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2,000-Year-Old Stone Inscription Is Earliest to Spell Out 'Jerusalem'
https://thumbs-prod.si-cdn.com/hL0KW7izMEz3ZHyFs4B2djllHXc=/800x600/filters:no_upscale()/
Last winter, archaeologists working near the entrance of Jerusalem discovered the foundations of a Roman structure dating to the 1st century B.C. But it was the unassuming drum of a column that once supported the building that really caught their eye. As Nir Hasson reports for Haaretz, the limestone drum is etched with the oldest known inscription of the city’s name, spelled out in full.
When modern Hebrew speakers talk or write about Jerusalem, they refer to it as “Yerushalayim.” But in ancient times, a shorthand spelling was often used: “Yerushalem.” In fact, of the 660 times that Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible, only five of them use the full spelling. So while undertaking the recent excavation, which was conducted before the planned construction of a road in the area, archaeologists were surprised to find the drum’s inscription read “Hananiah son of Dodalos of Jerusalem.”
The drum on which the inscription was found recently went on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The stone appears to have been repurposed from a building even older than the Roman structure where it was discovered. According to a statement from the museum, the inscription was written in Aramaic, a Semitic language commonly spoken by Jews of the ancient world, using Hebrew letters. This style was typical of the era when Herod the Great, a Roman-appointed king, ruled over Judea from 37 to 4 B.C., during the Second Temple Period.
Last winter, archaeologists working near the entrance of Jerusalem discovered the foundations of a Roman structure dating to the 1st century B.C. But it was the unassuming drum of a column that once supported the building that really caught their eye. As Nir Hasson reports for Haaretz, the limestone drum is etched with the oldest known inscription of the city’s name, spelled out in full.
When modern Hebrew speakers talk or write about Jerusalem, they refer to it as “Yerushalayim.” But in ancient times, a shorthand spelling was often used: “Yerushalem.” In fact, of the 660 times that Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible, only five of them use the full spelling. So while undertaking the recent excavation, which was conducted before the planned construction of a road in the area, archaeologists were surprised to find the drum’s inscription read “Hananiah son of Dodalos of Jerusalem.”
The drum on which the inscription was found recently went on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The stone appears to have been repurposed from a building even older than the Roman structure where it was discovered. According to a statement from the museum, the inscription was written in Aramaic, a Semitic language commonly spoken by Jews of the ancient world, using Hebrew letters. This style was typical of the era when Herod the Great, a Roman-appointed king, ruled over Judea from 37 to 4 B.C., during the Second Temple Period.
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/found-ancient-stone-inscription-unusual-spelling-jerusalem-180970513/#1qcLTc56LclHtB6e.99
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