Inscriptions from Israel and Palestine
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BENS0001

Coastal Plain. Ben Shemen. 20 BCE to 135 CE. Soft limestone ossuary with finely incised ornamentation. Funerary.
Transcription

לוי בר מלשה בגפיה

Translation

Levi, son of Malosha

Diplomatic

[no diplomatic]

Terminus post quem:
Terminus ante quem:
Notes
Broken, reconstructed and partially restored ossuary has low feet and red wash on its front side. Height describes that of chest plus that of gabled lid with fingergrips. Ornamentation on the chest's front side consists of two metopes in zigzag frames and a triglyph replaced by a trunkless palm-tree motif. Concentric zigzag semi-circles indicate ascending branches and roots and zigzags form its trunk. Each metope contains zigzag quarter-circles in upper outer corners, zigzag diagonals in lower outer corners, and a six-petalled rosette within concentric line and zigzag circles, with zigzags overlaying petals. Back, right and left sides of chest and top of lid have a lattice pattern in red wash. Inscription is on the chest's right side. לוי is a common name of the period. מלשה might be a nickname in status emphaticus derived from the word מלוש, meaning "kneading trough." Other kitchen-derived nicknames on ossuaries include "pot" and "oil-cake." Naveh, however, reads the name as מנשה. The word בגפיה may, like בלבדא, indicate either that no further remains should be added to the ossuary, or that the ossuary contained nothing beyond the deceased's remains, that is, nothing of value.

Languages

Hebrew, Aramaic

Dimensions

H: 30.5+6 cm; W: 60 cm; D: 24 cm

Date

20 BCE to 135 CE

Current location

No provenance provided.

Figures

  • concentric zigzag circles encircling rosettes

  • zigzags forming trunk tree

  • zigzag quarter-circles upper outer corners of metopes

  • zigzag diagonals lower outer corners of metopes

  • zigzag frames front of chest

  • palm-tree motif triglyph

  • encircled six-petalled rosettes in metopes

  • concentric line circles encircling rosettes

  • metopes within frames

  • concentric zigzag semi-circles indicating branches and roots tree

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

  • Rahmani, L.Y. A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries in the Collections of the State of Israel. Edited by Ayala Sussmann. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1994.
    Zotero
  • Rahmani, L.Y. A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries in the Collections of the State of Israel. Edited by Ayala Sussmann. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1994.
    Zotero
  • Rahmani, L.Y. A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries in the Collections of the State of Israel. Edited by Ayala Sussmann. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1994.
    Zotero
  • Rahmani, L.Y. A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries in the Collections of the State of Israel. Edited by Ayala Sussmann. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1994.
    Zotero
  • Rahmani, L.Y. A Catalogue of Jewish Ossuaries in the Collections of the State of Israel. Edited by Ayala Sussmann. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1994.
    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," BENS0001, 7 June 2026. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89