Research Articles (Ancient Studies)
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- ItemResearching the Septuagint in South Africa(AOSIS, 2021) Cook, JohannOne could argue that the Septuagint is an African document. After all, Alexandria is regarded as the birthplace of the Septuagint – at least the original LXX, namely the Pentateuch. As is well known, the Aristeas letter, inter alia, tells the story of the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek after some Jews were forcibly removed from Palestine to Egypt by Ptolemy III and others emigrated for economic reasons (Wright 2015). But this is only one side of the story; there are a number of books that originated elsewhere. Tov mentions the Greek translation of Isaiah (Tov 2010:7). I have identified numerous examples of Jewish exegesis in LXXProverbs and I argued that LXXProv came into being in Palestine (Cook & Van der Kooij 2012:174). Be that as it may, what is clear is that the Septuagint is being extensively researched throughout Africa, including South Africa. The recent evidence of this ongoing research is the presentation of a number of international congresses with outcomes in the publications of the proceedings. The latest example is the online congress held on 05 and 06 September 2020. The proceedings of this conference together with the contributions of a number of prominent researchers are being published in the international series Vetus Testamentum Supplementum (VTS), entitled The Septuagint South of Alexandria. The volume is edited by Johann Cook and Gideon Kotzé.
- ItemParticipatory detection of language barriers towards multilingual sustainability(ies) in Africa(MDPI, 2022-07-04) Litre, Gabriela; Hirsch, Fabrice; Caron, Patrick; Andrason, Alexander; Bonnardel, Nathalie; Fointiat, Valerie; Nekoto, Wilhelmina Onyothi; Abbott, Jade; Dobre, Cristiana; Dalboni, Juliana; Steuckardt, Agnes; Luxardo, Giancarlo; Bohbot, HerveAfter decades of political, economic, and scientific efforts, humanity has not gotten any closer to global sustainability. With less than a decade to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline of the 2030 Agenda, we show that global development agendas may be getting lost in translation, from their initial formulation to their final implementation. Sustainability science does not “speak” most of the 2000 languages from Africa, where the lack of indigenous terminology hinders global efforts such as the COVID-19 pandemic fight. Sociolinguistics, social psychology, cognitive ergonomics, geography, environmental sciences, and artificial intelligence (AI) are all relevant disciplinary fields to uncover the “foreign language effect” that hinders the implementation of the SDGs in Africa. We make the case for detecting and addressing language barriers towards multilingual sustainability in Africa by (1) exploring the ”foreign language effect” among African decision-makers and recognising their alternative social representations about sustainability; and (2) detecting Western language stereotypes about sustainability. We propose rethinking SDG-related scientific notions through participatory natural language processing (NLP) and the study of African social representations of sustainability, thus enabling a more inclusive and efficient approach to “sustainability(ies)”.
- ItemA serial verb construction with the verb alāku “go” in Canaano-Akkadian(Antiguo Oriente, 2019) Andrason, AlexanderThis paper examines the categorial status of Canaano-Akkadian biverbal sequences built around the motion verb alāku “go” and their possible inclusion in the category of Serial Verb Constructions (SVCs). The evidence demonstrates that SVCs with alāku can at best be categorized as non-canonical and their overall grammaticalization is low. As a result, Canaano-Akkadian may be viewed as the least advanced along the grammaticalization cline of verbal serialization posited for (North-West) Semitic languages.
- ItemMudbricks, construction methods, and stratigraphic analysis : a case study at Tell Timai (Ancient Thmuis) in the Egyptian Delta(Archaeological Institute of America, 2020-01) Lorenzon, Marta; Nitschke, Jessica L.; Littman, Robert J.; Silverstein, Jay E.The Graeco-Roman site of Tell Timai (ancient Thmuis) in Lower Egypt is among the largest urban tells in the Nile Delta, boasting substantial amounts of preserved earthen architecture. Although earthen architecture made up the vast majority of public and domestic structures in ancient Egypt, it still does not receive the same analytical attention from archaeologists as other categories of evidence. This paper presents a case study for the archaeological investigation of the earthen architecture at Tell Timai. The goal was to develop a methodology that can be implemented in the field by excavators with little geoarchaeological training and limited laboratory access in order to generate useful data for determining building stratigraphy and studying construction processes. Through the close examination and sampling of three build- ings of different periods and scales, we tested a new field methodology combining geoarchaeological techniques and mensiochronology. The results provide informa- tion useful for stratigraphy and phasing as well as for identifying specific patterns of mudbrick manufacturing, production, and construction during the Graeco-Roman period at Tell Timai.
