The enhanced digital image above is a portion of a 60 foot long petroglyph that is located on private land. Known as "Bear Rock Canyon," this location was also depicted in our
previous bulletin. This is another portion of the lengthy panel that many believe to be an illustrated epic of a migration.
This particular section appears to be dealing with the maintaining and creating of a temple. The petroglyph reads from right to left. The figure which is labeled quadruped? is just a guess, based on the remaining alphabetical translation.
The enclosure described as tent is also a guess. But this non-alphabetical shape helps to illustrate the old Negev contained within. Reading from top to bottom, we encounter a ligature with the sequence yod- resh- he (inverted), or yeriA, ...sheet, curtain, tent...
The ligature reminded me of a stick figure with arms raised, and perhaps that is also a visual pun. Reading from right to left (which seems to be the convention used throughout this panel), the letters he and tsadeh flank our stick man, dangling from his arm. HeTSA, ...to supply...
The next group begins with a small rectangle, representing nun and is followed by a large, double vav. NV, ...dwelling place.... The next ligature is almost cursive, starting out as a tsadeh and then bending into a lamed and quickly turning the bend as a resh and ending in a large, bold nun, which appears as a solid circle. TSEL-RAN, ...a temple, rejoice!...
Another group of lines at the bottom also ends with a large open circle and is believed to be in a similar cursive style, reading HSNA, ...please help us...The various artifacts and shapes above this are too deteriorated to make any interpretation. Are they illustrations of clever ligatures?
The groupings on the far left of this picture are fairly straight old Negev script, reading from top to bottom. ZL, ...the temple... followed by a clever combination of the circular alef within a double vav. AV, ...father... Below this are the letters beth- khaf, BK, ...with you (plural)... A human form is shown kneeling in reverence of a large horned quadruped, likely representing a ram, or El. Above the ram are the letters L- D, ...forever...
To the left of the double khaf (the thing that resembles a comb) you can see the ligature for YR, ...to hold in awe...
We will be taking another look at this panel when the photographs from a 1940's expedition to this very site are reviewed. We will also be able to see the damage that 60 years of weathering and neglect has done to these petroglyphs.
Gary Vey, Editor (413-5841413)
myristicin@hotmail.com
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