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Location

ZOOR0185

Negev. Zoora. March 22 - April 20, 449 CE. Greenish sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

Transcription

ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Ἀλουλόθη, ἀποθανοῦσα μητὰμετὰ καλοῦ ἀνόματοςὀνόματος ἐτῶν νʹ, τουςἔτους τμδʹ, μηνὸς Ξανθικοῦ. ΘάρσιΘάρσει, οὐ. + +

Translation

Monument of Aloulothe, who died having a good name (at the age) of 50 years, in the year 344, in the month of Xanthikos. 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 month of Xanthikos in the year 344 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, between March 22 and April 20, 449 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 slightly curved on its sides and broken in the upper right corner. Written in predominantly square script with a few round exceptions and a rhomboid theta, the text is engraved upon a smoothed surface which is partially flaked off in lower right side and bottom. The upper half has been weathered by salt crystals. The text is set within irregularly incised guide-lines, of which lines three, six, and nine are also painted red. Four figures appear below the text (from left to right): An outlined cross with a chi sign in its center, a left-facing bird, another similar cross, and a flower (perhaps a lily or lotus). All of these figures, except for the first cross, preserve traces of red paint. An incised frame surrounds both the text and these decorative figures. The right vertical side of the frame is heavily painted over in red. The frame is also crowned by a red-painted pediment missing its upper corner. A horizontal bar appears above the abbreviation of the word ἐτῶν in line six as well as the age and year numerals in line seven. The text contains both spelling and grammatical errors. The word ἔτους in line seven lacks an epsilon, while on the final line of text, only the οὐ of the expected οὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος has been engraved. The editor notes that the name of the deceased, Ἀλουλὀθη, appears here for the first time at Ghor es-Safi. He suggests that this name may represent a Greek rendering of the Arabic al lu'lu'ah, meaning "the pearl".

Languages

Greek

Dimensions

H: 34.5 cm; W: 26.5 cm; D: 0.07 cm

Date

449 CE to 449 CE

Current location

Department of Antiquities of Jordan

Figures

  • Frame surrounding the text

  • Cross two, below the text

  • Bird below the text

  • Pediment above the frame

  • Chi inscribed within the crosses

  • Guide-lines set within the text

  • Flower below and right of 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.
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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," ZOOR0185, 7 February 2025. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89