Img. ID: 346469
Sheet no. 1
The opening decoration consists of six panels surrounding an oval empty medallion placed in the center. In the upper register, two groups of people are painted: on the right, they are seven women (maidservants of Esther mentioned in Es. 2:9) and on the left, they are seven men (princes of Media and Persia listed in Es. 1:14). Below them, gallows are depicted. On the right, the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh are hanged (Es. 2:23) and on the left, possibly ten sons of Haman are hanging on two gallows joined together (Es. 9:14). These two depictions flank an oval frame that originally could contain a drawing. The next two scenes are shown in the lower register. They are Esther and Mordecai writing the Purim letter (Es. 9:29) and the triumph of Mordecai (Es. 6:11). The membrane that is crumpled in this place and these two scenes are poorly preserved.
The opening decoration is followed by the first column of text. On the left, it is separated by a column decorated with an oval filled with a depiction of a city and above it, a flower-filled vase is standing. The upper and lower margins adorn landscapes.
Length of the sheets in the scroll: 1) ca. 565 mm, 2) 395 mm.
An average letter in the scroll is 1 mm high and the spaces between the lines of the text are 1,5 mm.
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Seven maidens given to Esther (Es. 2:9)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Haman's sons hanged (Es. 9:14)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Bigthan and Teresh hanged (Es. 2:23)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Mordecai's triumph (Es. 6:11)
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Mordecai and Esther writing the Purim letter (Es. 9:29)
C | City
V | Vase | Vase with flowers
C | Columns
E | Esther, Book of (following the order of the story) | Ahasuerus and the seven princes of Persia and Media (Es. 1:13-15) | Seven princes of Persia and Media (Es. 1:14)
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The membranes are preserved in satisfactory condition, but they are crumpled and discolorations can be seen on them.
The decorations are seriously damaged especially on the opening section of the scroll.
In general, the lower margins are preserved in worse condition than the upper margins.
The text is well preserved.
The Book of Esther in Hebrew
The scroll is formed of 2 sheets, in total containing 11 columns of text with 29 lines each, except for col. 9 which has 11 lines divided into two half-columns.
The first sheet contains 6 columns of text and the second sheet contains 5 columns.
The text is written in Hebrew square script with tagin in brown ink on parchment membranes that are rather thin, delicate, and slightly suede on the blank side.
The letters ח (Es. 1:6) and ת (Es. 9:29) are enlarged and bolded. Other enlarged and diminished letters are included in col. 9.
The letters of the opening word and the four letters of the name of God are enlarged and bolded.
The ruling - upper and lower horizontal lines - is made with a hard point.
The pricking is invisible.
The membranes in the scroll are glued together.
None
Corrections are made with a pencil; one of them is in the upper margin above col. 5.
No bibliography on the scroll is available.