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RE: orion Cryptic A
At 15:28 24.07.98 -0700, David Suter wrote:
>
> Someone was inquiring some time ago about a possible comparison
>between the Taw of the Qumran Cryptic A script and the Ethiopic Tawe. I
>have just obtained a copy of Stephen Pfann's article on 4Q298, with the
>samples of the cryptic script, and compared the Taw with the Tawe in
>Knibb's edition of Ethiopic Enoch (which is a photograph of an Ethiopic
>mms, albeit much later than Qumran). There is actually a significant
>difference between the two. The horizontal line of the Qumran Taw
>curves up on the left and down on the right, while the small brush
>strokes on the ends of the horizontal line in the Ethiopic Tawe are
>symmetrical. In addition, the Ethiopic is shaded on the vertical line,
>while the shading in the Qumran cryptic script is on the horizontal.
>Ethiopic mms are generally not more than five centuries old, since the
>practice seems to have been to use worn-out books for the training of
>new scribes. One might try searching out evidence of ancient
>inscriptions in Ethiopic to push the issue further.
It would be better to depart from S. Uhlig, Aethiopische Palaeographie,
Wiesbaden, ~ 1988 (sorry for not having the reference handy).
Ethiopian Tawe may be without the small brush strokes on the ends of
the horizontal line (if I recall well). It is more important that the Ethiopian
script goes back to South Arabian one. Therefore, the whole question
should be readdressed to the latter.
Basil Lourie
St.Petersburg Society for
Byzantine and Slavic Studies
byzros@infopro.spb.su
RUSSIA 194356
St.Petersburg
pr.Engelsa 135-132
B.Lourie
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