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ZOOR0108

Negev. Zoora. September 4, 415 CE. Reddish sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

Transcription

+ ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Θεμάλλου Οὐλπιανοῦ, ἀποθανάντοςἀποθανόντος ἐν ἔτιἔτει τιʹ ἐτῶν ιεʹ, ἐν μηνὶ ΓορπιέουΓορπιαίου ζιʹ, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου ζʹ. ΘάρσιΘάρσει, Θεμάλλα, ουδὶςοὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος. + +

Translation

Monument of Themallas, (son) of Ulpianus, who died in the year 310, (at the age) of 15 years, on (the) 17th (day) of the month Gorpiaios, on the 7th day of (the) Lord (Saturday). Be of good cheer, Themallas, no one (is) immortal.

Diplomatic

[no diplomatic]

Terminus post quem:
Terminus ante quem:
Notes
The inscription provides the date as the 7th day of the Lord (Saturday), the 17th day of the month Gorpiaios in the year 310 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, September 4, 415 CE. The tombstone is one of about 700 discovered in Byzantine Zoora. The majority of the Greek tombstones from this location have been identified as Christian. The tombstone is broken in the upper left corner, and its smoothed, inscribed surface is chipped and flaked off in several places. The text, written in round script, is engraved and preserves traces of red paint in lines one, four, seven, nine, and eleven. The text is set within guide-lines and surrounded by a frame, both of which are engraved and painted red. A centered outlined cross is engraved above the text. Two more crosses, engraved and preserving traces of red paint, appear at the end of line twelve. The first one has four small circles above and below its horizontal bar. Three engraved palm branch figures appear within the text: one at the end of line six, after the month day numeral in line eight, and after the weekday numeral in line nine. The text contains multiple spelling errors. The personal name Θεμάλλας, which appears elsewhere in this corpus (no. 146), is a Greek rendering of the Semitic theophoric name, including the elements tym, meaning "slave," and the divine name 'lh, meaning "Allah." In addition to its attestation at Ghor es-Safi, it also appears at Khirbet es-Samra and Hauran in a variety of spellings.

Languages

Greek

Dimensions

H: 46 cm; W: 32 cm; D: 10 cm

Date

415 CE to 415 CE

Current location

Department of Antiquities of Jordan

Figures

  • Cross (see note)

  • Guide-lines within the text

  • Frame surrounding the text

  • Palm branch (see note)

Bibliography

Source of diplomatic

No bibliography available for diplomatic transcription.

Source of transcription

No bibliography available for transcription.

Source of translation

No bibliography available for translation.

Other sources

  • Meimaris, Yiannis, and Kalliope Kritikakou-Nikolaropoulou. Inscriptions from Palaestina Tertia Vol. Ia: The Greek Inscriptions from Ghor Es-Safi (Byzantine Zoora). Athens, Greece: National Hellenic Research Foundation, 2005. insc 108.
    Zotero
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The project can be cited as:

Satlow, Michael L., ed. 2002 - . “Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine.” Brown University. https://doi.org/10.26300/PZ1D-ST89

This inscription can be cited as:

"Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine," ZOOR0108, 8 January 2025. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89