Jump to content

Serabit el-Khadim proto-Sinaitic inscriptions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Serabit sphinx (#345)

The Serabit el-Khadim proto-Sinaitic inscriptions are about 30 early alphabetic inscriptions in proto-Sinaitic script found at or in the vicinity of Serabit el-Khadim on the Sinai Peninsula.

Description

[edit]

The excavations at Serabit and the non-Egyptian character of the ancient hill sanctuary supplied new material for reflection.

Lina Eckenstein, A History of Sinai, 1921

Romanus François Butin of Catholic University of America published articles in the Harvard Theological Review based on the 1927 Harvard Mission to Serabit and the 1930 Harvard-Catholic University Joint Expedition. His article "The Serabit Inscriptions: II. The Decipherment and Significance of the Inscriptions" provides an early detailed study of the inscriptions and some dozen black and white photographs, hand-drawings and analysis of the previously published inscriptions, #346, 349, 350–354, and three new inscriptions, #355–368. At that time, #355 was still in situ at Serabit but had not been photographed by the previous Harvard Mission. In 1932, he wrote:

The present article was begun with the limited purpose of making known the new inscriptions discovered by the Harvard-Catholic University Joint Expedition to Serabit in the spring of 1930. In the course of this study, I perceived that some signs doubtful in the inscriptions already published were made clear by the new slabs, and I decided to go over the entire field again.[1]

Table of inscriptions

[edit]

All the inscriptions published between 1916 and 1936 were given identification numbers following those of Gardiner's initial 1916 publication. Gardiner's numbers 1–344 were objects from Sinai with unrelated Egyptian inscriptions, so the Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions numbering began at 345. Future scholars continued this numbering scheme for ease of reference.

Name Object Images Location Discovery
Sketch Photo Original Current ID Discoverer Publication
345 Sphinx An inscription An inscription Serabit, Hathor temple British Museum EA41748 1906, Petrie 1916, Gardiner
346 Statuette An inscription An inscription Egyptian Museum 38268
347 Two sphinx heads An inscription An inscription Art & History Museum (Brussels)
348 Unknown An inscription Wadi Magharah Lost 1868, Palmer 1904, Weill
349 Rock panel An inscription An inscription Serabit, Mine L Egyptian Museum 52511 1906, Petrie 1916, Gardiner
350 Rock panel An inscription An inscription 51517
351 Rock panel An inscription An inscription 52514
352 Rock panel An inscription An inscription 52510
353 Rock panel An inscription An inscription 51513 or 52515
354 Rock panel An inscription An inscription 52510 (partly lost)
356 Rock panel An inscription An inscription 51513 or 52515 1927, Lake 1928, Butin
357 Rock panel An inscription An inscription In situ
358 An inscription An inscription Serabit, Mine M
359 An inscription An inscription Unknown Egyptian Museum 52516 1929, Hjelt
360 Slab An inscription An inscription Ridge between Wadi Qattar and Wadi Umm Themeyim 1930, Lake 1932, Butin
361 Small rock An inscription An inscription Serabit, Mine N
362 Lozenge An inscription An inscription Serabit, above Mine L
363 An inscription An inscription Serabit, south of Mine L
364 Fragment An inscription An inscription Serabit, in front of Mine M
365 palimpsest An inscription An inscription Serabit, Egyptian camp
367 Rock panel An inscription An inscription Serabit, south of Mine L
374 An inscription An inscription Serabit, Mine M 65466 1935, Lake 1936, Butin
375 An inscription An inscription 65467
Gerster 1 Wadi Nasb In situ Gerster 1961, Leibovitch
Gerster 2
Disputed (according to Albright):
355 An inscription In situ 1906, Petrie 1916, Gardiner
366 An inscription An inscription 1930, Lake 1932, Butin
368 An inscription An inscription
369 Statuette An inscription
370 An inscription An inscription
371 An inscription An inscription
372 An inscription An inscription
373 An inscription An inscription

Bibliography

[edit]

References

[edit]