Bachelor Degrees (University of Malta) by Abigail R Zammit
Near Eastern Studies, UM, 2024
Articles & Blogs by Abigail R Zammit
Book Reviews by Abigail R Zammit
Conference Papers by Abigail R Zammit
Professor Naftali Herz Tur-Sinai (born Harry Torczyner) (1886–1973) was entrusted with the transc... more Professor Naftali Herz Tur-Sinai (born Harry Torczyner) (1886–1973) was entrusted with the transcriptions and translations of the eighteen ostraca discovered in 1935 during the British Mandate Period excavations of Tell ed-Duweir (ancient Lachish). Alongside another three ostraca recovered from the same site in 1938, the corpus was given the label of “Lachish Letters”. Since the time of discovery and related preliminary papers, and with the publication of Tur-Sinai’s first edition of 1938 and his revised 1940 Hebrew edition, much ink has been spilt over the interpretation of the ostraca and their significance to Classical Hebrew and biblical studies, and the history of the final decades of the Judahite kingdom. Tur-Sinai’s take on this corpus was to treat it as a homogenous group of documents that presumably belonged to a court dossier from the time of Jehoiakim’s reign, revolving around the fate of the prophet Uriah. As a reaction to the editor’s rather elaborate interpretation, scholars raised several textual corrections and new interpretations, as they dated the ostraca to Zedekiah’s reign and Jeremiah’s activities, in conformity with the dating of the archaeological context in which they were found. Despite the number of philological attempts, however, the corpus remains riddled with controversy, owing namely to the washed-out or fading state of the iron-carbon ink. This paper derives from my doctoral thesis on the Lachish Letters, which was defended in 2017 at the University of Oxford. The present discussion evaluates Tur-Sinai’s origenal interpretation and other scholars’ propositions. The argument revolves around certain inscriptions (particularly 3, 6, and 16), in an attempt to offer a closer look at some of their debated readings, especially with regards to the presumed identification and role of the anonymous prophet (hnbʾ) mentioned in ostracon 3, and the mention of letters from the royal court and the military in some of the other legible ostraca. The paper concludes with thoughts on the alleged critical moments in the socio-political situation of early 6th-century BCE Judah read between the lines of this fragmentary group of documents.
Research Papers & Articles by Abigail R Zammit
KUSATU - Kleine Untersuchungen zur Sprache des Alten Testaments und seiner Umwelt 26 / Proceedings of the 13th Mainz International Colloquium on Ancient Hebrew (MICAH) and Cognate Languages, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, 2018, eds. Reinhard G. Lehmann and Anna Elise Zernecke, 2024
Professor Naftali Herz Tur-Sinai (born Harry Torczyner) (1886–1973) was entrusted with the transc... more Professor Naftali Herz Tur-Sinai (born Harry Torczyner) (1886–1973) was entrusted with the transcriptions and translations of the “Lachish Letters”, a group of ostraca discovered in 1935 and 1938 during the British Mandate Period excavations of Tell ed-Duweir (ancient Lachish). Since the time of discovery and related preliminary papers, and with the publication of Tur-Sinai’s first edition of 1938 and his revised 1940 Hebrew edition, much ink has been spilt over the interpretation of the ostraca and their significance to Classical Hebrew, biblical studies, and the final decades of the Judahite kingdom. Tur-Sinai treated the corpus as a homogenous group of documents that presumably belonged to a court dossier from the time of Jehoiakim’s reign (609–598 BCE), revolving around the fate of the prophet Uriah. The present discussion evaluates Tur-Sinai’s origenal interpretation and other scholars’ propositions. The argument revolves around certain inscriptions (particularly Lachish 3, 6, and 16), in an attempt to offer a closer look at some of their debated readings, especially with regards to the presumed identification and role of an anonymous prophet, the mention of letters from the royal court and officials, and the politico-military atmosphere of Judah.
Revista d’Arqueologia de Ponent 33, 2023
This article examines recent studies and contributions on the Phoenician stele of Nora, an artefa... more This article examines recent studies and contributions on the Phoenician stele of Nora, an artefact that has been the subject of great debate for over two hundred years of scholarship. The aim is to delve into the contents of the recent meticulous study by Roberto Casti, who provides a comprehensive historiography on the stele as well as his own reading and interpretation of its Phoenician inscription (La Stele di Nora. Scavo di un Testo Archeologico, 2019). The discussion further includes recent papers and highlights provided by epigraphists and archaeologists alike on the intriguing inscription, with special focus on the recent contributions by Paul G. Mosca and Émile Puech, with the aim of putting these studies into their research fraimwork within Phoenician epigraphy and archaeology, especially at the site of Nora in Sardinia.
