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Numeral Symbols Numbers and Dating Formulae in The ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NUMBERS AND DATING FORMULAE IN THE OLD SYRIAC INSCRIPTIONS* A. AL- JADIR UNIVERSITY OF TUNIS he city of Edessa (modern Urfa in economic and administrative operations.2 south-east Turkey) has yielded a The peoples of the ancient Near East had number of ancient Syriac inscrip- methods of employing different signs to de- tions through which one may form note numerals without having to write the Ta picture of some aspects of its history, a words out in full.3 glimpse of the course of the history of the The Sumerians had already devised “Blessed city” that was Edessa. The inscrip- symbols for numerals and two systems of tions provide us also with valuable informa- counting: one was decimal, based on ten as tion relating to the names of certain kings the unit (1-10-100-1000), and the other, which can help to establish parts of the ge- sexagesimal, based on the powers of 60 (1- nealogy of the ruling dynasty: “The impor- 60-3600). In the earliest stage, at about 3000 tance of these inscriptions is almost in- B.C., numbers were represented by strokes versely proportional to their number and indicating units and circular impressions extent.”1 indicating tens.4 A combination of both The early dated Syriac inscriptions use could produce a large numeral.5 As the pic- three different numeral systems in dating the tograms of the earliest writing developed texts: numeral symbols (ciphers), written- gradually into abstract cuneiform (wedge- out numbers and an alphabet-based system. shaped) signs, the numeral signs were corre- spondingly changed.6 The symbol for 1 was NUMERAL SYMBOLS indicated by a single wedge () and for 10 a broad oblique wedge ().7 As a unit in the Writing is perhaps the greatest invention, sexagesimal system, 60 could be expressed since it made the documentation of human by a vertical wedge, originally recognized history possible. The origin of writing was by its larger size than the wedge denoting 1, connected with the practical need for keep- though the distinction in size later disap- ing records of palace and temple property peared.8 The sign for 100 could be written and produce in the early Near East. The ne- either (in the early period) by a big circle cessity emerged to use number symbols (O) or by a special sign (), pronounced from the beginning of writing to assist in ME.9 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 6 (2006) - Page 3 Numbers and Dating Formulae in the Old Syriac Inscriptions _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ As for West Semitic, the numerals used LXXI; g- Drijvers and Healey 1999, in dating inscriptions were mainly written Pl.58 (Bs2); h- Drijvers and Healey with particular signs corresponding to our 1999, Pl. 25 (As36); i- Welles 1959, figures. These signs are represented in ways Pls. LXIX-LXXI. that remained the same for many centuries. Obviously every script developed considera- The numeral signs found in the Old Syriac bly over the course of time and in agreement inscriptions are represented in the following with this fact the numerals also presented examples: ܒܚ ܐܕܪ ׀׀[׀ ] ¬׀׀׀׀׀׀׀ .development in forms In the West Semitic Aramaic tradition “In the month of Adar of the year (3x100) (early Aramaic, Nabataean, Palmyrene, +10+1+1+1+1+1+1+1 (=Seleucid 317, A.D. Syriac and Hatran) the numerical notations 6).”11 were initially very simple, using a single ܒܚ ܬܝ ܡ ׀׀׀ ^^^^׀׀׀׀׀ vertical stroke to represent the units and adding other strokes up to 9 (except for 5, “In the month of Former Tešri of the year which appears sometimes in a different (3x100)+20+20+20+20+1+1+1+1+1 form). A special sign was used for 10 and (=Seleucid 385, A.D. 73).”12 similarly 20 has a sign of its own, whereas ׀׀׀ all the other numbers from 1 to 99 are ܡܒ ܒܐܕܪ ׀׀׀׀ ^^^ formed by placing the basic signs side by side.10 The signs for units ten, twenty and hundred in Old Syriac are shown in the table “On the 10+1+1+1 day of Adar of the year below: (4x100)+20+20+20+10+5+1(=Seleucid 476, A.D. 165.”13 Units Symbols ܒܚ ܒ ׀׀׀׀ ^^^ ¬ ׀׀׀׀׀׀ ׀ 1 (In the month of Šebat of the year (4x100“ ׀׀ a or 2 +20+20+20+10+1+1+1+1+1+1+1 ׀׀׀׀ 4 14 ”(.Seleucid 476, A.D. 165=) ׀׀׀׀׀ b > or 5 ܒܒ ׀׀׀׀ ^^^ ׀ ׀ Tens c ¬ d Twenty e ^ f “In Šebat of the year (4x100) 20+20 +20+ 10+1+2+1+2(= Seleucid 476, A.D. 165.)”15 Hundred g h i The numeral signs, which are used in the dated Syriac inscriptions of the first cen- Old Syriac Numeral Symbols 16 tury A.D. are as follows: a simple stroke a- Drijvers and Healey 1999, Pl. 37 for the numeral 1; five simple vertical for 5; 10 is represented by a ׀׀׀׀׀ As 27); b- Drijvers and Healey 1999 strokes) Pl.20 (As 29); c- Drijvers and Healey horizontal line with a small tail downward 1999 Pl.40 (As55), Pl.27 (As37); d- ¬; 20 has the form ∧; and 100 has almost Welles 1959, Pls. LXIX-LXXI; e- Drijvers and Healey 1999, Pl. 58 the same sign as 10, but with a small extra (Bs2); f- Welles 1959, Pls. LXIX- stroke in the tail: . ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 6 (2006) - Page 4 Numbers and Dating Formulae in the Old Syriac Inscriptions ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Some differences in certain inscriptions inscription found so far with the numbers of the second century A.D. from Sumatar17 written out in full. It shows only the number appear in the case of the numerals 2, 5 and 400 and the other following numbers which 6. The numeral 2 is given the sign in one should be expected are missing. Therefore of these inscriptions.18 The latter is quite the Seleucid date is evidently between 400 similar to the “Arabic” numeral 2 in current and 499. At the latest, the text was written in use in the Arab world. The numeral 5, as in A.D. 187-88.26 later Syriac, has the form of the letter >.19 2- bhmšm” wtlt‘šr’ “in [the year] five Finally, the sign for 6 is drawn in different hundred and thirteen.”27 In the dating for- mula the word (šnt) “year” is not mentioned 20;׀׀׀׀׀׀ forms: as six simple vertical strokes as the sign for numeral 5 with a simple ver- in this inscription but it is understood from -and the fact that the numeral agrees with a femi 21<׀ tical stroke at the left-hand side of it -The same early forms for nine noun. The Seleucid year 513 corre 22.׀ ׀ by the form 1, 10, 20 and 100 are also found in the sponds to A.D. 201-02.28 Syriac Deed of Sale from Dura Europos, 3- byrh ’dr šnt ‘šryn “In the month of 23 dated to A.D. 243. Adar of the year twenty.”29 The dating for- The numerical notations used in Ara- mula is expressed with the name of month maic, Nabataean, Palmyrene, Syriac, and Adar, which is equivalent to March, and the Hatran are very similar, evidently develop- 24 year number 20 with the omission of the ing from a common source. five hundred on account of its redundancy.30 4- byrh ’b šnt […]m’ […]wtš‛ “In the WRITTEN-OUT NUMBERS month of Ab of the year […] hundred […] and nine.”31 This date follows a standard for- While the above ciphers were used in writ- mula, which is also shown in the previous ing, it is obvious that in reading the inscrip- example. The month name Ab corresponds to tions the numbers would be given their full August. The first number of the year is miss- grammatical form. In the Old Syriac inscrip- ing. Therefore one may assume the number tions as in Classical Syriac and other Se- 500, in which case the Seleucid date would mitic languages, the numbers 1-19 have be between 529 and 599. But on art-historical masculine and feminine forms, according to grounds it could be suggested that the year is the grammatical gender of the noun to 529/539/549 (A.D. 218, 288, 238).32 which they are attached. The numerals from 5- byrh nysn šnt hmšm’’ wtltyn whmš “in 3-10 use the masculine formation with femi- the month of Nisan of the year five hundred and nine nouns, and vice versa. The numerals 1 thirty-five.”33 The year 535 in the Seleucid era and 2 show the same gender as that of the corresponds to A.D. 223/24 but the month of noun to which they refer. Nisan (April) of 535 fell in A.D. 224.34 The occurrences of the numbers written 6- byrh tmwz šnt tltyn wtš‛ “in the month out in the dates of the Old Syriac texts of Tammuz of the year thirty-nine.”35 The dat- (including the dated legal documents from ing is similar to what has been mentioned ear- the 240s A.D.) are as follows: lier, with the 500 to be added to the year num- 1- dšnt ’rb‘ m’’ “of the year four hun- ber. In this case, the year is 539 in the Seleucid dred.”25 This could be the earliest Syriac era, which corresponds to A.D. 227/28. With ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 6 (2006) - Page 5 Numbers and Dating Formulae in the Old Syriac Inscriptions _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ the month of Tammuz (July), it fell in A.D.
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