Images

No images available

Location

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA, Imagery © Mapbox

ZOOR0278

Negev. Zoora. Last quarter of fourth century CE. Greenish sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

Transcription

ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Ἄλφιος, ΑἰνίουΑἰνείου, ἈγουστοπολίτηςΑὐγουστοπολίτης, ἀποθονόντοςἀποθανόντος ἐτῶν πεʹ.

Translation

Monument of Alfios, (son) of Aeneas, from Augustopolis, who died (at the age) of 85 years.

Diplomatic

[no diplomatic]

Terminus post quem:
Terminus ante quem:
Notes
Though no date is provided in the text, the inscription has been dated to the last quarter of the fourth century CE on the strength of other factors. 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 tombstone the inscription, which is nearly rectangular, is broken on all but its top right corner. A wavy stalk with ivy leaves is engraved above the text, while a horizontal line is engraved below it. The text is also engraved. All three preserve some red paint. The author notes that both names found in the inscription are also attested elsewhere at Ghor es-Safi, and that the undiscovered city of Augustopolis which the deceased is said to hail from is thought to have been located between Petra and et-Tafile. She also observes that the angular motifs which flank the age numeral in line 6 recall those found in Zoor0040.

Languages

Greek

Dimensions

H: 51.5 cm; W: 32 cm; D: 04.5 cm

Date

375 CE to 400 CE

Current location

Department of Antiquities of Jordan

Figures

  • Horizontal line below inscription

  • Ivy plant above inscription

  • Angular motif flanking age numeral

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. insc 278.
    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," ZOOR0278, 27 July 2025. https:doi.org/10.26300/pz1d-st89