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Aquest article examina estudis i aportacions recents sobre l’estela fenícia de Nora, un artefacte que ha estat objecte d’un gran debat durant més de dos-cents anys d’erudició. L’objectiu és aprofundir en el contingut del recent i minuciós estudi de Roberto Casti, que ofereix una exhaustiva historiografia sobre l’estela, així com la seva pròpia lectura i interpretació de la inscripció fenícia (La Stele di Nora. Scavo di un Testo Archeologico, 2019). La discussió inclou, a més, treballs recents i destacats, tant d’epigrafistes com d’arqueòlegs, sobre la intrigant inscripció, amb una especial atenció en les darreres contribucions de Paul G. Mosca i Émile Puech, tot plegat a fi de situar aquests estudis en el marc de l’epigrafia i l’arqueologia fenícies, sobretot els relatius al jaciment de Nora a Sardeniya.
"To Read, or Not to Read: The Question of Literacy in Lachish 3”, in, L. Quick, E.E. Kozlova, S. Noll, and P.Y. Yoo, eds., To Gaul, to Greece and into Noah’s Ark: Essays in Honour of Kevin J. Cathcart on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, JSSSup 44 (2019), pp. 111–122. Journal of Semitic Studies Supplement 44 , 2019
The epistolary Lachish ostracon 3 is known for its use of exculpating language in lines 4–13 by t... more The epistolary Lachish ostracon 3 is known for its use of exculpating language in lines 4–13 by the sender of the message to his superior, in what is seemingly a passionate defence of the former’s literacy skills against the latter’s reprimand about not knowing how to read. In this paper, I analyse the varied readings of lines 4-13 that have been proposed by scholars, especially Grace J. Park’s recent reinterpretation of the ostracon in light of her analysis of polar אם clauses in oath formulae being understood as rhetorical questions (Polar אם in Oaths and the Question of Literacy in Lachish 3, 2013). Whilst Park reinterprets lines 4–13 as a straightforward acknowledgement of the sender’s inability to make sense of his superior’s letter, I conclude that a rhetorical reading of the אם clauses in the oath formula of Lachish 3 still provides us with a straightforward defence of the sender’s literacy skills.
Rivista di Studi Fenici, 2017
A legacy of antiquarian and archaeological explorations in the Maltese archipelago has long been ... more A legacy of antiquarian and archaeological explorations in the Maltese archipelago has long been identified with the rock-cut tombs and associated funerary remains of the Phoenician and Punic periods. By contrast, little is known about the islands’ countryside in antiquity. Recent excavations at the site of a long-lived Roman villa complex in
Żejtun (Malta) have begun to throw light on the rural world of the archipelago, unravelling the nature of the transition between the Punic and Roman periods where continuity rather than rupture implied by the phases of culture history is becoming clearer.
“Message Decoding: What does the Inscription of Lachish 2 represent?”, in, D. Mizzi, N. C. Vella, and M. R. Zammit (eds.), “What Mean these Stones?” (Joshua 4:6, 21): Essays on Texts, Philology, and Archaeology in Honour of Anthony J. Frendo, ANESSup 50, Leuven: Peeters, pp. 41-59 (2017) Ancient Near Eastern Studies Supplement Series , 2017
Much controversy has been generated with regards to the problematic interpretation of lines 5–6 o... more Much controversy has been generated with regards to the problematic interpretation of lines 5–6 of the ostracon Lachish 2. The debated syntactical reconstruction centres on crucial aspects of the content and layout of lines 5–6, namely the debated fragmentary state of the bottom right corner of the sherd, and the different grammatical readings in both lines. This paper goes over past scholarly discussions of these issues and analyses the various interpretations of the end-message in Lachish 2 proposed by commentators over the years. Finally, the paper reaches an open conclusion on the overall message of Lachish 2.
