Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Prinicipal Investigator Michael Satlow

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 zoor0205 zoor0205

Negev. Zoora. March 15, 456. Grey sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

 40 30 08

Frame Surrounding the text Cross Below text Heraldic birds On either side of cross below the text Dots Scattered around the images Palm branch End of line nine March 15, 456 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.

+ + Εἶς θεὀς ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Μάρωνος Καϊούμου ἀπαθανούντοςἀποθανόντος μετὰ καλοῦ μνόματoςὀνόματος ἐτῶν κʹ, ἔτους τνʹ, μενὸς Δύστρου λʹ ἠμέρᾳ Κυρίου εʹ. ΘάρσιΘάρσει, οὐδὶςοὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος.

One (is) the god. Monument of Maron, (son) of Kaioumos, who died having a good name (at the age) of 20 years, in (the) year 350, on (the) 30th of (the) month Dystros, on (the) 5th day of (the) Lord (Thursday). Be of good cheer, no one (is) immortal.

Εἶς θεὀς ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον Μάρωνος Καϊούμου ἀπαθανούντοςἀποθανόντος μετὰ καλοῦ μνόματoςὀνόματος ἐτῶν κʹ ἔτους τνʹ μενὸς Δύστρου λʹ ἠμέρᾳ Κυρίου εʹ ΘάρσιΘάρσει, οὐδὶςοὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος.

The inscription provides the date as the 5th day of the Lord (Thursday), the 30th day of the month Dystros, in the year 350 according to the Era of the Province of Arabia, that is, March 15, 456 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. Originally rectangular in shape, the corners are now rounded and broken. The inscribed surface bears damage caused chiseling, causing some loss of text. Below the text is an cross, outlined, with a chi-sign in its centre, accompanied on each side by a heraldic bird that are filled with decorations. These images are all engraved, while the birds are additionally painted over in red. Dots of red paint are also found around the images. There is also a palm branch engraved at the end of line nine. The text is engraved, while lines 1,3,5,7,9, and 11 are additionally painted red. The inscription and decorations are all recorded in the shape of a cross. The script is square. The author notes that the phrase Εἶς θεός is deliberately erased. They also note that the name Καϊάμος is an adaptation of the arabic Arabic Qayyum, meaning firm "firm".

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