The Siloam Tunnel inscription. Historical and linguistic perspectives

The present article seeks to answer two questions: a) who the builders of the Siloam Tunnel were; and b) how one explains the three linguistic peculiarities of the relatively short Siloam Tunnel inscription. The historical, archaeological and linguistic evidence suggest that the tunnel was construct...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Rendsburg, Gary A. 1954- (Author)
Format: Print Article
Language:English
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Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Soc. 2010
In: Israel exploration journal
Year: 2010, Volume: 60, Issue: 2, Pages: 188-203
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Hebrew language / Inscription
IxTheo Classification:HH Archaeology
Further subjects:B Water supply
B Jerusalem
Parallel Edition:Electronic
Description
Summary:The present article seeks to answer two questions: a) who the builders of the Siloam Tunnel were; and b) how one explains the three linguistic peculiarities of the relatively short Siloam Tunnel inscription. The historical, archaeological and linguistic evidence suggest that the tunnel was constructed by individuals who emigrated to Jerusalem from southern Samaria (Ephraim) and Benjamin in advance of the Assyrian invasion of the land. At least three—if not four—linguistic features in the inscription are associated with the Hebrew dialect of this border region, straddling the domains of the kingdom of Israel to the north and the kingdom of Judah to the south. This finding, in turn, suggests that a literate individual from within the group of builders was responsible for the epigraph.
ISSN:0021-2059
Contains:In: Israel exploration journal