CRYPTIC B — ONE‑PAGE SIGN MATRIX (WORKING TABLE)
Status: Working hypothesis • Falsifiable • Open for extension
Purpose: Provide a compact, machine‑ and human‑readable matrix for testing, extending, or refuting proposed Cryptic B sign values using publicly available imagery. This table separates visual facts from interpretive claims and encodes explicit falsification triggers.
Sign Matrix
| Sign ID | Visual Sketch / Descriptor | Proposed Hebrew | Confidence | Known Occurrences (Image → Fragment / Position) | Competing Hypotheses | Falsification Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB‑01 | Vertical stroke + secondary curved stroke descending left | י (Yod) | HIGH | fig1gif.png → ישראל pos.1; 64097562.jpeg → multiple short verticals w/ hook | ו (Vav) | Appears where yod is grammatically impossible or secondary stroke absent across corpus |
| CB‑02 | Three‑pronged form (paleo‑He‑like) | ש (Shin) | HIGH | fig1gif.png → ישראל pos.2; 64097562.jpeg → Fragment A (tri‑prong) | None plausible | Fails in words requiring shin patterns (e.g., שמ‑, ‑ש) |
| CB‑03 | Curved head on vertical stem (inverted‑J) | ר (Resh) | MEDIUM | fig1gif.png → ישראל pos.3 (damaged) | ד (Dalet) | Curvature vs. angular distinction collapses across occurrences |
| CB‑04 | Cross / diagonal strokes (X‑like) | א (Aleph) | HIGH | fig1gif.png → ישראל pos.4; 64097559.jpeg → corner fragment | ת / ע | Appears where aleph is disallowed and alternative fits better |
| CB‑05 | Tallest vertical; upper curve / hook | ל (Lamed) | HIGH | fig1gif.png → ישראל pos.5; 64097562.jpeg → multiple tall forms | None | Existence of another consistently taller non‑lamed letter |
| CB‑06 | Unknown distinct form (must differ from CB‑02) | ה (He) | LOW | Reported in יהודה (Oliveiro); not visually isolated here | — | No distinct he‑form found; יהודה collapses |
| CB‑07 | Simple short vertical; no secondary stroke | ו (Vav) | LOW | Expected in יהודה; not isolated | י (Yod) | Cannot be distinguished from yod corpus‑wide |
| CB‑08 | Angular head on vertical (L‑shape) | ד (Dalet) | LOW | Expected in יהודה; not isolated | ר (Resh) | Dalet/resh distinction fails repeatedly |
| CB‑09 | Rounded / oval / eye‑like | ע (Ayin) | LOW | Expected in יעזב / יעקב; not isolated | ס | No rounded form where ayin required |
| CB‑10 | Unknown | ז (Zayin) | VERY LOW | Expected in יעזב; not isolated | — | יעזב cannot be visually supported |
| CB‑11 | Unknown | ב (Bet) | VERY LOW | Expected in יעזב / יעקב; not isolated | כ (Kaf) | Bet/Kaf ambiguity unresolved in context |
| CB‑12 | Unknown | ק (Qof) | VERY LOW | Expected in יעקב; not isolated | — | יעקב unsupported visually |
Confirmed Lexeme
| Lexeme | Evidence | Status |
|---|---|---|
| ישראל | fig1gif.png lower register; 5 distinct signs mapping CB‑01→CB‑05 | CONFIRMED |
Notes on Evidence Quality
-
Infrared (IR) is decisive for 4Q362; visible‑light photos under‑resolve ink on darkened leather.
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PAM 41.692 plate resolution is insufficient for sign discrimination without magnification.
-
Spacing is inconsistent; word boundaries are provisional.
Minimal Next Tests (to upgrade confidence)
-
Obtain higher‑resolution IR for all 4Q362 fragments.
-
Corpus‑wide frequency counts for CB‑01…CB‑12.
-
Context tests for grammatical impossibility (especially CB‑03 vs. CB‑08).
-
Cross‑check shared derivations with Cryptic A (notably CB‑02).
Scope Declaration
This table claims: visual plausibility for CB‑01…CB‑05; one confirmed lexeme; explicit falsification logic.
This table does not claim: full decipherment; continuous translation; independent verification beyond public images.
Prepared for open extension.
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