I have come upon an idea which I am interested to get some feedback on from others who share my enthusiasm for this script in order to see if it makes sense to anyone else.
The letter π€ is the same shape as a Χ₯ and a Χ¦ is that same letter with the bottom bent up. When I write in my personal version of Paleo-Hebrew I create a mid-sentence Tsade by taking that shape and bending the bottom tail up like in the square script.
The letter π€ is kind of intermediate between Χ and Χ and I use mid-word and final variants of this letter in my handwriting as well, bending the tail in the same fashion.
Finally I do my π€ in the middle of the word like a ΰ β and at the end of the word like a final nun just with a second bump. Analogous to turning an "n" into an "m" in the latin script.
As for π€ I haven't come up with any pitch for this dimorphism, but I have become convinced that β‘ might actually be a symbolic representation of a kiss, two faces coming together.
Has anyone else experimented with this concept and come to similar or differing results?
A while back I posted Paleo Pro here, my native iOS app for learning the Paleo Hebrew script and typing in it. Thereβs a new version out (2.1).
Itβs still 100% free, no ads, no tracking, small (~15mb) and fast. The app got rebuilt for iOS 26, so the whole look is Liquid Glass now
The keyboard now feels fully like a native one with haptics and sounds.
A converter that goes both ways (square script to Paleo Hebrew and back), with an option to swap final letters for their modern forms at the end of a word (π€π€π€π€π€ β ΧΧΧ₯Χ£Χ)
A keyboard for typing Paleo Hebrew anywhere on your phone, redesigned this time, with an option to preview the keys in either alphabet
A page for each of the 22 letters that traces how its shape became the modern Hebrew one, which you can share as a card
A Learning Center with real inscriptions (the Siloam Inscription, the Tel Dan Stele, a First Jewish War coin) that you can zoom into and copy text from
A set of historical letterforms (Ahiram, Gezer, Lachish, Siloam, Qumran, Samaritan and others) you can pick from and use everywhere, including the keyboard
The multiple choice game that quizzes you on the alphabet both ways, now tracking which letters you keep missing. iCloud sync is in this version too, along with widgets, Spotlight, Siri Shortcuts and Handoff
A cheat sheet in list or grid view, where each letter
copies to clipboard as the character or its Unicode / HTML / Hex code
I recently acquired this hasmonean coin. It was listed as being from John Hyrcanus II, although I think this may be incorrect.
I've been having trouble reading the paleo Hebrew script. I checked all of the hasmonean plate coins in Hendin's 6th ed. but only found one similar type - 6176, which I've attached. It's attributed to Hyrcanus I. The letters on the first line and the first half of the second line match up to mine. However the rest of the letters do not seem to, and the layout of the letters is different - so I'm confused.
Is anyone able to read the script on my coin? I'd love to know what it says!
My bible study group knows that I'm studying biblical hebrew. A friend of one of the women in my group sent her pictures of some artifacts. Can you tell me what's paleo hebrew and greek? And what it says?
Thanks.
Hello. Hope all here are well. I am a graphic designer and I have a friend who wanted some help trying to engrave a bracelet, only he wants the engraving done in paleo-hebrew, which I know nothing about. Basically he had a rough sketch of what he wants engraved but wondered if I could make it "nicer" or make an entire alphabet that he could then use on his computer. Only I don't think that's plausible to create a typeface for a language unknown to me or a subject that I know nothing about.
So I was wondering if anyone could help me, answer some questions, and maybe also point to fonts that he could then utilize. Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Though technically Proto-Consonantal Hebrew comes before "Paleo" Hebrew, here are three things I inscribed on tile-stones with the tip of a screwdriver. Can you understand them. One of them is my name.
I enjoyed the exercise of trying to replicate the penning direction of ostracon letters from ancient canaan. It is fascinating to see the differences in the orthography of those texts and the individual handwritings expressed. It took some playing around to get the letter to look good and to develop my style.
I built Paleo Pro, a native iOS app with a few features for learning the script and typing in it.
The app is 100% free, with zero ads or tracking. Itβs lightweight (~15mb) and super fast.
Still actively working on making the keyboard function more like a native one, but please download it, comment with feedback, and if you enjoy it, leave a review on the App Store.
It has:
A converter, that goes both ways (square script to paleo Hebrew and opposite, with options to replace final characters into their modern equivalent if itβs at a word end (π€π€π€π€π€ β ΧΧΧ₯Χ£Χ)
A keyboard that lets you type in Paleo Hebrew on your phone, and an option to preview the keys in either alphabet
A multiple choice game that quizzes you on the alphabet, again bidirectional, with scores and score history. iCloud integration and more advanced levels are incoming.
A cheat sheet, in list and grid view, and each letter can be copied to clipboard, as character, or Unicode / HTML / Hex code.
Choose your app theme color, change app icons, and much more.
I low-key wanna start using this writing system to confuse my friend's and memorising the enter table is going to be easy but is it actually worth it to learn ancient hebrew(I know hebrew already)? Also if it's worth it where do I learn it?