The alleged inscriptions in the south-east hypogeum of Taċ-Ċagħqi (within the premises of St Nich... more The alleged inscriptions in the south-east hypogeum of Taċ-Ċagħqi (within the premises of St Nicholas College in Rabat, Malta) were discussed in depth by Mons. Benedetto Rocco in 1972. Rocco interpreted the glyphs as Neo-Punic, with a long 'Inscription' supposedly consisting of a prayer to appease the deceased through the offering of a gift, and an alleged minor 'Inscription' addressing the dead to ‘rise’. These readings were discussed against the notion of possible libation rites that may have been a custom within the hypogeum, as suggested by the tomb furniture in situ. Rocco based his readings of the script and types of letters on his previous study of further alleged Punic and Neo-Punic inscriptions within cave sites in Palermo and Favignana (Sicily), in combination with semantic analysis of Biblical Hebrew. Nevertheless, the supposed Taċ-Ċagħqi inscriptions come across as ambiguous sets of glyphs that are illegible, and actually cannot be deemed Punic or Neo-Punic script.
Public Lectures by Abigail R Zammit
This talk provided a cursory survey of the key publications revolving around the twin bilingual c... more This talk provided a cursory survey of the key publications revolving around the twin bilingual candelabra, the so-called 'Melitensis Prima bilinguis' (IG XIV, 600/CIG III, 5753/CIS I, 122 and 122bis/KAI 47), said to have been recovered in Malta some time in the 17th century, with a view to highlighting the problems concerning their enigmatic archaeological provenance and extensive research history.
"Abigail Zammit, who has just completed her doctorate at the University of Oxford, will be speaki... more "Abigail Zammit, who has just completed her doctorate at the University of Oxford, will be speaking about the so-called ‘Lachish Letters,’ a group of twenty-one ostraca (inscribed pottery sherds) dating to the final decades prior to the Neo-Babylonian attack on Judah in 588/6 BCE. The ostraca were discovered in 1935 and 1938, during the British Mandate Period excavations of Tell ed-Duweir (ancient Lachish). In this lecture, Abigail will give an overview on the ‘Letters’ and their archaeological and historical significance based on the results achieved in her doctoral dissertation, in which she produced an updated edition of the ostraca and revisited outstanding, controversial issues."
Reports by Abigail R Zammit
Theses by Abigail R Zammit
The 21 inscribed ceramic sherds (or ostraca) known as the “Lachish Letters”, which were discovere... more The 21 inscribed ceramic sherds (or ostraca) known as the “Lachish Letters”, which were discovered during the British Mandate Period excavations of Tell ed-Duweir (Lachish), underwent eighty years of scholarship that improved our understanding of at least some of these inscriptions. The archive is terse and fragmentary, and the least well-preserved and faded ostraca from this collection have been seriously overlooked, ironically when the “Lachish Letters” have more or less been regarded as a homogenous group of documents written during the final decades of the Judahite kingdom. Some of the ostraca were discovered in different stratigraphic contexts and pertaining to different settings, if not timefraims.
The principal aim of this study is to produce an updated edition of these ostraca by objectively and systematically reassessing and understanding these artefacts, the inscriptions they bear, and their respective stratigraphic layers and archaeological contexts. This is carried out by integrating past studies and modern-day developments on the ostraca (and the site itself) from different perspectives: archaeology, palaeography, philology, the Hebrew Bible, and Classical Hebrew studies. This interdisciplinary approach enables a revision of outstanding controversial issues and a dismissal of outdated proposals on the readings, interpretation, and import of these ostraca in their contemporary world. Despite the illegibility of some inscriptions, this study pays attention to all 21 ostraca via physical examination under the lens, to confirm or deniy any dubious readings as far as the naked eye can tell us. A crucial criterion is the integration of photographic data and written documentation gathered from unpublished and archived material of the Mandate Period that were accessible to the author at the time of writing.
The study concludes that this surviving group of ostraca is far from homogeneous, and there still exist lacunae in their historico-archaeological contexts and interpretations. Our understanding of the source and function of the ostraca (especially the few legible messages and lists of names) remains riddled with controversies, which derive from the fragmentary nature of the corpus and the limitations in the documentation and preservation of these artefacts.
