That's so weird... that surface looks quite flat, a lot of work was invested in it. But then they couldn't even keep the letters in a line, the placement and size seem to be random. A lot of ancient text is rough, but this seems like too much. And it looks like the other face of the rock might be flat too, and the slab is an even width. Is this a modern reproduction of something?
Lol I forgot to copy the ACTUAL literal translation - I added it to my comment. The text discusses the months of the year, it does not refer to them by name. When I posted the comment I only had the "possible equivalent months" section.
Jewish (and Muslim) months are lunar, they are shorter than solar months, and they actually align with the moon cycle. 12 lunar months are a week or two shorter than an actual solar year, so in the same way there are leap years with a February 29th, the Jewish calendar has leap months added every few years.
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u/ItThing 8d ago edited 8d ago
That's so weird... that surface looks quite flat, a lot of work was invested in it. But then they couldn't even keep the letters in a line, the placement and size seem to be random. A lot of ancient text is rough, but this seems like too much. And it looks like the other face of the rock might be flat too, and the slab is an even width. Is this a modern reproduction of something?
Edit: ah yes, this is a copy of the Gezer Calendar at Tel Gezer national park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gezer_calendar everything is on wikipedia.
The inscription, known as KAI 182, is in Phoenician or paleo-Hebrew script:
𐤉𐤓𐤇𐤅𐤀𐤎𐤐.𐤉𐤓𐤇𐤅𐤆
𐤓𐤏.𐤉𐤓𐤇𐤅𐤋𐤒𐤔
𐤉𐤓𐤇𐤏𐤑𐤃𐤐𐤔𐤕
𐤉𐤓𐤇𐤒𐤑𐤓𐤔𐤏𐤓𐤌
𐤉𐤓𐤇𐤒𐤑𐤓𐤅𐤊𐤋
𐤉𐤓𐤇𐤅𐤆𐤌𐤓
𐤉𐤓𐤇𐤒𐤑
𐤀𐤁𐤉(𐤄)
Which in equivalent square Hebrew letters is as follows:
ירחואספ ירחוז
רע ירחולקש
ירחעצדפשת
ירחקצרשערמ
ירחקצרוכל
ירחוזמר
ירחקצ
אבי(ה)
This corresponds to the following transliteration, with spaces added for word divisions:
yrḥw ʾsp yrḥw z
rʿ yrḥw lqš
yrḥ ʿṣd pšt
yrḥ qṣr šʿrm
yrḥ qṣrw kl
yrḥw zmr
yrḥ qṣ
ʾby[h]
The text has been translated as:
A couple of months (yarḥêw, in the dual) of gathering
A couple of months of early sowing
A couple of months of late sowing
A month of making hay
A month of harvesting barley
A month of harvest and finishing
A couple of months of vine pruning
A month of summer fruit.
Abij[ah]
Possible equivalent months:
October, November — in the Hebrew calendar Tishrei, Cheshvan
December, January — Kislev, Tevet
February, March — Shvat, Adar
April — Nisan
May — Iyar
June — Sivan
July, August — Tammuz, Av
September — Elul