Images

No images available

Location

ZOOR0044

Negev. Zoora. September 2, 383 CE. Reddish and white sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

Transcription

ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Ματρώνης. Ἐρασίνου, παυσαμένης ἐτῶν ςʹ και μηνῶν ἕξ, ἔτους σοηʹ, μηνὶ Γορπιέου ιεʹ, ἡμέρᾳ Κρόνου. ΘάρσιΘάρσει, ὀυδὶςοὐδείς ἀθάνατος.

Translation

Monument of Matrona, (daughter) of Erasinos, who died (at the age) of 6 years and six months, in (the) year 278, on (the) 15th (day) of (the) month Gorpiaios, on (the) day of Saturn (Saturday). Be of good cheer, no one (is) immortal.

Diplomatic

[no diplomatic]

Terminus post quem:
Terminus ante quem:
Notes
The inscription provides the date as the day of Saturn, the 15th day of the month Gorpiaios in the year 278 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, September 2, 383 CE. The tombstone is one of about 700 discovered in Byzantine Zoora. The majority of the Greek tombstones from this location have been identified as Christian. The smoothed inscribed surface is chipped at all edges, especially the lower left corner. The letters are engraved in a round alphabet and painted red, except for the first three letters in line one, which lack red paint. The first cross, which precedes the text, also lacks red paint, while the second cross following the text has red paint. In line four, a horizontal abbreviation ς sign indicates the omitted final letter of παυσαμένης. This abbreviation also appears in line six above the abbreviation of ἔτους. The initial Θ of Θάρσι in line ten as well as the initial ἀ of ἀθάνατος in line eleven are lost. The text, which contains both spelling and grammatical errors, may include the earliest attestation of the name Ἐρασῖνος in Palestine.

Languages

Greek

Dimensions

H: 35 cm; W: 36 cm; D: 06 cm

Date

383 CE to 383 CE

Current location

Department of Antiquities of Jordan

Figures

  • Cross centered, one above and one below the text of the tombstone

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

  • Meimaris, Yiannis, and Kalliope Kritikakou-Nikolaropoulou. Inscriptions from Palaestina Tertia Vol. Ia: The Greek Inscriptions from Ghor Es-Safi (Byzantine Zoora). Athens, Greece: National Hellenic Research Foundation, 2005.
    Zotero
View XML

Cite This Inscription

IIP is committed to the idea that the public good is best served by keeping our data free for use and reuse. You can cite and use this inscription under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Note also that all images are either in the public domain or used with permission, and unless noted we do not hold copyright to them. For permission to reuse the images, please contact the copyright holder, noted in the illustration credit.

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," ZOOR0044, 12 February 2025. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89