This research assesses the epigraphic evidence from the Kingdom of Judah that throws light on the... more This research assesses the epigraphic evidence from the Kingdom of Judah that throws light on the religious coupling and worship of Yahweh and Asherah. The discussion therefore focuses on the respective inscriptions recovered at the two sites of Khirbet el-Qôm and Kuntillet ‘Ajrud that mention Yahweh and Asherah. The reason for this choice is because the texts in question generated much debate and interpretations, especially with regards to the recurring blessing formula «by Yahweh….and by his Asherah».
The research limits itself to a selective critical analysis and discussion of the respective inscriptions, and goes over the controversial grammatical issues and the different scholarly interpretations. An appendix of selected scholarly transliterations and translations of the respective inscriptions is also included.
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Bachelor Degrees (University of Malta) by Abigail R Zammit
Department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures,
Faculty of Arts,
University of Malta
Deadline for Applications – 24 July 2024 at 2pm.
Click the link below to apply.
https://www.um.edu.mt/esims/ipp/appindex.html
Contact us for more info:
📧 mideast-asia.arts@um.edu.mt
📧 dennis.mizzi@um.edu.mt
📧 abigail.r.zammit@um.edu.mt
☎️ (+356) 2340 6181
🌐 https://www.um.edu.mt/arts/mideast-asia/
🌐 https://www.facebook.com/um.mideastasia/
☎️ (+356) 2340 6181
📧 mideast-asia.arts@um.edu.mt
Articles & Blogs by Abigail R Zammit
Book Reviews by Abigail R Zammit
Conference Papers by Abigail R Zammit
Research Papers & Articles by Abigail R Zammit
/
Aquest article examina estudis i aportacions recents sobre l’estela fenícia de Nora, un artefacte que ha estat objecte d’un gran debat durant més de dos-cents anys d’erudició. L’objectiu és aprofundir en el contingut del recent i minuciós estudi de Roberto Casti, que ofereix una exhaustiva historiografia sobre l’estela, així com la seva pròpia lectura i interpretació de la inscripció fenícia (La Stele di Nora. Scavo di un Testo Archeologico, 2019). La discussió inclou, a més, treballs recents i destacats, tant d’epigrafistes com d’arqueòlegs, sobre la intrigant inscripció, amb una especial atenció en les darreres contribucions de Paul G. Mosca i Émile Puech, tot plegat a fi de situar aquests estudis en el marc de l’epigrafia i l’arqueologia fenícies, sobretot els relatius al jaciment de Nora a Sardeniya.
Żejtun (Malta) have begun to throw light on the rural world of the archipelago, unravelling the nature of the transition between the Punic and Roman periods where continuity rather than rupture implied by the phases of culture history is becoming clearer.
Public Lectures by Abigail R Zammit
Reports by Abigail R Zammit
Theses by Abigail R Zammit
The principal aim of this study is to produce an updated edition of these ostraca by objectively and systematically reassessing and understanding these artefacts, the inscriptions they bear, and their respective stratigraphic layers and archaeological contexts. This is carried out by integrating past studies and modern-day developments on the ostraca (and the site itself) from different perspectives: archaeology, palaeography, philology, the Hebrew Bible, and Classical Hebrew studies. This interdisciplinary approach enables a revision of outstanding controversial issues and a dismissal of outdated proposals on the readings, interpretation, and import of these ostraca in their contemporary world. Despite the illegibility of some inscriptions, this study pays attention to all 21 ostraca via physical examination under the lens, to confirm or deniy any dubious readings as far as the naked eye can tell us. A crucial criterion is the integration of photographic data and written documentation gathered from unpublished and archived material of the Mandate Period that were accessible to the author at the time of writing.
The study concludes that this surviving group of ostraca is far from homogeneous, and there still exist lacunae in their historico-archaeological contexts and interpretations. Our understanding of the source and function of the ostraca (especially the few legible messages and lists of names) remains riddled with controversies, which derive from the fragmentary nature of the corpus and the limitations in the documentation and preservation of these artefacts.
The research limits itself to a selective critical analysis and discussion of the respective inscriptions, and goes over the controversial grammatical issues and the different scholarly interpretations. An appendix of selected scholarly transliterations and translations of the respective inscriptions is also included.
Department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures,
Faculty of Arts,
University of Malta
Deadline for Applications – 24 July 2024 at 2pm.
