PALMYRA THEN AND NOW

• Published in: The Classical Review Vol. 68; no. 1; pp. 189 - 191
• Main Author: MacLennan, Donald A.
• Format: Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.04.2018
• Subjects: Aramaic language; Bilingualism; Diglossia; Identity; Inscriptions; Interpersonal relations; Material culture; Reviews; Roman civilization; Society; Television; Palmyra Syria; Syria
• DOI: 10.1017/S0009840X17001706
• ISSN: 0009-840X

The Wisconsin Palmyrene Aramaic Inscription Project, directed by J. Hutton, uses reflective transformation imaging on Palmyrene inscriptions, allowing access to these moveable and adaptable images on an online database.Palmyra has been the subject of news articles, television news items and an increasing number of publications aimed at a wider audience.The first thing one notices about the two volumes is that they both feature the same monument on their covers: the famous arch at one end of the colonnade that IS destroyed in 2015.Since its destruction, this arch has remained an important symbol of the city.The discrepancy between the Palmyrene and Greek portions of inscriptions from the city was noted some time ago in an article by D. Taylor ('Bilingualism and Diglossia', in J. Adams et al., Bilingualism in Ancient Society [2002]), who argued that Palmyrene was the language associated with the funerary sphere and matters of kinship whilst Greek was used to refer to public activities and civic governance.