Balaam inscription
E593646
The Balaam inscription is an ancient Aramaic text discovered at Deir Alla in Jordan that recounts visions of the seer Balaam, offering important evidence for Northwest Semitic language and religion in the Iron Age.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Aramaic text
ⓘ
Northwest Semitic inscription ⓘ ancient inscription ⓘ epigraphic text ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Deir Alla inscription NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| approximateDate | 8th century BCE ⓘ |
| archaeologicalContext | collapsed sanctuary wall ⓘ |
| associatedSiteType | sanctuary ⓘ |
| biblicalParallels | Book of Numbers NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| country | Jordan ⓘ |
| culturalContext | Transjordanian Iron Age culture ⓘ |
| currentLocation | Jordan Archaeological Museum (major fragments) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| date | Iron Age ⓘ |
| describes |
divine council activity
ⓘ
gods sending disasters ⓘ |
| discoveredAt | Deir Alla NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| discoveryMethod | archaeological excavation ⓘ |
| foundIn | a ruined sanctuary at Deir Alla ⓘ |
| genre |
prophetic narrative
ⓘ
vision report ⓘ |
| inscriptionType |
narrative inscription
ⓘ
religious inscription ⓘ |
| language | Aramaic ⓘ |
| length | multi-column inscription ⓘ |
| material | plastered wall fragments ⓘ |
| medium | ink ⓘ |
| mentions |
Balaam son of Beor
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
multiple deities ⓘ |
| paleographicDating | late 9th to early 8th century BCE ⓘ |
| region | Jordan Valley NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedBiblicalFigure | Balaam NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedTo | Hebrew Bible NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| religiousContent | visions of the seer Balaam ⓘ |
| religiousTheme |
divine revelation through dreams and visions
ⓘ
interaction between gods and a human seer ⓘ |
| religiousTradition | Northwest Semitic religion ⓘ |
| scholarlyField |
Northwest Semitic epigraphy
ⓘ
biblical studies ⓘ history of Israelite and Transjordanian religion ⓘ |
| script | ink on plaster ⓘ |
| significance |
earliest long Aramaic inscription
ⓘ
evidence for Northwest Semitic language in the Iron Age ⓘ evidence for Northwest Semitic religion in the Iron Age ⓘ |
| structure | several columns of text ⓘ |
| usedFor |
reconstructing early Aramaic dialects
ⓘ
studying the figure of Balaam outside the Bible ⓘ |
| writingDirection | right-to-left ⓘ |
| writingSystem | Northwest Semitic alphabet NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.