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Location

ZOOR0167

Negev. Zoora. April 3, 441 CE. White sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

Transcription

+ Εἷς Θεός. ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Εὐδοξίου Σελαμάνου, ἀποθανόντος μετὰ καλοῦ ὀνόματος ἐτῶν μςʹ, ἐν ἔτιἔτει τλςʹ, μηνὸς Ξανθικοῦ ιγʹ, ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου εʹ. ΘάρσιΘάρσει, οὐδὶςοὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος.

Translation

One (is) the God. Monument of Eudoxios, (son) of Selamanos, who died having a good name (at the age) of 46 years, in (the) year 336, on (the) 13th (day) of (the) month Xanthikos, on the 5th day of (the) Lord (Thursday). 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 5th day of the Lord (Thursday), the 13th day of the month Xanthikos in the year 336 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, April 3, 441 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 rectangular tombstone is curved at the top, broken at the lower left and right corners, and chipped all around its edges. Written predominantly in round script with the exception of one square omicron in line ten, the text is engraved upon a smoothed surface. Salt crystals have accumulated in the upper left and lower right corners. Lines three, six, and nine are thoroughly painted over in red, while lines two, five, and eight preserve only traces of red paint. Lines one, four, seven, and ten are painted green. The inscription is surrounded by a frame, the horizontal lines of which are heavily painted red, while the vertical lines only preserve traces of red. A big, incised outlined cross appears in the middle of the top line of the frame. The horizontal bar of the cross is filled with red paint and the vertical bar with green. In line six of the text, the units figure of the age numeral has been engraved as a zeta, but painted over as a sigma. A horizontal bar appears above the age numeral in that same line, as well as the year numeral in line seven, the month day numeral in line eight, and the abbreviation of Κυρίου in line eight. The text contains both spelling and grammatical errors. The editor notes that the abbreviation of μηνός in line seven of the text is rare, consisting of an eta above a mu, followed by a nu and an S sign.

Languages

Greek

Dimensions

H: 43 cm; W: 34 cm; D: 10 cm

Date

441 CE to 441 CE

Current location

Department of Antiquities of Jordan

Figures

  • Cross centered above the frame

  • Frame surrounding the text

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
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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," ZOOR0167, 12 February 2025. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89