Writing and Literacy in the World of Ancient Israel: Epigraphic Evidence from the Iron Age

Archaeology and Biblical Studies #11

by Christopher A. Rollston

Winner of the 2011 Frank Moore Cross Prize as the most substantial volume in the field of Northwest Semitic Epigraphy

Ancient Northwest Semitic inscriptions from Israel, Phoenicia, Syria, Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Philistia enlighten and sharpen our vision of the Old Testament world in various ways. Writing and Literacy in the World of Ancient Israel focuses on this epigraphic evidence in order to broaden our understanding of the techniques and roles of writing, education, and literacy during this biblical period. To that end, the volume systematically covers scribal education; scribal implements; writing media such as stones, potsherds, and plaster; and the religious, administrative, and personal uses of writing. Its “handbook” format makes it easily accessible, including for use as a textbook in courses addressing the cultural context of ancient Israel.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, Ancient History, Archaeology

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2010

Reviews

[Luke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and very accessible introduction to the world of epigraphy, paleography, and Northwest Semitic inscriptions. Rollston is a clear and concise writer, and his arguments in favor of lower literacy rates in ancient Israel and Judah are cogent. While Rollston believes that various elite groups (e.g., military officers, priests), not just trained scribes, were capable of reading and writing, he finds it unlikely that literacy was widespread throughout the ancient Levant. The epigraphic evidence he puts forth in favor of his arguments is quite impressive. This book piqued my interest in all things epigraphic and inscriptional, and I’d highly recommend this book to anyone else who might want to get a helpful overview of the topic.

[Dougald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this work, but that's because I am a bit of nerd. Overall, Rollston argues that literacy was primarily relegated to the elite community. This would include both military and court officials, not just scribes (as some suggest). However, unlike other scholars, he does not argue for the idea that literacy in the ancient Levantine was widespread.

In this work, he first surveys some of the epigraphic data, as well as, some of the history of the discussion. Then, he lays out his argument for the elite and gives a few specific examples that would help to support his claim.

Finally, he ends with a helpful chapter on spotting forgeries. Or, perhaps, coming up with a good methodology of spotting forgeries. Overall, I enjoyed the work and it is a good, easy to read, introduction to the subject.

[Dr-Orban E. Hassan · Rating 1 out of 5]

إحدى المحاولات اليائسة لاثبات لان لإسرائيل جذور في المنطقة العربيه - ليس هذا هو المنهج العلمي في تناول الاحداث لأنها محاولة تطويعها لاغراض سياسيه حتي لو ادعو وجود مملكة يهوذا و السامرا فهي ممالك عاشت بضع سنين من الممكن لإنسان ما أن يطول عمره ليرى بداية و نهاية هذه الممالك و التي يعتبرونها بمثابة تاريخ لهم - حتي ولو سلمنا بفرضية صحة ما يدعون الا أن الصهيونية الموجوده بفلسطين حاليا تختلف عن اليهوديه لان الصهاينه اغتصبوا الارض و بنوا أفكارهم علي مزاعم دينيه روجوا لها حتي كادوا أن يصدقهم العالم الذى يستمع لمزاعمهم دون تمحيص . ت

[Keith Pinckney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a world class epigrapher, this one gets into the weeds of Levantine inscriptions and paleography to theorize about writing in Iron Age ancient Israel. Not as much discussion around what we can know about literacy and HB composition as I would have liked but still a useful contribution to the field.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good summary of the epigraphic evidence supporting the argument that Ancient Israel (Israel and Judah) had a literate elite since the 9th century. It catalogs the major epigraphic finds, the historical development of scripts used in the Southern Levant, and the development of dialects of hebrew in the monarchic period. Its would be an excellent resource for an advanced upper division course in epigraphy or a graduate seminar and can replace a reader built from copies of about 20 seminal articles on the subject. It's format is a handbook-style, and is short (under 200 pages) with numerous illustrations and is well footnoted with a good bibliography.