Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Prinicipal Investigator Michael Satlow

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 zoor0045 zoor0045

Negev. Zoora. December 3, 383 CE. White sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

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Alpha-omega cross Above the first line on the left side. Cross-chi monogram Above the first line on the right side Cross Below the last line on the left side Cross-rho Below the last line on the right side December 3, 383 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 Οὐαλεντίου Ζεβίνα, ἀποθανόντος ἐτῶν τρῖς, ἔτους σοηʹ, μηνὸς Ἀπελλέου ζιʹ, ἡμέρᾳ Ἡλίου. +

Monument of Valentinus, (son) of Zebinas, who died (at the age) of three years, in (the) year 278, on (the) 17th (day) of (the) month Apellaios, on (the) day of (the) Sun (Sunday).

ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Οὐαλεντίου Ζεβίνα, ἀποθανόντος ἐτῶν τρῖς, ἔτους σοηʹ μηνὸς Ἀπελλέου ζιʹ ἡμέρᾳ Ἡλίου.

The inscription provides the date as the day of Saturn, the 15th day of the month Gorpiaios in the year 278 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, September 2, 383 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 smoothed inscribed surface is flaked in the upper and middle right side. Below the text are two figures, on the right side a heavily painted red cross-rho and on the left traces of a red painted cross. Above the text are two heavily painted red symbols, on the left a cross with α and ω beneath its horizontal bar and on the right a cross-chi monogram. Traces of an incised frame are visible on all sides except the bottom. The letters are engraved and painted red, and the script is as mixture of square and round alphabet. In line five, μηνὸς is abbreviated with a large μ and a smaller η engraved above it. The month day numeral sign ζιʹ is inverted in line six. The name Ζεβίνας or Ζαβίνας is a transliteration of a Semitic name deriving from the root zbn, "to buy," making it similar in meaning to ἀγοραστός, "chattel." Although Syrians originally used this word as a derogatory nickname for Alexander II, it later became a popular personal name. The inscription contains both grammatical and spelling errors.

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