Inscriptions from Israel and Palestine
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JERU0129

Unknown provenance. 20 BCE to 250 CE. Soft limestone ossuary. Funerary.
Transcription

Ἱκλωδις

Translation

Claudius

Diplomatic

[no diplomatic]

Terminus post quem:
Terminus ante quem:
Notes
Ossuary has low feet. Lid is missing and one corner broke off and was smoothed in antiquity. Inscription is on a narrow side of the chest (left or right), and is followed by a mark that seems to represent a fish. A symbolic significance is very unlikely, but two other possibilities exist: It could allude to the occupation of the deceased, as the mark of an altar or menorah on the ossuary of a priest; fishmongers are mentioned in Jerusalem as early as the fifth century BCE. Alternatively, it may be like those marks used in lieu of names as mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud in the first half of the third century CE, where a fish is specifically noted as the mark of Rav. Engemann suggests that on sepulchral monuments too a fish might allude to the name of occupation of the deceased (Reallexikon fur Antike und Christentum, s.v. "Fisch"). Ἰκλωδις is a variant of Κλώδιος, with the iota prefix representing a local pronunciation like that of איסטרוביל for στρόβιλος; the Latin name Claudius was common among Jews in Rome.

Languages

Greek

Dimensions

H: 34.5 cm; W: 51 cm; D: 27 cm

Date

20 BCE to 250 CE

Current location

Beth Shemesh, IAA inv. no. 1969-687

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.
    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," JERU0129, 12 September 2026. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89