Qumran DSS Biblical Database - What do the symbols in the text mean?

Hey there,

I do not yet have this resource, though I have studied Hebrew. Perhaps what you are seeing are cantillation marks, used for ritual chanting. See the following article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantillation_marks

Hope this helps, Matt

These marks do not appear to be cantillation marks. They are not
listed
anywhere in that Wikipedia article (but thanks for that reference,
Matthew). I have no idea what they are either, but here's a better look
at what Eric is talking about, in case someone else who doesn't have the resource recognizes these:

EDIT: Found a partial answer, from a page on the Biblical Archaeology Society website (http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=18&Issue=6&ArticleID=15):

The Hebrew text contains markings used by scholars to indicate the state
of the original text. A lower-case c followed by a number, such as c4
in the first line, indicates the estimated number of letters lost in a
missing section of a line. A filled-in circle above a letter indicates a
damaged letter whose proposed reading seems almost certain; an open
circle above a letter indicates a damaged letter whose proposed reading
is uncertain. A period on the bottom of a line indicates the presence of
an extremely damaged letter. Vacat indicates a space left empty
by the scribe. The signs < and > on either side of a letter
indicate that the letter had been written above the line by the scribe
after he had detected a scribal error.

That had no mention of the horizontal line above a letter, but I did find this elsewhere (in Notes on the Hebrew Text of the Books of Samuel by Samuel Rolles Driver). It's not specifically about the DSS, but it might be the same mark used by scholars, however I'm not sure then what would be the difference between it and the circle above a letter.

Another possibility is this (from Hebrew: The Eternal Language by William Chomsky):

Rosie Perera said:

The Hebrew text contains markings used by scholars to indicate the state
of the original text. A lower-case c followed by a number, such as c4
in the first line, indicates the estimated number of letters lost in a
missing section of a line. A filled-in circle above a letter indicates a
damaged letter whose proposed reading seems almost certain; an open
circle above a letter indicates a damaged letter whose proposed reading
is uncertain. A period on the bottom of a line indicates the presence of
an extremely damaged letter. Vacat indicates a space left empty
by the scribe. The signs < and > on either side of a letter
indicate that the letter had been written above the line by the scribe
after he had detected a scribal error.

Perhaps Logos could add an introduction to the Biblical DSS Database similar to the one in the Qumran Sectarian Manuscripts Database:

Milkman said:

What about those Leafs last night? Great shoot out? Just maybe a playoff birth yet??

The falling leaves drift by the window,
The autumn leaves of red and gold.

What are the Leafs?  A checker team?  What has Athens to do with Jerusalem ?