University of Pretoria Dead Sea Scrolls Conference Recordings

The University of Pretoria's International Dead Sea Scrolls conference recordings have now been uploaded for online viewing. They include several presentations relevant for OTTC.

Tov on The (Proto-)Masoretic Text

 Emanuel Tov has a helpful introductory series on the proto-Masoretic text at thetorah.com.

The Scribe(s?) of the Great Isaiah Scroll

Mladen Popović, Maruf Dhali, and Lambert Schomaker have now published their groundbreaking PLOS ONE paper arguing that there are strong paleographic indications that the two halves of the Great Isaiah Scroll were written by two different writers.

Artificial intelligence based writer identification generates new evidence for the unknown scribes of the Dead Sea Scrolls exemplified by the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)

More background on the project can be found in their recent presentations here, here, and here.

Digital Palaeography and Hebrew/Aramaic Scribal Culture Recordings Online

I am happy to announce that the recordings from the 2021 Groningen International Symposium "Digital Palaeography and Hebrew/Aramaic Scribal Culture" are now available online. These are great resources for those interested in the current state of digital paleography and the study of Hebrew/Aramaic scripts.

You can find the program and direct links on the conference web page.

The videos are hosted on the University of Groningen YouTube channel on a dedicated playlist. 

Modern Papyrus Production

Business Insider has an interesting video on modern papyrus manufacture in Al-Qaramous, Egypt, for those who are interested.

A 3rd Millennium Origin of Early Alphabetic?

Christopher Rollston gives a fascinating discussion of recent finds of clay cylinders at Tell Umm el-Marra in Western Syria that appear to be inscribed in Early Alphabetic script. They were found in what is said to be a firm 3rd millennium BCE archeological context, which Rollston concedes could imply that Early Alphabetic was invented earlier than is normally assumed (19th-18th centuries BCE).

American Hebrew Typefaces

Here is an interesting article on early American typefaces and their modern collectors: The Puzzling Provenance of Historic Hebrew Type.

HT Agade