Cracking the Qumran Cryptic B script?

Unknown Alphabet in Dead Sea Scrolls Has Been Cracked, Scholar Says. Cryptic B was considered impenetrable because there's so little material. Then, Emmanuel Oliveiro, a scholar in the Netherlands, noticed what looked like the word 'Yisrael' (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

The code had been considered to be impossible to decipher, mainly because of the sheer paucity of Cryptic B material. All we have are isolated fragments from two scrolls called 4Q362 and 4Q363, and a few spots in other scrolls where scribes briefly introduced Cryptic B in the middle of a Hebrew text, Oliveiro explains, in the journal Dead Sea Discoveries in December.

Oliveiro's process was based on analysis and intuition, similar to the methodology the scholar Józef Milik used when deciphering Cryptic A in 1955. Both began with assuming that they were dealing with a mono-alphabetic substitution system– where each of the 22 letters of Hebrew or Aramaic is consistently replaced with a specific cryptic sign (as in – say A is always be replaced by $).

A simple alphabetic substituion code is easy to decipher—if you have a reasonable-sized corpus. But the tiny size of the surviving corpus writtin in the Cryptic B script presented a huge challenge. Epigrapher Christopher Rollston says that the proposed decipherment is plausible, but hard to confirm, since the corpus is so small. That sound about right to me.

The abovementioned advance-published DSD article is open-access, so you can decide for yourself.

Cracking Another Code of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Deciphering Cryptic B (4Q362 and 4Q363) through Analysis and Intuition

In: Dead Sea Discoveries

Author: Emmanuel Oliveiro

Online Publication Date: 01 Dec 2025

Abstract

Among the Qumran manuscripts, several enigmatic scripts, including Cryptic A and Cryptic B, have been discovered. While Cryptic A was deciphered in 1955, Cryptic B has until now remained undeciphered. This study offers the first decipherment, transcription and translation of two Cryptic B manuscripts, 4Q362 and 4Q363. Their content appears to reflect familiar biblical idioms and eschatological themes, and the findings provide a foundation for future inquiry into the variation within Cryptic B letterforms, its relationship to Cryptic A, its role within Qumran scribal practices, and the development of cryptic scripts.

We can only hope for the discovery of more texts in Cryptic B, so that this decipherment can be tested.

That's a more realistic hope than you might think. Cryptic A was known only in some Qumran texts, and Milik had a go at deciphering it from them. But then in 2009 an inscribed stone cup was recovered by the Mount Zion excavation. The inscription was written in, among other things, the Cryptic A script. It's decipherment remains in progress, but our previous knowledge of Cryptic A seems to have helped.

Whether the cup's inscription will in turn help with the decipherment of the Cryptic A scrolls remains to be seen.

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On the Rockefeller Museum in East Jerusalem

CURATORIAL ARCHAEOLOGY: Jerusalem’s ‘cursed’ antiquity museum reopens its doors amid rumors it may become a hotel. The Rockefeller Archaeological Museum stores some 60,000 artifacts spanning millennia, including unique decorations from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

Meanwhile, although the interministerial committee still has to formulate its recommendation regarding the future of the Rockefeller, the IAA told The Times of Israel that it has requested to be reassigned the responsibility for the facility.

“For the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Rockefeller Museum is the historic and symbolic home of the archaeology of the Land of Israel,” read a statement shared by an IAA spokesperson.

“The Authority has formally requested that the museum’s operation be returned to its hands, in order to promote its reopening,” the statement added, pledging that the IAA “will do everything possible to ensure that the Rockefeller Museum once again becomes a living museum, full of content, as it deserves to be.”

The title of the article is unfortunate, if attention grabbing. But it gives a good overview of the history of the museum, some of its key holdings, and the issues around its coming fate.

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ANE Today's 2025 top archaeological discoveries list

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LIST WATCH: Top Archaeological Discoveries of 2025 (Jessica Nitschke, The Ancient Near East Today).

From a previously unknown royal tomb to DNA revelations to a newly deciphered alphabet, here are our picks for some of the most interesting breakthroughs and discoveries in the archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa in 2025. ...

And so the 2025 listing begins. Most of the discoveries in this one are outside PaleoJudaica's interests. But a few have come up.

For "3. Evidence of the Egyptian Army at Megiddo in the Time of King Josiah," see here. For "4. DNA Evidence Suggesting Levantine Phoenician Contributions to Punic Settlements Were More Cultural Than Genetic," see here and here. And for "8. First Iron Age Shipwrecks from the Southern Levant Excavated," see here.

