SOME NOTES ON INSCRIPTIONAL GENRES AND * THE SILOAM TUNNEL INSCRIPTION ROCHELLE I. AltMan
[email protected] Sivan College, Be’er-Sheva Israel Summary: Some Notes on Inscriptional Genres and the Siloam Tunnel Inscription. While most questions with regard to the Siloam Tunnel have been resolved, the question of the location of its inscription remains open. Almost without exception, the Siloam Tunnel inscription (KAI 189) is classified as a “commemorative inscription” despite the inclusion of elements that are never found in the commemorative genre. If the Siloam Tunnel inscription is not commemorative, what is it? In this paper, a brief re-examination of the vow in antiquity and a review of entitlement formulas are followed by an examination of the elements included in, and the location of, the pertinent genres of inscriptions. The distinctive characteristics of each genre are summarized, the Siloam Tunnel inscription is then re-examined. The evidence places the Siloam Tunnel inscription in the category of votive offering; type, thanks given for services rendered; class, private; artifact, wall inscription; genre, dedicatory; sub- genre, victory. Its location, then, becomes typical for its category, class, and genre. Keywords: Siloam Tunnel – inscriptions – genres – entitlement formula – votive offerings Resumen: Algunas notas sobre los géneros de las inscripciones y la Inscripción del Túnel de Siloam. Mientras la mayor parte de las cuestiones relativas al Túnel de Siloam han sido resueltas, la cuestión de la ubicación de su inscripción permanece abierta. Casi sin excepción, la inscripción del Túnel de Siloam (KAI 189) fue clasificada como una “inscripción conmemorativa”, a pesar de la inclusión de elementos que nunca fueron hallados en el género conmemorativo.