Ossuary with bilingual inscription for Shelamzion and her child from Jerusalem (JLM0175)

Ossuary with bilingual inscription for Shelamzion and her child from Jerusalem (JLM0175)

Limestone ossuary decorated with rosettes, a branch, and a ribbon, with a two-line inscription in Hebrew/Aramaic, and a two-line inscription in Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic. The inscription concerns Shelamzion, also identified by a "nickname" (per CIIP, 302, no.279) Shelamza, and her unnamed child. Shelamzion and her child may have died in or shortly after the child's birth. Shelamzion's name appears three times: once as a shorter "nickname," once in Hebrew, and once in Greek.

CIIP1: 279

Limestone

JLM0175

H 41.5cm
W 73cm
D 28.5cm

Two 12-petaled rosettes within ribboned medallions flanking a branch and enclosed in a frame on the facade. The four-line inscription is broken into two parts: (a) appears above the rosettes on the facade, and (b) on the short left side.

(a) שלמצה
ו[..]ה

(b) ΣΕΛΑΜΑΣΙΩΝ
שלמציון

(a) šlmṣh | w[bn/r/t]h
(b) Σελαμασιων| šlmṣywn

(a) Shelamza and her (son/daughter).
(b) Selamasion. Shelamzion.

CIIP1

CIIP1

CIIP1

Rock-cut tomb at Jebel Khallet et-Turi

The ossuary of another Shelamzia was also discovered in the same burial cave (JLM0174).

CIIP1=Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae, volume I: Jerusalem: a multi-lingual corpus of the inscriptions from Alexander to Muhammad, Ameling et. al. Berlin: De Gruyter. 2014. pp.301-303, no.279.