Writing in tongues at the Tower of David's new language exhibit
You wouldn't be reading this sentence were it not for the advent of written word, which many scholars believe took place some 3,700 years ago in the land of Canaan. The Tower of David Museum's recently opened a exhibit, Letters and More: Evolution of the Alphabet, tells the story of text, its development across the ages, and the connection between written language and Jerusalem.
With a new focus on Hebrew linguistics in Israel's schools, as per a Ministry of Education directive, it seems fitting to open an exhibit on language at the Tower of David, which stands next to Jaffa Gate, the primary entrance to the Old City, where countless languages of the world can be heard on a daily basis.
The Tower of David's Chief Curator Renee Sivan, an expert in the field of cultural heritage, has been with the museum since it opened in 1989 and has, over the years, been involved with many archeological and preservation initiatives across Israel and as far as Capetown, Trinidad and Malaga. Sivan makes a sound argument for Jerusalem's ancient and current status as a linguistic center of the world. "Many of the languages that are not used anymore [colloquially] are still used in Jerusalem," she notes. "The Syrian Church still prays in Aramaic, the Greek Church still prays in ancient Greek, the Ethiopian Church in Ge'ez."
Sure, we all know of Jerusalem's age-old status as a host to speakers of Hebrew and Arabic, but the Holy City's history of being conquered over and over again makes for an extremely complex linguistic tapestry here. "Every story of Jerusalem is connected to language, and the stories are endless," says Sivan. "When the Romans captured Jerusalem, they put Latin on the coins, even though it was never adopted as a language."
Although the exhibition looks back to the dawn of written language, the technology used to tell the story is fully 21st century, with highlights including an animated movie and a create-your-own-hieroglyphic computer game. Elsewhere, a computer animation display demonstrates how letters morph shapes from alphabet to alphabet, and visitors create their own sentences using hieroglyphic-like symbols, choosing along the way which symbols ought to convey what words.
As Sivan tells GoJerusalem.com, "In ancient Egypt, they developed a system of hieroglyphics, people used to use symbols [as written language], but it wasn't exact - people didn't always understand each other. In Sinai and ancient Canaan, they found a way to make the first sound of a word correspond to a sign, so the first letters, the first written language developed here and in Sinai around 1,700 BCE. Now, we are, in a way, going back to using icons rather than letters - with Facebook, email and texting, we are returning to a language of signs."
Images of the exhibit and its displays courtesy of the Tower of David Museuem.
2000+ tips and recommendations
Alright, we'll be the first to admit it. Jerusalem's often chilly and often damp winters don't exactly exude...
In a region known for being one of the first in which early humans settled after leaving Africa, and in a city populated...
Looking for a place to begin your morning in luxury and style? Look no further than the American Colony Hotel, which offers...
Jerusalem, the city where kings ruled and sultans sat is no stranger to luxury. Today, even the visiting yeoman can find...
Jewish tradition holds that in the times of the First and Second Temples, all the Jewish people would gather in Jerusalem...
Technically, it's possible to visit Jerusalem without going to the Old City, but it would be hard to say you'd...
Looking for a place to begin your morning in luxury and style? Look no further than the American Colony Hotel, which offers...
The faithful may rhapsodize about the spiritual highs to be reached in the Old City; culture cognoscenti groove on the...
Once upon a time, options for eating out in Jerusalem were limited to local common phenomena such as falafel and schwarma,...
No results to show
|
Text text text
|
||
