(ORDO NEWS) — An Israeli scientist has deciphered a partially preserved inscription found on the neck of a large jar, which dates back to the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem.
The author of the work claims that the inscription, incomprehensible to scientists, which was considered Canaanite, refers to another language.
And this is the language of a completely different kingdom, whose connections with Jerusalem are noted in the Bible, but have not yet been proven by archaeological evidence.
About ten years ago, during excavations near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, archaeologists found the remains of seven large ceramic jars. They have been dated to the 10th century BC.
This is the period of the reign of Solomon, the third Jewish king. Under him, the united kingdom of Israel reached its highest peak. Under him, the Temple in Jerusalem was built.
On one of the jugs, a part of the inscription has been preserved. Scientists have decided that it was made in the Canaanite script, on the basis of which the Hebrew script used in the era of the First Temple was developed.
Over the past ten years, more than ten researchers have proposed various readings, but have not come to a consensus.
The author of the new work looked at the question more broadly and turned to other Semitic languages.
He determined that the font was ancient South Arabian, that is, it was used in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula (the territory of modern Yemen), where at that time the kingdom of Sheba (it is also Sabaean) dominated.
The inhabitants of this state used the Sabaean language, which, like Hebrew, belongs to the Semitic language family, but to a completely different subgroup of it.
According to modern ideas, the Sabaean civilization was formed at the end of the 2nd millennium BC.
The capital of the kingdom was Marib, one of the most ancient cities in Asia. And this state also became the birthplace of the biblical Queen of Sheba, about whom we know a lot of things, except for her name.
This ruler is first mentioned in the First and Second Books of Kings and the Chronicles of the Bible. The Old Testament tells of her visit to King Solomon with gold, precious stones and camels with incense.
The Queen of Sheba wanted to check if her colleague was as wise as they say he is.
According to the Bible, the queen was shocked by the wisdom and greatness of Solomon, as well as the temple that he had just built. She returned home praising both the king and Israel.
Alas, this beautiful story, like many biblical stories, has not yet been reliably confirmed by archaeological materials.
There was no evidence that the kingdom of Israel was in any way connected with Sheba. Dr. Weinshtub believes that he has found such evidence.
According to a new study, if one accepts that the inscription on the jar is not in Canaanite, but in Sabaean script, it becomes quite clear. Such a set of symbols is known and denoted an ingredient for making incense.
And in the First and Second Temples, a special mixture of incense was prepared for burning, consisting of four elements. Apparently, one of them was kept in a jar.
The Kingdom of Sheba in those days was the largest producer and exporter of incense.
Previously, scientists assumed that they got to Jerusalem through, as they say now, parallel exports, since the direct trade of foreigners in the Kingdom of Israel was rather strictly regulated (not in favor of foreigners).
However, a study of the ceramics from which the jug was made showed that it was made in Jerusalem, in a large local workshop.
And the inscription was made in the same place – in a language understandable to the producers of the goods. Perhaps it was made by a man who supplied incense.
This demonstrates a clear connection between Jerusalem in the time of King Solomon and the Kingdom of Sheba.
The work says: “The decoding of the inscription on this jug speaks not only about the presence of a Sabaean speaker in Israel during the time of King Solomon, but also about the system of geopolitical relations in our region at that time.
This is evidence of the extensive commercial and cultural ties that existed between the Israel of the time of King Solomon and the kingdom of Sheba.
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