- ItemVertaalprobleme wat die Deuterokanonieke Boeke oplewer : Jesus ben Sira as voorbeeld(Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, 2020-12) Cook, JohannVolgens Wright (2007:715) het hierdie boek drie titels. In die Hebreeus staan dit bekend as die Wysheid van Joshua ben Sira. In die Vulgaat word dit Ekklesiastikus (die kerk se boek) en in die Joods-Hellenistiese geskrifte Sirag genoem. Ben Sirag (BS) beslaan 51 hoofstukke en wat inhoud en vorm betref, ressorteer dit onder die Ou Nabye Oosterse wysheidsliteratuur. Skehan en Di Lella (1987:4) sien dit as 'n soort handboek vir morele optrede wat 'n Jood in die tweede eeu VHJ moes nastreef. Ben Sirag se oupa, Sirag, het in Palestina 'n wysheidsgeskrif in Hebreeus die lig laat sien, skynbaar voor die revolusie wat met Antiogus Epifanes in Palestina geassosieer word (Cook 2020). Dié Seleukied het onder andere probeer om Jerusalem in 'n Griekse polis (stad) te verander (Tcherikover 1959). Joodse gebruike is verwerp en Hellenistiese kulturele waardes in die plek daarvan ingevoer. BS verwys geensins na hierdie gebeure nie, wat 'n aanduiding is dat die wysheidsgeskrif voor die Antiogeense revolusie tot stand gekom het. Die Griekse gimnasium het 'n rol begin speel in die Joodse gemeenskap, tot groot ontsteltenis van die konserwatiewe Jode (liberale Jode het onder andere die gimnasium naak besoek!). Hierdie Hebreeuse weergawes van BS is fragmentaries en plek-plek disjunk. Dit gee aanleiding tot uitsonderlike probleme vir die vertalers. Gelukkig is verskeie Hebreeuse fragmente later ontdek. Gedeeltes van hoofstukke 39-44 is by Masada gevind wat uit die eerste eeu VHJ dateer. Ms. 2Q18 bevat etlike reëls en 11QPsa bewaar dele van hoofstuk 51. Uit die Kairo-Geniza is daar ses fragmente beskikbaar. Opvallend is dat die Hebreeuse tekste, wat ongeveer twee derdes van die boek beslaan, nie by die Hebreeuse kanon ingesluit is nie. Hierdie tekste is nietemin baie belangrik vir die verstaan van die Griekse teks. Hier word dus behoorlike tekskritiese navorsing vereis, 'n probleem van enorme omvang. Die Griekse teks is deur die kleinseun van Sirag geskep toe hy tussen 132 en 117 VHJ, gedurende die heerskappy van Ptolemeus VII Euergetes II in Alexandrië sy oupa se geskrif uit die Hebreeus vertaal het. Hyself skryf in die proloog dat hy in die 38ste jaar van die heerskappy van koning Euergetes in Egipte aangekom het en dat hy baie slaaplose ure aan die vertaling spandeer het. Die omstandighede het grootliks van dié in Palestina verskil. Dit was 'n Hellenistiese wêreld, wat egter nie oorbeklemtoon moet word nie. Martin Hengel het daarop gewys dat alle vorme van die Judaïsme vanaf die tweede eeu VHJ as Hellenistiese Judaïsme beskou moet word. Skehan en Di Lella (1984) oordeel dat die Ptolemeërs die Persiese administratiewe sisteem oorgeneem het waarvolgens die Joodse hoëpriester nie net die geestelike leier van die volk was nie, maar ook 'n soort van sekulêre prins wat belasting moes insamel vir die Ptolemeïese ryk. Die vertaling bestaan uit verskeie latere byvoegings/spreuke, getipeer as GKII (Grieks II). GKI verwys na die oudste Griekse teks en word hoofsaaklik gevind in die unsiale manuskripte A, B, C en S, asook hul kursiewe manuskripte. Die tekspublikasie van Ziegler (Septuaginta Graecum Auctoritate Academiae Litteratum Goetingensis editum XII Sapientia Jesu Filii Sirach, 1965) word gebruik as basis vir die vertaling en interpretasie. Die deuterokanonieke literatuur - ook bekend as die apokriewe geskrifte - word as deel van die Septuagint beskou, wat tegelykertyd die tweede probleem is waarmee die moderne vertaler gekonfronteer word. Die Septuagint bestaan uit die Oudgriekse teks (OG), daardie tekste wat uit die oorspronklike Hebreeus en Aramees vertaal is, sowel as die sogenaamde de novo-komposisies, soos die Wysheid van Jesus ben Sira, of, nog beter, die Wysheid van Salomo. Oor Ben Sira heers daar onsekerheid, aangesien dit uit 'n Semitiese grondteks vertaal is.