| DESCRIPTION | |
|---|---|
| Language: | Aramaic |
| Medium: | Potsherd (pottery fragment) |
| Size: | 4.5 centimeters high 7.5 centimeters wide |
| Length: | 4 lines of writing |
| Date: | 7 July, 355 BCE |
| Place of Discovery: | probably Idumea |
| Date of Discovery: | unknown |
| Current Location: | Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem |
| Bible Lands Museum Catalog no.: | 3168 |
| Eph'al & Naveh Text no.: | Ostraca #13 |
| TEXT (Adapted from Ephal & Naveh (1996:26) |
TRANSLATION
by K. C. Hanson (Adapted from Ephal & Naveh (1996:26)
B–||| ||| LTMWZ ŠNT |||| |
'RTHŠSŠ MLK' HYTY HLPT Š KR | S –|| Q ||| H K | S ||||| Q ||||
On the 16th of Tammuz, year 4 | of King Artaxerxes, Halfat brought barley: 1 kor, 12 seah, 3 qab; wheat: 1 kor, 5 seah, 4 qab. |
| DISCUSSION QUESTIONS |
1. What are the approximate equivalents for the measurements of: kor,
seah, and qab? For biblical examples, see:
2.What does the receipt indicate about the dating of ancient calendars? 3. Why would peasant farmers need receipts for their taxes? 4. What is the significance of taxes being paid in grain rather than in "cash"? |
| SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY |
|
Borowski, Oded. Agriculture in Iron Age Israel. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1987. Eph'al, Israel and Joseph Naveh. Aramaic Ostraca. Jerusalem: Magnes, 1996. Foxhall, L. and H. A. Forbes. "Sitometreia: The Role of Grain as a Staple Food in Classical Antiquity." Chiron 12 (1982) 41-90. Kaufman, A. S. "Determining the Length of the Medium Cubit." Palestine Exploration Quarterly 116 (1984) 120-32. Lemaire, André. "Ostraca, Semitic." In Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by D. N. Freedman, 5:50-51. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Powell, Marvin A. "Weights and Measures." In Anchor Bible Dictionary, Edited by D. N. Freedman, 6:897-908. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Scott, R. B. Y. "The Hebrew Cubit." Journal of Biblical Literature 77 (1958) 205-14. Turkowski, L. "Peasant Agriculture in the Judean Hills." Palestine Exploration Quarterly 101 (1969) 101-12. |
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