Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Prinicipal Investigator Michael Satlow

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 zoor0273 zoor0273

Negev. Zoora. September 10, in the second half of fourth century CE. Purple and white sandstone tombstone. Epitaph.

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Cross Above and below text Second half of fourth century CE, September 10 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 ἀποθανόντος Εὐσεβίου Θέου, ἐτῶν βʹ. ΘάρσιΘάρσει οὐ. Ἐν μενὶ ΓορπιέουΓορπιαίου κγʹ, ΕΝΟΣ +

Monument of Eusebios, (son) of Theos, who died (at the age) of 2 years. Be of good cheer, no [one (is) immortal]. (He died) on (the) 23rd (day) of the month Gorpiaios,..

ΜνημῖονΜνημεῖον ἀποθανόντος Εὐσεβίου Θέου, ἐτῶν βʹ ΘάρσιΘάρσει οὐ. Ἐν μενὶ ΓορπιέουΓορπιαίου κγʹ ΕΝΟΣ

The only dating information the text offers is the 23rd day of the month Gorpaios, that is, September 10. Other factors have been used to arrive at probable date of the second half of the fourth century 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 irregular in shape and curved at its upper and lower sides. The inscribed surface has been smoothed, and has undergone flaking and weathering. Two diagonal caveties running from left to the right have obscured some of the text. Above the inscription is an outlined cross, while below is a small simple cross. The text and figures are engraved. The author notes that the name Θέος is otherwise unattested in Palestine and Arabia. She also observes that the word order in the text is incorrect. Only the first two letters of the phrase "οὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος" are engraved (line 5). The inscription contains spelling and grammatical errors.

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