| CODE | HBW3002 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Palaeo-Hebrew Inscriptions | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | In this study-unit, the students will be trained to decipher, read, and understand a selection of unvocalised Palaeo-Hebrew inscriptions, dating to the first half of the first millennium BCE, such as the well-known Gezer calendar inscription and the Siloam inscription. The basic notions of Palaeo-Hebrew epigraphy and grammar will be dealt with. It will be assumed that students following this study-unit already know the basics of Classical Hebrew. In the first sessions, the students will have to learn the Palaeo-Hebrew script. The select texts will have to be transliterated into the Hebrew “Square Script” and then translated into English. The problems of working with ancient unvocalized texts will also be highlighted. Study-unit Aims: 1. To learn the Palaeo-Hebrew script; 2. To decipher a selection of Palaeo-Hebrew inscriptions; 3. To learn the peculiarities of Hebrew orthography as evidenced in these inscriptions in contrast to some orthographic practices used in the Hebrew Bible. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. master the Palaeo-Hebrew script; 2. decipher Palaeo-Hebrew texts whilst learning how to place them in their overall historical and cultural background; 3. compare and contrast his/her knowledge of Palaeo-Hebrew with that of other Northwest Semitic languages, such as Phoenician-Punic. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. easily pick up cognate languages, such as Moabite, Edomite, and Aramaic; 2. transfer the skills acquired in this study-unit to a close reading of texts in general; 3. transfer the skills acquired in this study-unit to life-situations which require a very close attention to detail. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Ahituv, S. (2008) Echoes from the Past: Hebrew and cognate inscriptions from the biblical Period, Jerusalem: Carta - Yardeni, A. (2018) The National Hebrew script: up to the Babylonian Exile, Jerusalem: Carta The lecturer will provide a more detailed bibliography in class/on VLE. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite Study-units: NES1002, NES1003 or for students with knowledge of Biblical Hebrew at intermediate level | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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