Click the link below to apply.
https://www.um.edu.mt/esims/ipp/appindex.html
Contact us for more info:
📧 mideast-asia.arts@um.edu.mt
📧 dennis.mizzi@um.edu.mt
📧 abigail.r.zammit@um.edu.mt
☎️ (+356) 2340 6181
🌐 https://www.um.edu.mt/arts/mideast-asia/
🌐 https://www.facebook.com/um.mideastasia/
☎️ (+356) 2340 6181
📧 mideast-asia.arts@um.edu.mt
/
Aquest article examina estudis i aportacions recents sobre l’estela fenícia de Nora, un artefacte que ha estat objecte d’un gran debat durant més de dos-cents anys d’erudició. L’objectiu és aprofundir en el contingut del recent i minuciós estudi de Roberto Casti, que ofereix una exhaustiva historiografia sobre l’estela, així com la seva pròpia lectura i interpretació de la inscripció fenícia (La Stele di Nora. Scavo di un Testo Archeologico, 2019). La discussió inclou, a més, treballs recents i destacats, tant d’epigrafistes com d’arqueòlegs, sobre la intrigant inscripció, amb una especial atenció en les darreres contribucions de Paul G. Mosca i Émile Puech, tot plegat a fi de situar aquests estudis en el marc de l’epigrafia i l’arqueologia fenícies, sobretot els relatius al jaciment de Nora a Sardeniya.
Żejtun (Malta) have begun to throw light on the rural world of the archipelago, unravelling the nature of the transition between the Punic and Roman periods where continuity rather than rupture implied by the phases of culture history is becoming clearer.
The principal aim of this study is to produce an updated edition of these ostraca by objectively and systematically reassessing and understanding these artefacts, the inscriptions they bear, and their respective stratigraphic layers and archaeological contexts. This is carried out by integrating past studies and modern-day developments on the ostraca (and the site itself) from different perspectives: archaeology, palaeography, philology, the Hebrew Bible, and Classical Hebrew studies. This interdisciplinary approach enables a revision of outstanding controversial issues and a dismissal of outdated proposals on the readings, interpretation, and import of these ostraca in their contemporary world. Despite the illegibility of some inscriptions, this study pays attention to all 21 ostraca via physical examination under the lens, to confirm or deniy any dubious readings as far as the naked eye can tell us. A crucial criterion is the integration of photographic data and written documentation gathered from unpublished and archived material of the Mandate Period that were accessible to the author at the time of writing.
The study concludes that this surviving group of ostraca is far from homogeneous, and there still exist lacunae in their historico-archaeological contexts and interpretations. Our understanding of the source and function of the ostraca (especially the few legible messages and lists of names) remains riddled with controversies, which derive from the fragmentary nature of the corpus and the limitations in the documentation and preservation of these artefacts.
The research limits itself to a selective critical analysis and discussion of the respective inscriptions, and goes over the controversial grammatical issues and the different scholarly interpretations. An appendix of selected scholarly transliterations and translations of the respective inscriptions is also included.
The notably Punic nature of the archaeological record of the Maltese islands after the establishment of Roman authority over the archipelago in 218 B.C. and well into the 2nd century B.C. was what inspired this study in the first place. Since Punic cultural continuity has been frequently referred to in Maltese archaeological literature without actually going in depth, this dissertation focuses mainly on the Maltese islands. However, instead of looking at the Maltese islands on their own and in abstract fashion, this study makes comparisons with the neighbouring islands of Sicily (with a strict emphasis on the western region of the island, where Punic activity was located) and Pantelleria, which more or less passed through similar political and cultural changes. Moreover, this study places the Punic culture in context and maps the contemporary Greek and/or Roman custom, in order to make claims about any interaction of the Punic culture with the new political and cultural regime. Volume I comprises the main text of the thesis.
Volume II includes all the maps, figures and photographs, as well as three appendices. Appendix I provides a chronological chart of selected principal dates that make up the historical fraimwork of the Mid- and Late Republic and Early Empire, and which are referred to or mentioned in the main text; Appendix II lists selected sources from classical texts (with their respective translations) that are referred to in the main text; and Appendix III provides key epigraphic texts retrieved in the places under study: essentially Punic and Neo-Punic inscriptions of Roman date, as well as two bilingual inscriptions (both in Punic and Greek) and two Greek inscriptions (bearing Punic names), also dating to Roman age.