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Location

ZOOR0179

Negev. Zoora. March 11, 445 CE. White sandstone tombstone with grey stripes in the lower left section. Epitaph.

Transcription

+ Εἷς Θέος. ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Ἡσυχιανὴ Θεοδώρου, παυσομένηπαυσαμένη μετὰ καλοῦ ὀνόματος καλῆς πίστεως ἐτῶν νεʹ, τοῦ ἐν ἔτους τλθʹ, μηνὶ Δύστρου εκʹ, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ Κυριακῇ. ΘάρσιΘάρσει, οὐδὶςοὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος. + +

Translation

One (is) the God. Monument of Hesychiane, (daughter) of Theodoros, who died having a good name (and) good faith, (at the age) of 55 years, in the year 339, on (the) 25th (day) of (the) month Dystros, on the day of the Lord (Sunday). 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 the Lord (Sunday), the 25th day of the month Dystros in the year 339 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, March 11, 445 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 nearly rectangular tombstone is curved in the upper right corner, broken in the upper left and lower right corners, and chipped along its edges. Written in square script, the text is engraved upon a smoothed surface, which is flaked off in the lower right corner and shows some recent damage. Lines three, six, and nine are painted over in red. A simple incised cross appears to the right above the first line of text. Two more crosses appear below the inscription. The first has triangular serifs, while the second has tiny linear ones. The text and figures (except for the first line and upper cross) are surrounded by an engraved, red-painted frame. A horizontal bar appears above the age numeral in line seven, the year numeral in line eight, and the inverted month day numeral in line nine. The text contains both spelling and grammatical errors. The editor notes that the phrases καλοῦ ὀνόματος and καλῆς πίστεως lack an intervening και, rendering this an example of asyndeton. This is the first known attestation of the personal name Ἡσυχιανός in Palestine and Arabia.

Languages

Greek

Dimensions

H: 57 cm; W: 31 cm; D: 07.5 cm

Date

445 CE to 445 CE

Current location

Department of Antiquities of Jordan

Figures

  • Frame surrounding text from line two, downwards

  • Cross (see note)

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," ZOOR0179, 12 February 2025. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89