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A Persepolis conservation project

PERSEPOLIS WATCH: Persepolis launches new conservation program using advanced material and imaging technology (AM, Tehran Times). HT Rogue Classicism.

TEHRAN – Iranian restoration teams have launched a new conservation program at the UNESCO-designated Persepolis and the nearby Naqsh-e Rostam site using advanced imaging, special material, and stone-analysis technologies, officials said on Saturday.

The project is being carried out by Iranian researchers with scientific support from international institutions. According to authorities, the work involves laser scanning, 3D imaging, detailed structural analysis of stone surfaces and the use of environmentally friendly protective materials aimed at slowing erosion.

Persepolis, founded by Darius the Great around 518 BC, served as the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550 – 330 BC). The terrace complex, about 60 km northeast of Shiraz, was largely destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BC. Its surviving palaces, stairways and cuneiform inscriptions are considered among the most significant archaeological remains of the ancient world.

[...]

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Persepolis, the ancient Achaemenid ceremonial capital city, see here and links.

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The Cyrus Cylinder

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Cyrus Cylinder. A Persian edict and the return of the Judean exiles (Nathan Steinmeyer).

The Cyrus Cylinder is one of the best-known surviving texts from the Achaemenid Persian Empire (c. 550–332 BCE), due almost entirely to its proposed connection to the return of the Judean exiles and the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple as recorded in the Book of Ezra. However, beyond its biblical connection, the Cyrus Cylinder is a rather standard inscription, closely resembling many that came before it. So, what is the Cyrus Cylinder and how does it relate to the history and world of the Bible?

This is the second part of an exclusive Bible History Daily series on historical texts that are important for understanding the history and world of the Bible.

[...]

I noted the first part here. This essay gives a nice overview of the Cyrus Cylinder, taking into account the latest developments.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Cyrus and the Cyrus Cylinder, start here and follow the links.

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State Department grant for Albright Institute and Huqoq Excavation Project

FUNDING AWARD: Huqoq Excavation Project to benefit from U.S. Department of State grant (UNC Chapel Hill College of Arts and Sciences).

The Huqoq Excavation Project will benefit from a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of State to the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research.

Huqoq, a UNC-Chapel Hill-led archaeological project in Israel’s Lower Galilee region, is revolutionizing our understanding of ancient Jewish religious and cultural life.

[...]

Congratulations to both.

For much more on the Huqoq excavation, start here (cf. here) and follow the many links.

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Ross on “Reevaluating Parataxis in the Septuagint”

WILLIAM A. ROSS: NEW PUBLICATIONS: PART 5.

If I succeeded in showing that parataxis as Exhibit A for Semitism is not in fact a Semitism by any reasonable definition, then it stands to reason that the term Semitism itself deserves greater scrutiny for the sorts of assumptions it may smuggle into our discipline.

That could mess with some of my past research. I hope he continues to follow the question up.

I have noted previous posts in this series here and links.

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Who will play Metatron in Dogma 2?

ARCHANGEL METATRON WATCH: Who Will Replace Alan Rickman in Dogma 2? New Metatron Revealed. Kevin Smith is writing Dogma 2's Metatron for this actor. (EpicStream).

Cross-file under Asking the Important Questions.

Oddly, Smith doesn't seem to have said that the actor has been offered or has accepted the part yet.

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Hanukkah history in Jerusalem

FOR HANUKKAH: Festival of archaeology? Five ways to explore Hanukkah history in Jerusalem. From the arrowheads used by a Greek army to menorahs, the city offers antiquities enthusiasts many opportunities to celebrate (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

For more on the Hasmonean wall section near the Tower of David, see here. And on those arrowheads, see here. For more on the Schottenstein National Campus for the Archeology of Israel, see here and links. And for more on the Hasmonean aqueduct segment in Jerusalem's Armon Hanatziv neighborhood, see here.

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A 19th-century "storm in an oil jug" over the Hanukkah miracle

DR. ISAAC (TSACHI) SLATER: The Chanukah Oil Miracle Never Happened—A 19th Century Heresy (TheTorah.com).

The miracle of the jug of oil lasting eight days is first narrated in the Babylonian Talmud, centuries after the establishment of Chanukah. In 1891 Poland, Chaim Zelig Slonimski, an observant, science-minded Jew, denied the historicity of this miracle, claiming that he was following in the footsteps of Maimonides. Some of his enlightened colleagues—and even some secular Zionists—thought he was endangering people’s connection to Judaism and providing antisemites a pretext to mock the Talmud.

