The Jeselsohn Collection Of Aramaic Ostraca From Idumea

This volume presents 574 ostraca (560 Aramaic and 9 Greek) from the collection of David and Jemima Jeselsohn, almost all dating from the fourth century BCE. They are short notes written in ink on pottery sherds from broken and discarded household vessels. They reveal much information about the daily life of the rural population in that part of the land of Israel at a crucial turning point of history. The core of the volume is the corpus of the ostraca. Each item includes a high-resolution photo, a hand-drawn copy, a ceramic analysis and description, and an interpretation of the text that places it in its historical context and notes similar texts.

The corpus is preceded by a foreword and three introductory essays. It is followed by eight supplements, including glossaries of words, names, place names, and terms. The appended disc-on-key contains a concordance of words, names, and months.