Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Prinicipal Investigator Michael Satlow

ERROR-could not find publication information which should appear in this space.

 zoor0016 zoor0016

Negev. Zoora. May 19, 356 CE. Sandstone tombstone, engraved and painted. Epitaph.

 43 36.5 08.5

Painted guide lines Between the lines of text Cross Three, Above the text May 19, 356 CE Negev Zoora An Naq cemetery

Found by local inhabitants in the northwest corner of the Bronze Age, Byzantine and Islamic cemetery in the An Naq neighborhood south of the Wadi al-Hasa, probably in secondary use in later graves.

Department of Antiquities of Jordan

ERROR: could not find taxonomies file, which should appear in this space.

 Creation Adding Pleiades IDs to origin/placenames adding period attribute to date element, with Periodo value.

+ + + Μνημῖον Μαρθοῦς τελευτησάσης ἐτῶν ιεʹ ἔτους σναʹ μηνὶ Ἀρτεμισίου κθʹ Θάρσι Θάρσει οὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος Εὐμύρι Εὐμοίρει φιλτάτη Μαρθοῦς

[Monument of Marthous ......], who died (at the age) of 15 years, in (the) year 251, on (the) 29th (day) of (the) month Artemisios. Be of good cheer, no one (is) immortal. Have a good fortune (may your lot be good), dearest Marthous.

Μνημῖον Μαρθοῦς τελευτησάσης ἐτῶν ιεʹ ἔτους σναʹ μηνὶ Ἀρτεμισίου κθʹ ΘάρσιΘάρσει οὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος ΕὐμύριΕὐμοίρει φιλτάτη Μαρθοῦς

The inscription lists the date as the 29th of Artemisios in the year 251 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, May 19, 356 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 inscription contains both spelling and grammatical errors and is recorded in a mixture of square and round script. The text is engraved and painted red. The author indicates that the letter-cutter seems to have had difficulty cutting into this material. Painted guide lines can still be seen between the lines of text. The first two lines of the text are missing due to weathering. The author restores the first line as "Μνημῖον Μαρθοῦς" (Monument of Marthous...) based on the typical funeral formula and the mention of the name later on line 9. He suggests that he second line likely would have contained a patronymic. The age, year, month and day numeral is indicated with a horizontal bar above them. The remnants of three crosses can still be seen above the text.

16