Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Prinicipal Investigator Michael Satlow

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Negev. Zoora. July 2, 373 CE. Sandstone tombstone, engraved and painted. Epitaph.

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Three crosses Above the text Guide lines Between the lines of text July 2, 373 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

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

+ + + Μνημῖονμνημεῖον Ἀσλόμου Ζηνοβίου, ἀπονόντοςἀποθανόντος μηνῶν ὠκτώὀκτώ, ἔτους σξηʹ, μηνὸς ΠονέμουΠανήμου γιʹ. ΘάρσιεΘάρσει Ἀσλόμου, ὁ βίος ταῦτα.

Monument of Aslomos, (son) of Zenobios, who died (at the age) of eight months, in (the) year 268, on (the) 13th (day) of (the) month Panemos. Be of good cheer, Aslomos, that is life.

Μνημῖονμνημεῖον Ἀσλόμου Ζηνοβίου, ἀπονόντοςἀποθανόντος μηνῶν ὠκτώὀκτώ, ἔτους σξηʹ μηνὸς ΠονέμουΠανήμου γιʹ ΘάρσιεΘάρσει Ἀσλόμου, ὁ βίος ταῦτα.

The inscription provides the date as the 13th of Panemos in the year 268 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, July 2, 373 CE. The tombstone is one of about 700 discovered in Byzantine Zoora and is in fair condition. The majority of the Greek tombstones from this location have been identified as Christian. The text, which contains both spelling and grammatical errors, is recorded in a round alphabet (with the exception of a square omicron on line one) and slopes downward from left to right. The individual characters get smaller and are placed closer together towards the bottom of the inscription. Both the text and the guidelines are engraved and painted in red. Three crosses are found above the text. The center cross has an engraved and painted outline and is the largest, while those on its sides are only painted. The month day numeral found on line eight is inverted. The author indicates that the remnants of a painted curved frame can be seen above and to the left of the inscription. He also suggests that "Θάρσει, ὁ βίος ταῦτα" seems to be an alternative to the "Θάρσει, οὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος" commonly found at Ghor es-Safi.

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