Jacob's tapestry (click twice for larger picture)
This is the tapestry that Jacob was weaving in the Season 5 finale. The photograph is another sneak peek from the Season 5 DVD set
The hieroglyphics are Egyptian, which is odd because the writing is Greek. Why does Jacob combine the two in a single tapestry? Is it possible he lived in both Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece during his supernaturally long life — and is now telling his own story through the tapestry, using weaving as a form of autobiography? Or is Jacob simply an inventive artist, the kind who likes to create something new by mixing bits of different cultures together?
For more info about what’s known, so far, about the tapestry, see Lostpedia.
Photo courtesy of Buena Vista Home Entertainment. ©ABC Studios. Season 5 DVDs go on sale tomorrow, December 8, 2009.
I thought at first, looking at the smaller photo, that the writing was Greek as well. I have a Bachelor’s in Classical Attic Greek, and studied Middle Egyptian while working on my Master’s. I’m not sure what the writing is, to tell you the truth. It’s nothing I’ve ever studied, and I know Latin, five different dialects of Greek, Middle Egyptian, Hieratic, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Maybe it’s some form of Phoenician dialect? Phoenician is similar to Greek, but lacks a lot of the strike through. I’ve only seen it a few times, so it’s difficult for me to remember for sure what it looks like. If I had to take a guess, though, that’s what I’d say the writing on Jacob’s tapestry is. Cheers!
Either that or it’s Byzantine. Which is too modern for me 😉