Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Prinicipal Investigator Michael Satlow

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 zoor0050 zoor0050

Negev. Zoora. November 25, 385 CE. White sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

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Sun-disc Above the first line of text Peacock(?) Below last line of text Snake Multiple vertical snakes on either side of the text Serpentine motif (see note) Angular decoration Flanking the year numeral in line five November 25, 385 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 Κόσμος Ἀλφίου, ἀποθανόντος ἐτῶν λγʹ, ἔτους σπʹ, μηνὸς ἈπελλέουἈπελλαίου θʹ, ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου εʹ. ΘάρσιΘάρσει, Κόσμο, οὐδὶςοὐδείς ἀθάνατος.

Monument of Kosmos, (son) of Alphios, who died (at the age) of 33 years, in (the) year 280, on (the) 9th (day) of (the) month Apellaios, on (the) 5th day of (the) Lord (Thursday). Be of good cheer, Kosmos, no one is immortal.

ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Κόσμος Ἀλφίου, ἀποθανόντος ἐτῶν λγʹ ἔτους σπʹ μηνὸς ἈπελλέουἈπελλαίου θʹ ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου εʹ ΘάρσιΘάρσει, Κόσμο, οὐδὶςοὐδείς ἀθάνατος.

The inscription provides the date as the 9th day of the month Apellaios in the year 280 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, November 25, 385 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 tombstone is curved at the top and bottom and is flaked off in the upper left corner. There are red painted figures surrounding the text, including a sun-disc above, a big bird (which the author suggests might be a peacock) below, and vertical snakes to the right and left. The round script is engraved, and traces of red paint are discernible in lines one, four, and seven. Serpentine motifs appear on either side of the age numeral in line four. Angular decorative elements appear on either side of the year numeral in line five. The word μηνὸς is abbreviated by a smaller η above the letter μ. Serpentive motifs appear at the end of line six and on either side of the month day numeral in line seven. The word ἡμέρᾳ is abbreviated with a smaller μ above the letter η. The abbreviation of the word Κυρίου in line seven is denoted by a wavy bar with a scroll-like ending on the right. A similar wavy bar with a scroll-like ending on the left appears above the weekday numeral in line seven. Serpentine motifs appear at the end of line seven. The inscription contains spelling and grammatical mistakes.

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