Dr. Shirley's Web Courses
REL 433 - Biblical Archaeology
Course Notes
Week 3 - History
Glossary
- Aramaic Square Script - The type of writing which we nowadays associated with Hebrew. This form of the alphabet developed in Mesopotamia, and was in use throughout the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires. When the Jews were takien into exile in Babylon they started to write with these letters, and have continued to do so ever since, though with gradual changes to the shapes of the letters over the centuries
- Palaeo-Hebrew - The type of writing which was used in Israel during the time of the monarchy, up until the Fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
- Proto-Canaanite - An earlier form of writing which evolved into Palaeo-Hebrew. This was in general use before the Israelites entered Canaan. Some very early Proto-Canaanite inscriptions have been found in various places in the Sinai desert.
- Epigraphy - is the study of how writing changes over time - the shapes of letters change, and the spelling of words may change. Epigraphers can make an estimate of the date of an inscription or document by studying the letters and the words used (unless one is dealing with a forgery or with a writer who deliberately used an archaic writing style, as is the case for small portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls)
- Artefact - Anything that has been made or worked upon, rather than a naturally ocurring object. For example, a hand ax is a piece of stone which has been chipped so that it has a sharp cutting edge - a hand ax is an artefact. An unchipped pebble, or one cracked open by chance, is not an artefact. A branch from a tree, which has been carved to look like a grizzly bear, is an artefact. An unworked branch or tree stump is not an artefact.
- Unprovenanced - means that the place of origin of something is not known. As relating to an archaeological object, it means that there is no record of where it was found.
- Ossuary - An ossuary is a stone or earthenware box to contain the bones of a dead person after the flesh has dried away
- Stele - A stele is an upright stone, usually with an inscription or carving on it
History
Go here for a brief history of Biblical Archaeology
This Week's Assignment
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
Dr. Rollinson
Department of Religion
ENMU Station 19
Portales, NM 88130
Last Updated: January 31, 2008
