Inscriptions from Israel and Palestine
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Images

No images available

Location

JERU0156

Judaea. Jerusalem. 20 BCE to 135 CE. Soft limestone ossuary. Funerary.
Transcription

מרה מרתא

Translation

Mara. Martha

Diplomatic

[no diplomatic]

Terminus post quem:
Terminus ante quem:
Notes
Ossuary has inner ledge on three sides and flat, sliding lid. מרא is a contraction of מרתא attested as a Jewish name in Rome, also occurring in Cyrenaica. Here the name appears in both contracted and plene forms -- the first on the rim of the chest on one of its narrow sides, the second beneath it on the chest itself -- as is true of other names on ossuaries in the area. Repetition of the name of the deceased may express grief of the mourner(s) or improve upon an unsatisfactory first inscription.

Languages

Aramaic, Hebrew

Dimensions

H: 34.5 cm; W: 76 cm; D: 29 cm

Date

20 BCE to 135 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.
    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," JERU0156, 18 November 2025. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89