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In a box of unpublished Aramaic papyri from the 1906-1907 German excavations of Elephantine there is a small fragment (p. 23141) that uses scribal marks in a margin or vacat to identify a textual edit. This is the first example of Aramaic editorial marks of this type from the Persian period, and demonstrates a previously unidentified scribal practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the discovery of the Jewish temple at the Elephantine Island. In 1967, a German team started work at the southern end of Elephantine Island with the aim of identifying the town populated by the Jewish community and its Egyptian temples over the centuries. Their excavations uncovered an Aramaic quarter of the 27th Dynasty, which equates to that of the Jewish colony. Eventually in 1997, at the heart of this village, they found a piece of tiled flooring. They identified this as the floor of the Jewish temple. Parts of the walls of the temple and the surrounding courtyard were identified. INSET: The Elephantine Papyri.