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Judaea. Jericho. 5 CE to 70 CE. Soft limestone ossuary with finely incised ornamentation. Funerary.
Jericho, Tomb H.
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Ἰωέζρος
Ἰωέζρος
Ἰσμαήλου
Ἰωέζρος Ἰσμαήλου
Joezer. Joezer, son of Ismael. Joezer, son of Ismael
Unfinished ossuary has traces of red wash and low feet. Height describes that of chest plus that of vaulted lid with fingergrips. Ornamentation on the chest's front side consists of three metopes in zigzag frames, each containing a six-petalled rosette within a zigzag circle. Zigzag lines overlay petals and fill some spaces between petals in central and right-hand metopes; zigzags link circles to corners of metopes. Ornamentation on the chest's left and right sides is similar; a zigzag frame contains a six-petalled rosette within a zigzag circle. The deceased's name is inscribed three times, once each between the central and right-hand metopes, on the chest's back side, and on the underside of the lid. The spelling Ἰωέζρος is consistent throughout the tomb group, with the exception of two instances of Ἰοέζρος; both differ considerably from spellings Ἰωζάαρ and Ἰωζάρα in the Septuagint and Ἰώζαρος, Ἰόζαρος and Ἰωάζαρος in Josephus, but all represent יועזר, a contraction of יהועזר. The plene form is not recorded at all in Talmudic literature and the contraction appears only once. Hachlili discusses some parallels for Ἰσμάηλος (see bibliography); additionally, the name occurs in second to first century BCE Egypt, in the Dead Sea documents, in priestly and rabbinic families of Jerusalem, commonly, as the name of two first century BCE high priests, and elsewhere, including on two ossuaries. Repetition of the name of the deceased may express grief of the mourner(s) or improve upon an unsatisfactory first inscription.