Archaeologists Unscramble Ancient Graffiti In Israel : NPR
Aramaic, it turns out, is the key to all other Semitic languages--the archaeologist in the article calls it "the little black dress" of the Semitic wardrobe. Maybe that explains why I've always had so much trouble reading Nabataean.
Note that there are 16 very nice photos of the tombs described, tombs from the Roman thru Byzantine period in Israel. And the archaeologist is right: graffiti are very wonderful sources, because they are written but not literary, so they are spontaneous, uncensored, and authentic. And sometimes they say funny things (like "Good luck on your resurrection").
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