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"Hasmonean Palaces" to open to public during Hanukkah

COMING SOON: Ancient Jewish site damaged by vandalism to reopen during Chanukah. The Hasmonean Palaces, damaged by graffiti and looting, will open to visitors during the holiday following restoration efforts (JNS Staff).

For a report of illegal construction at the site of the palace at Tel Aroma (Tel Aruma) in 2020, see here. In 2023 I noted the Israeli Government conservation project that included the Jericho palaces.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Hasmonean artifacts recovered in West Bank village

FOR HANUKKAH: Hanukkah discovery: Rare Hasmonean lamp, Second Temple stylus found near Jerusalem. The Civil Administration said the artifacts add to a growing corpus of Second Temple–era material recovered in recent years across the West Bank (Shir Perets, Jerusalem Post).

The lamp, exposed during work led by the head of the unit, was found together with a Second Temple–period writing implement believed to have been used on wax tablets. According to the Civil Administration, the discovery offers fresh evidence of Jewish life and settlement continuity around Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago.

The artifacts were discovered at Nabi Samuel, a village in the West Bank.

Another Hasmonean-era oil lamp is nice to have, but it is not especially rare.

The stylus, however, is a rare find. Reportedly a (much older??) iron one was found a few years ago at Mount Ebal. No indication what the newly recovered one was made of.

Confusingly, they are not the objects in either photo. The lamp and coins in the top one came from Tel Yavneh (a.k.a. Yavneh Yam). The second photo is of a bronze half-face lamp discovered in 2021. See here, here, and here.

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Apamea and Hanukkah?

FOR HANUKKAH, SORT OF: Hanukkah and Apamea: how Jews thrived under Hellenistic rule. As Hanukkah celebrates Jewish resilience, the ancient city of Apamea reveals a forgotten chapter of Jewish life—one of integration, visibility, and faith (Liran Friedmann, Ynet News).

As Jews around the world light Hanukkah candles to celebrate resilience and identity, the ruins of Apamea — an ancient city in modern‑day Syria — reveal a chapter of Jewish history that complicates common perceptions of Jewish life under Hellenistic influence.

Apamea was founded in the 3rd century BCE by Antiochus I Soter (280–261 BCE), the great‑grandfather of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid ruler whose later policies in Judea ignited deep conflict. Antiochus I established the city on the Orontes River as part of a broader strategy to strengthen Seleucid control across Asia Minor. Built on a plateau by the Marsyas River at a crossroads of trade and travel, Apamea became a major commercial and strategic centre on the Great Southern Highway linking inland Anatolia to Mediterranean ports.

[...]

It's the time of the year when journalists, bless their hearts, are scrambling to work Hanukkah into any story involving Judaism and archaeology. This article has to try pretty hard. But it's a good overview of the ancient Syrian city of Apamea and the Jewish presence there. Worth reading for that.

For more on Apamea, see here and links.

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Byzantine-era menorah amulet excavated near Temple Mount

FOR HANUKKAH: Menorah Amulet From Byzantine Time Found in Ancient Jerusalem. The crudely fashioned, possibly homemade pendant was unearthed by the Temple Mount in a Byzantine building from 1,300 years ago, a time Jews were banned from the city (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

Both sides of the pendant depict a flaming seven-branched menorah in a circular frame. One side was preserved well, while the other became patinated. Analysis back at the IAA labs by artifact conservator Ilya Reznitsky found that the pendant was made of 99 percent lead. ...

Baruch suspects the owner, a Jew visiting Jerusalem, may have worn this crude, plain object beneath his or her clothing as a charm to protect them from evil, not as an ornament; not as a jewel.

Cross-file under "Apotropaic Artifact?"

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Archaeological evidence for a Maccabean battle?

FOR HANUKKAH: First Material Evidence of Judah Maccabee’s Battlefield Discovered Near Jerusalem (TPS-IL).

In an exclusive interview with TPS-IL, Dr. Dvir Raviv of Bar-Ilan University said that a survey at Horbat Bet Zecharia, in the Gush Etzion region south of Jerusalem, has uncovered objects that match both the date and the military profile of the famous battle described in the Book of Maccabees in 163 BCE.

The site, on a hill about seven kilometers southwest of Bethlehem, is widely identified with the ancient village of Bet Zecharia, where the Seleucid army and the forces of Judah Maccabee clashed in what is known as the fifth Maccabean battle.

The article does cite 1 Maccabees and Josephus for the information on the battle, but it would be nice if such pieces also gave the specific references. In this AI era, they aren't hard to find. (But double check them in the primary sources.)

