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Deciphering a cryptic 10-line Aramaic inscription on the side of a stone cup commonly used for ritual purity during Second Temple times
About this event
A unique 10-line Aramaic inscription on the side of a stone cup commonly used for ritual purity during Second Temple times was uncovered during archaeological excavations on Jerusalem’s Mount Zion in June 2002. Inscriptions of this kind are extremely rare and only a handful have been found in scientific excavations made within the city. The new inscription, from the first century CE was deciphered by a team of epigraphic experts in an effort to determine the meaning of the text, which is clear but cryptic. David Hamidovic proposes a new attempt at deciphering by studying the so-called “cryptic” script. The preserved text and the archaeological context give a better understanding of the function of the artefact. A ritual containing the name of the deity (theonym) is one possibility.
David Hamidovic is Full Professor with the chair “Jewish Apocryphal Literature and History of Judaism in Antiquity”, at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). He has published several monographs and articles on Ancient Judaism.