Inscriptions from Israel and Palestine
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Images

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Location

JERI0006

Judaea. Jericho. 5 CE to 70 CE. Soft limestone ossuary with finely incised ornamentation. Abecedary.
Transcription

ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΦ

Translation

[no translation]

Diplomatic

[no diplomatic]

Terminus post quem:
Terminus ante quem:
Notes
Ossuary has traces of red wash and low feet. Height describes that of chest plus that of vaulted lid with fingergrips. Ornamentation, on the chest's front side, consists of three metopes in zigzag frames, each containing a six-petalled rosette within a zigzag circle, and triglyphs transformed into palm trees. Concentric line semi-circles indicate roots and ascending branches. Inscription is written in charcoal on the underside of the lid. Within the tomb, the lid stood facing the entrance; Hachlili suggests that it is an abecedary inscribed and positioned thus as magical protection. If so, it is the earliest recorded occurrence in a local Jewish tomb. They are attested at the Bet She'arim necropolis. The theta here is uncertain; the phi, perhaps, was intended as an iota.

Languages

Greek

Dimensions

H: 26+3 cm; W: 57 cm; D: 25 cm

Date

5 CE to 70 CE

Current location

No provenance provided.

Figures

  • zigzag frames front of chest

  • palm trees as triglyphs

  • concentric line circles encircling rosettes

  • metopes within frames

  • concentric line semi-circles indicating roots and branches trees

  • encircled six-petalled rosettes in metopes

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
  • Hachlili, Rachel. “The Goliath Family in Jericho: Funerary Inscriptions from a First-Century A.D. Jewish Monumental Tomb.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 235, no. Summer (1979): 31–66.
    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," JERI0006, 7 June 2026. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89