An Inscribed Stone with a Greek Inscription from Machaerus, Jordan

A five-line Greek inscription, engraved on a soft irregular limestone, was found several decades ago in the Herodian fortress of Machaerus (Μαχαιροῦς) in Jordan. The script is somewhat careless and uneven, indicating the lack of a skilled hand. The inscription, attributed to the early Byzantine peri...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Liber annuus
Authors: Ovadiah, Asher 1937- (Author) ; Pierri, Rosario 1960- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Studium Biblicum Franciscanum [2017]
In: Liber annuus
Year: 2017, Volume: 67, Pages: 477-484
RelBib Classification:HH Archaeology
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
KBL Near East and North Africa
TB Antiquity
Further subjects:B Epigraphy
B Machaerus
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:A five-line Greek inscription, engraved on a soft irregular limestone, was found several decades ago in the Herodian fortress of Machaerus (Μαχαιροῦς) in Jordan. The script is somewhat careless and uneven, indicating the lack of a skilled hand. The inscription, attributed to the early Byzantine period, includes two proper names: a rare masculine Greek name, Ἀλέκιος, and a Greek transliteration of the common masculine Latin personal name Μᾶρκoς (Marcus). The emphasis on their virtues (ἀρεταί) and the Crux immissa suggest that they had undergone some kind of spiritual experience. It is unclear whether these two men had arrived at Herodian Machaerus from the neighbouring early Byzantine village of Machaberus, or they were hermits who had dwelt in caves at the foot of the fortress and in its surroundings.
ISSN:0081-8933
Contains:Enthalten in: Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (Jerusalem), Liber annuus
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1484/J.LA.4.2019021