Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Idumean Aramaic ostraca

ARAMAIC DAY: Ancient Aramaic Business Records: Fourth-century B.C.E. ostraca from Idumea (Bible History Daily). Robin Ngo summarizes an article by Ada Yardeni in the current issue of BAR. Excerpt:
We have about 2,000 ostraca with inscriptions in Aramaic, the language the Jews brought back from Babylon following the end of the Babylonian exile in 538 B.C.E. Many of the ostraca record the delivery of products to and from storehouses and include the year of the present ruler’s reign. Idumea and Judea were under Persian rule at this time until the empire fell to Alexander the Great around 333 B.C.E.
The article itself is behind a subscription wall. Cross-file under "Aramaic Watch."