Tel Dan inscription
The Tel Dan inscription , also called "House David" s inscription in literature, is an inscription in Aramaic to commemorate the victory of an Aramaic king over the kingdoms of Israel and Judah , which is based on fragments of a black basalt - Stele found in Tel Dan found.
Archaeological discovery
The stele was discovered during excavations under Avraham Biran on Tel Dan (Arabic Tell el-Qadi), where the city of Dan was located in ancient times - the northernmost point of ancient Israel. Fragment A was found in July 1993, fragments B1 and B2, which belong together, in June 1994. There may also be a connection between fragments A and B1 / 2. However, this thesis is controversial.
Dating
The inscription in old Hebrew script is dated to the 9th or 8th century BC. The limitation by the 8th century BC Chr. Arises due to the overlying layer of destruction, which on the Assyrian conquest in 733/732 BC. Goes back. Since this layer lies above the stratum in which the inscription was located, it is clear that the destruction is to begin after the erection of the stele and its subsequent structural recycling. A more exact dating of these events is hardly possible.
Historical classification
Although the name of the author does not appear on the surviving fragments of the stele, it is most likely a king of the neighboring Aramaic state of Damascus . Language, time and place of construction make it probable that the author is Hasaël or his son Bar-Hadad (Ben Hadad).
Although only parts of the inscription have survived, it has caused quite a stir within biblical archeology . The main focus is on the expression 'ביתדוד' - "House of David". If this reading is correct, it would be the first archaeological evidence for the naming of a David . It remains to be seen whether this is the biblical David. Some researchers believe that the phrase "House of David" also appears on a partially broken section of the Mesha stele . In any case, the stele is historically not evidence of a United Kingdom of Israel and Judah under the biblical King David. However, it can be used as an indication of the existence of a "Dynasty of David" in the 8th / 9th centuries. Century BC BC, whose territory is not mentioned in the inscription.
The characters רם.בר (... ram bar (line 7) - ... ram son) and יהו.בר (... jahu bar (line 8) - ... jahu son) on fragment B lead to Joram from Israel and Ahaziah of Judah close, from whose war 845 BC Against Hazael 2Ki 10,32-22 reported.
text
| Hebrew text | transcription | translation |
|---|---|---|
|
1. [… א] מר. ע [דא…] וגזר […] |
1. [… ʼ] mr. ʻ [dʼ…] wgzr […] |
1. […] |
literature
- Avraham Biran , Joseph Naveh: An Aramaic Stele Fragment from Tel Dan. In: Israel Exploration Journal. Jerusalem 43.1993, pp. 81-98, ISSN 0021-2059 .
- Avraham Biran, Joseph Naveh: The Tel Dan Inscription, A New Fragment. In: Israel Exploration Journal. Jerusalem 45.1995, pp. 1-18, ISSN 0021-2059 .
- Anson F. Rainey: "The House of David" and the House of the Deconstructionists. In: Biblical Archeology Review. Washington 20.1994,6, p. 47, ISSN 0098-9444 .
- Gary A. Rendsburg: On the Writing ביתדוד in the Aramaic Inscription from Tel Dan. In: Israel Exploration Journal. Jerusalem 45.1995, pp. 22-25, ISSN 0021-2059 .
- Thomas L. Thompson: Bible and History. How Writers Create a Past. Basic, New York 1999, ISBN 0-465-00622-1 .
- William M. Schniedewind (with Bruce Zuckerman): A Possible Reconstruction of the Name of Hazael's Father in the Tel Dan Inscription. In: Israel Exploration Journal. Jerusalem 51.2001, pp. 88-91, ISSN 0021-2059 .
- Russell Gmirkin: Tools, Slippage, and the Tel Dan Inscription. In: Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament. Oslo 16.2002, ISSN 0901-8328 .
- George Athas: The Tel Dan Inscription, A Reappraisal and a New Interpretation. T&T Clark, London 2005, ISBN 0-567-04043-7 .
- Lawrence J. Mykytiuk: Identifying Biblical Persons in Northwest Semitic Inscriptions of 1200-539 BCE Academia Biblica series. Vol. 12. Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta 2004, pp. 110-132, 277, ISBN 1-58983-062-8 .
Web links
- Tel Dan Inscription KC Hanson (picture, text and literature on the Tel Dan inscription)
- Aaron Demsky: On Reading Ancient Inscriptions: The Monumental Aramaic Stele Fragment from Tel Dan. (PDF; 560 kB) Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society 23, 1995, pp. 29-25
- William M. Schniedewind: Tel Dan Stela. New Light on Aramaic and Jehu's Revolt. (PDF; 6.3 MB) Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 302, 1996, pp. 75-90
Individual evidence
- ^ Israel Finkelstein , Neil A. Silbermann: David and Solomon. CH Beck, Munich 2006, p. 233. ISBN 3-406-54676-5
- ^ A. Lemaire: "House of David", Restored in Moabite Inscription. In: Biblical Archeology Review (BAR). Washington 20.1994,3, 639-666. ISSN 0098-9444
- ↑ Walter Dietrich : From David to the Deuteronomists. Studies on the historical traditions of the Old Testament, Stuttgart 2002 (BWANT 156); Pp. 79-87
- ↑ Herbert Donner , Wolfgang Röllig : Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions. Volume 1: 5th edition, Wiesbaden 2002, p. 76 (KAI 310).
- ↑ Cf. Manfred Weippert : Historical text book on the Old Testament . In: Outlines of the Old Testament. Volume 10, Göttingen 2010, pp. 267-269 (HTAT 116).