Jerusalem-immediately inspired a number of epigraphers to attempt to translate it. Both the Paleo-Hebrew and the square Aramaic scripts, however, were used together for hundreds of years. ![]() When the Judean exiles returned from Babylon, they brought back the square Aramaic script, which ultimately replaced the Paleo-Hebrew script. This Jerusalem Proto-Canaanite inscription precedes the development of the Paleo-Hebrew script, which was used by the Israelites until the Babylonians destroyed the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. In “The New Jerusalem Inscription-So What?” in the May/June 2014 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, author Alan Millard provides a paleographic assessment of the inscription and explains how these earliest alphabet letters from Jerusalem can illuminate the scope of literacy during the time of David and Solomon. The inscription-carved on a storage jar-is written in the Proto-Canaanite script and dates to the 11th or 10th century B.C.E. Drawing: Ada Yardeni, courtesy of Eilat Mazar.ĭuring the 2012 excavations at the southern wall of the Temple Mount, archaeologist Eilat Mazar discovered an inscription with the earliest alphabet letters ever found in Jerusalem. Sherd: Ouria Tadmor, courtesy of Eilat Mazar. What does the inscription say? Alan Millard examines the evidence and current theories. ![]() The inscription precedes the development of the Paleo-Hebrew script used by the Israelites in the First Temple period. During excavations at the Temple Mount, Eilat Mazar discovered a lettered inscription featuring the earliest alphabet ever found in Jerusalem.
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