New Light on the Biblical ‘Millo’ from Hatran Inscriptions.

Abstract

Hatran Aramaic ml' occurs in linguistic and archaeological contexts that establish that it corresponds to Hebrew millb(') and targumic Aramaic mlyt', and that it refers to some component of Hatra's circumvallation visible from the forecourts of its gates-possibly a terrace adjacent to the inside of the walls (including the walls of the gates), similar, in some respects, to the one found at Tell el-Hesi. This interpretation of Hatran ml' is supported by the usage of Akkadian tamlf and targumic mlyt3. It is virtually identical to an interpretation of Hebrew millo(') put forward in the Middle Ages by Isaiah of Trani. In the appendix, it is argued that Aramaic lgw mn = Mishnaic Hebrew lpnym mn = biblical Hebrew mbyt 1- may be translated "inside" when used with nouns denoting perimeters, but that with nouns denoting areas they take on the meaning "behind, inward from." With nouns of the latter type, "inside" is expressed by bgw = btwk