The references are 1 Maccabees 6:32-47 and Josephus, Antiquities 12:369-74 and Jewish War 1:41-45. I have posted on the battle some years ago here. It would be asking a lot to hope to find elephant bones at the site, but who knows?

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The "degraded Hasmonean coins"

THE TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING PROJECT BLOG: THE “DEGRADED HASMONEAN COINS” – A SILENT WITNESS TO THE PRICE OF BROTHERLY CONFLICT.

The twilight of the Hasmonean dynasty does not remain solely in history books; it is clearly reflected in the soil of the Temple Mount, particularly in a special find: the bronze “Degraded Hasmonean Coins.” These coins, minted during the final decades of Hasmonean rule (~60-40 BCE), were previously misidentified as sloppy versions of the Royal coins of King Alexander Jannaeus who ruled from 104 to 76 BCE.

Tangentially Hanukkah related (Hasmonean finds). Cross-file under Numismatics.

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Hanukkah 2025

HAPPY HANUKKAH (CHANUKKAH, CHANUKAH, HANNUKAH) to all those celebrating! The eight-day festival begins tonight at sundown.

Last year's Hanukkah post is here. It links to earlier and some subsequent Hanukkah/Hasmonean-era-related posts. And see also here, here, here (follow-ups here and here), here, and here. And more is coming!

Posting was light last week because I've had the flu. I'm still a little under the weather, but I aim to catch up this week.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Screnock, Reading Psalms with the Scribe (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Reading Psalms with the Scribes

Using Ancient Manuscript Evidence to Inform Biblical Studies

John Screnock

£99.00
Hardback
Published: 18 November 2025
304 Pages
234x156mm
ISBN: 9780198853640

Also Available As:
E-book

Description

Reading Psalms with the Scribes argues for a new approach to the study of the Hebrew Bible, “reading with the scribes,” which puts variation in the ancient witnesses at the center of the endeavor. With a focus on texts from Psalms, Reading Psalms with the Scribes explores how ancient manuscript evidence can impact scholars' thinking about poetics, composition, and interpretation. Whereas most biblical scholarship keeps textual criticism distinct from other kinds of analysis — as a preliminary step that provides one correct version of the text to be studied, for example — the practice of reading with the scribes leverages moments of variation for their insights into the thoughts, practices, and work of scribes. The scribes of the Second Temple period were much more than copyists; they were practiced readers who paid close attention to the poetic features of psalms, competent editors who polished the existing strengths of psalms, talented authors who could add new elements to psalms without altering their compositional unity, and skilled interpreters with robust understandings of the text. Though current scholarship has extensive knowledge of these ancient texts in all their facets, there is much we can learn from the scribes of the Second Temple period. When we focus our attention on the places in the text where the scribes were at work and explore the elements of the text involved in that work — when we explore some of the paths that scribes have made in the text — we can glean methodological insights and consider psalms and other ancient Hebrew texts in new ways.

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Harris, Religious Experience and Divinization in the Sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Religious Experience and Divinization in the Sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls

Living in the Liminal

Series:
Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism

Author: Rebecca L. Harris For members of the sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls movement, participation in the group would have granted an individual special privileges, including present, unmediated access to otherworldly realities. This understanding of the present as a type of liminal space is rooted in the group’s constructions of time and space. Drawing on theories of liminality and anthropological research on religious consciousness, this study seeks to demonstrate how sectarian identity and ritual and liturgical practice might have cultivated an experience of present communion with divine beings that was also aspirational and aimed to achieve the human worshiper’s permanent incorporation into the heavenly realm.

Copyright Year: 2026

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-74804-0
Publication: 24 Nov 2025 EUR €121.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-74803-3
Publication: 20 Nov 2025
EUR €121.00

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Assyrian inscriptions that mention Israelite kings

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Kurkh Monolith and Black Obelisk. References to Ancient Israel in Assyrian Texts (Nathan Steinmeyer).

This is the first part of an exclusive Bible History Daily series on historical texts that are important for understanding the history and world of the Bible.

When discussing historical references to ancient Israel outside of the Bible, many note the famous Tel Dan Inscription or the Mesha Stele, but there are two important Assyrian texts that are often forgotten: the Kurkh Monolith and the Black Obelisk.1 These inscriptions contain not only two of the oldest mentions of ancient Israel, but also describe events not mentioned in the Bible.

[...]

The Kurkh Monolith recounts the Battle of Qarqar, on which a bit more is here.

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