Inscriptions from Israel and Palestine
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JERI0011

Judaea. Jericho. 5 CE to 70 CE. Ossuary. Funerary.
Transcription

מריה ברית נתאל שלמציןשלמשן מריה ברת נתאל בת שלמציןשלמשן מריה ברת

Translation

Marya, daughter of Neta'el, Shlamẓin (Shlomshn?). Marya, daughter of Neta'el, daughter of Shlamẓin (Shlomshn?). Marya, daughter of [

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. Corresponding pairs of holes are drilled through the edges of the lid and the chest's rim, one on each side. The holes are clearly not outlets for body secretions or for the establishment of contact between body and soil (in accordance with Jerusalem Talmud), as on other ossuaries. These holes seem intended for closure, perhaps with iron rivets. No such rivets were found here; perhaps the holes were never used or rope was used for closure and has since disintegrated. Ornamentation on the chest's front side consists of two metopes in zigzag frames, a row of ashlar- (or metope-?) patterned frieze above base, and a broadened triglyph containing a panelled, two-leaved door(?). Each metope contains a six-petalled rosette within a broad ring, bordered by concentric line circles, with segments linking petals. Ornamentation on the chest's left side is similar; a zigzag frame contains a six-petalled rosette within concentric line circles. The name appears once each on the chest's front, back, and left sides; the latter inscription is partially covered by incrustation. מריה is a contracted, Graecized form of מרים. Hachlili regards ברית as a diminutive of ברת; considering that it is otherwise unattested and the usual form appears twice on this ossuary, it seems more likely that the yod was a mistake. נתאל is probably a contraction of the name נתנאל, which is common in Biblical literature and has also been documented in the first century BCE. Hachlili suggests that שלמשן is a contraction of שלמשיון, a local pronunciation of שלמציון, but Naveh notes the difference in the two letters shin and speculates that the second is actually a ligature of ṣadeh and yod, producing שלמצין. Grandparents are infrequently mentioned in ossuary inscriptions; this one is especially rare in listing three generations of women (rather than bearing the name of the deceased and that of her father and grandfather). Mistakes are sometimes made in inscribing בת for בר, but even if that were the case here, the inscription would constitute the only instance of a deceased person's father being identified by his matronymic. Repetition of the name of the deceased may express grief of the mourner(s) or improve upon an unsatisfactory first inscription.

Languages

Hebrew, Aramaic

Dimensions

H: 25+4 cm; W: 55 cm; D: 24 cm

Date

5 CE to 70 CE

Current location

No provenance provided.

Figures

  • zigzag frames front and left sides of chest

  • concentric line circles encircling rosettes

  • rings around rosettes in metopes

  • frieze of ashlar (or metope) pattern above base of front of chest

  • panelled, two-leaved door(?) in triglyph

  • encircled six-petalled rosettes in metopes and on left side of chest

  • metopes within frames on front side

  • broadened triglyph between 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
  • 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," JERI0011, 7 June 2026. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89