Description:
This volume presents 574 ostraca--potsherds containing short notes written in ink--from the collection of David and Jemima Jeselsohn, almost all dating from the fourth century B.C.E. The 560 Aramaic and 9 Greek texts included here reveal information about the daily life of the rural population in Israel at a crucial turning point in history. For each item, there is a high-resolution photo, a hand-drawn copy, a ceramic analysis and description, and an interpretation of the writing that places it in its historical context and notes similar texts.
Framed by a foreword and three introductory essays, this volume also includes glossaries of words, names, place names, and terms. The attached bookmark contains a USB flash drive with the concordance of words, names, and months.
Brief description: Ada Yardeni is a world-renowned expert on Hebrew paleography. She is a scholar, artist, and author of nine books, including The Book of Hebrew Script and A-dventure-Z: The Story of the Alphabet.