Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine Creator Michael Satlow Brown University Zoor 0366

Zoora, 1 July 384 CE. Tombstone. Funerary (Epitaph).

Brownish sandstone

Rectangular in shape, curved at the top, missing the upper and lower left corners.

The text is set between irregularly incised guide-lines, except for the penultimate and last lines.

Round alphabet with elongated letters, clearly but unskilfully executed and aligned, having a bigger size in the first and last lines.

 Rectangular frame, coarsely engraved Around the inscription Incised oblique lines imitating vertically split palm branches which turn into full palm branches at the top (left one is placed in oblique, while the right one is in straight position). Along the external part of the vertical frame lines Flat outlined cross, flanked by a slender cross with triangulated serifs on the left and a cross-rho monogram on the right. Above the frame Red paint On lettering and decorations 1 July 384 CE Negev Zoora An-Naq' Cemetery

Taxonomies for IIP controlled values

Initial Entry Edited adding period attribute to date element, with Periodo value.

+ + Μνημῖον μνημεῖον ΣαμιράββουἈβδισάρου,ἀποθανόντος ἐν ὁσιότητι ἐτῶν κε, ἐν ἰνδικτιῶνι γι, ἔτους σοθ, μηνὸς Πονέμου Πανήμου βι,ἡμέρᾳ Σελήνης. +

Monument of Samirabbos, (son) of Abdisharos, who died in holiness (at the age) of 25 years, in (the) 13th indiction, in the year 279, on (the) 12th (day) of (the) month Panemos, on the day of (the) Moon (Monday).

The use of an indiction year in the dating formula of this late fourth century epitaph is noteworthy because it is so far the earliest attestation of this chronological element not only in the inscriptions of Zoora but also in that of Palestine and Arabia. In Palestine, indiction years are recorded only around the mid-fifth century and the earliest recorded version in Arabia dates to about 389 CE. The indiction numeral used in the epitaph should not be γι (which itself is inverted) but should instead be ιβ. This could be due to the original author's own mistake, or could reflect the use of the Egyptian indictional system.

Μνημῖον Σαμιράββου Ἀβδισάρου, ἀποθανόντος ἐν ὁσιότητι ἐτῶν κε ἐν ἰνδικτιῶνι γι ἔτους σοθ μηνὸς Πονέμου βι ἡμέρᾳ Σελήνης.

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