Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Prinicipal Investigator Michael Satlow

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Negev. Zoora. March 1, 386 CE. Yellowish sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

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Cross Above the first line of text Lampstand To the right of text Cross-rho cross Below last line of text Bird Two birds flanking the cross and cross-rho below the last line of text Vertical wavy lines Flanking the age numeral in line four and to the right of the year numeral Guidleines Traces left between lines of text Frame Traces left around the text March 1, 386 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 Μίλχι Μαξίμου, ἀποθανόντος ἐτῶν νεʹ, ἔτους σπʹ, μηνὸς Δύστρου ειʹ, ἡμέρα Διός. Θάρσιθάρσει, Μίλχι, οὐδὶςοὐδέις ἀθάνατος.

Monument of Milchis, (son) of Maximus, who died (at the age) of 55 years, in (the) year 280, on (the) 15th (day) of (the) month Dystros, on (the) day of Jupiter (Thursday). Be of good cheer, Milchis, no one (is) immortal.

ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Μίλχι Μαξίμου, ἀποθανόντος ἐτῶν νεʹ ἔτους σπʹ, μηνὸς Δύστρου ειʹ ἡμέρα Διός. Θάρσιθάρσει, Μίλχι, οὐδὶςοὐδέις ἀθάνατος.

The inscription provides the date as the 15th day of the month Dystros in the year 280 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, March 1, 386 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 chipped all around and broken at the upper right corner. There are salt crystals on its upper part. Traces of an incised frame and guide-lines are discernible surrounding the script of the text, which is engraved and painted red. Several red-painted figures appear around the text, including a cross above the inscription; a large engraved cross-rho cross, and two heraldic birds below; and a lamp stand holding a lamp to the right of the text. The chi-rho cross below the inscription are flanked by the two bird figures, and the bird on the left is hardly visible. The age numeral in line four is flanked by two vertical wavy lines and topped with a horizontal bar. The abbreviation of the word ἔτους is denoted by the σ sign. The year numeral in line four is denoted by a horizontal bar with wavy edges above it and a wavy line to its right. The abbreviation of the word μηνὸς in line five is denoted by a smaller η above the letter μ. The month day numeral in line five is inverted and topped with a similar bar as that of the year numeral. The abbreviation of the word ἡμέρα in line is denoted by the letter μ above an elongated η. The discrepancy of the weekday, Thursday in the inscription and Sunday by modern calculation, may indicate an error by the inscriber who engraved a rounded ε instead of θ in the month day numeral in line five.

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