Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Prinicipal Investigator Michael Satlow

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 Bshe 0021

Scythopolis-Beth Shean, 553-4 or 568-9 CE. Mosaic Pavement. Dedicatory.

Mosaic Tesserae

Cross Beginning of Text

553-4 or 568-9 CE. Jordan Valley Scythopolis-Beth Shean Monastery of Lady Mary Beyond the northern edge of mosaic pavement of the hall

Doorway of room L.

Taxonomies for IIP controlled values

 Initial Entry Edited Adding Pleiades IDs to origin/placenames Corrected bibliographic reference adding period attribute to date element, with Periodo value.

+ΕΤΕΛΙWΘΗϹΥΝΘW ΤΟΕΡΓΟΝΕΝΧΡΟΝΟΙϹ ΗΛΙΟΥΘΕΟΦϚΠΡΕϹΒϚ ΚΛϚ ΧΙΝΔϚΒ

Ἐτελειώθη σὺν Θεῷτὸ ἔργον ἐν χρόνοιςἨλίου θεοφιλεστάτου πρεσβυτέρου καὶ ἐν κλειστοῦ ἔτους χʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος βʹ

The work was completed with God's help in the time of Elias, the most God-loving priest and recluse, in the year 6[??], indiction 2.

The inscription is located in the doorway of Room L, which opens at the northern end of the hall and has a splendid mosaic floor with a vine trellis framing vignettes of men hunting, harvesting, leading animals etc. Fitzgerald describes it as a 'parlour', namely, the reception room of the head of the monastery. As the man mentioned in the inscription was a recluse, his cell must have adjoined this 'parlour', and he probably spoke to visitors through a wicket opening in the communication door. Just inside the entrance to Room L from the hall the excavators found a carved capital, 70 cm high, roughly hollowed out at the top. Presumably it was a stand for a holy water stoup where visitors would dip their finger and cross themselves before advancing to receive the holy man's blessing.

Ἐτελειώθη σὺν Θεῷ τὸ ἔργον ἐν χρόνοις Ἠλίου θεοφιλεστάτου πρεσβυτέρου καὶ ἐν κλειστοῦ ἔτους χʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος βʹ

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