An interdisciplinary approach to the linguisticmilieu in Southern and Central Palestine during the Persian period

This contribution examines an interdisciplinary approach to the historical characterization of the Hebrew language during the Persian period – a pivotal stage in the Bible’s development. We rely on a variety of sources to outline the historical context of the linguistic milieu in this era, and bring linguistic evidence from epigraphy for the multiglotic situation in the southern and central parts of Palestine during this period. Furthermore, building on Marc Bloch’s historical method, we describe the ancient reality through the comparative perspective of modern Arabic Palestinian dialects from the same geographical expanse. These observations lead us to conceptualized LBH as literary embodiment of a multi-lingual historical reality.