Inscriptions from Israel and Palestine
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JERU0004

Judaea. Jerusalem. 20 BCE to 70 CE. Soft limestone ossuary. Funerary.
Transcription

מריחוסה

Translation

Master Iahos(a)(?)

Diplomatic

[no diplomatic]

Terminus post quem:
Terminus ante quem:
Notes
This unornamented ossuary has an inner ledge on four sides. Lid is missing. Several readings of the inscription are possible: The first (right-most) character could be a mem or a samekh (though it differs from second-to-last character, supporting the former interpretation); the fifth could be a yod or a vav. Assuming transposition of the fifth and sixth characters, with the sixth read as yod, Vincent, Lugscheider, Clermont-Ganneau and Kautzsch read סרי חסיה or מר יחסיה and Klein reads מר חסיה. Rahmani suggests either מרי חוסה, "my lord Hosah" (the name is attested in the Bible as that of a Levitic family in Davidic times), or מר יחוסה, "Master Iahosa," Iahosa being a form of Ἰάχος in the pattern of אוכלוסא for ὄχλος (Gen. Rabbah 6:4; Num. Rabbah 6:9) and כרכסא for ϰέρϰος (Esth. Rabbah to 1:10). Inclusion of the engraver's relationship to the deceased, as in "master" here, is attested in other inscriptions, e.g. אבונה, "our father," and [אמנ[ה, "our mother."

Languages

Hebrew, Aramaic

Dimensions

H: 36.5 cm; W: 49 cm; D: 28.5 cm

Date

20 BCE to 70 CE

Current location

No provenance provided.

Figures

No figures described.

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. page 76-77.
    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. page plate 1, fig. 8.
    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," JERU0004, 4 April 2025. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89