Complete
Linguistic features:
Formulae:
Quotations from literary texts:
Dating:
AD 501
-
AD 700
Language:
Christian Palestinian Aramaic
Monumental:
Medium:
stone
Visible:
Accessible:
Has figural depiction:
Has iconoclastic damage:
Activities commemorated:
Funds:
Price:
Placement:
a remote desert place
People mentioned:
Name:
Stephanos
Patronym:
Status:
monk
Ethnic allegance:
Semitic
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Name recorded
Occupation:
monk_or_clergyman
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Christian Palestinian Aramaic
Description
date: 6th- 7th century description: Five lines of CPA inscription on a basalt block, founded in a a remote desert place, ca. 15 km west of the Qasr Burqa. Vertical or horizontal(?), according to the editors it was meant to be read horizontally but produced in vertical lines. The Arabic inscription, probably slightly later than the CPA text, was later engraved on the same piece of stone. Two crosses, in the beginning and at the end of the CPA text. The first cross is 14x8 cm. Dimensions: 95 x 83 cm. Letters height ca. 5 cm for an overage letter, varying from 3.5 up to 7 cm. ed. Harahshah, Desreumaux 2016: 249 ♰ ܝܗܠܐ ܐܪܡ ܡܚܐܪܬܝ ܝܚܐ ܟܖܒܥ ܠܥ ܣܘܢܦܐܛܣ ♰ ܘܢܩܐܝܖ Mrʾ ʾlhy ytrʾḥm ʿl ʿbdk ʾḥy sṭʾpnws dyʾqnw 'Lord my God, have mercy on your servant, brother Stephanos, deacon' commentary: It is an invocation to God for the mercy of a person. He, Deacon Stephanos, was most likely a member of the monastery at Qasr Barqu. Both his name (sṭʾpnws) and his title (diaqonu) are transliterated from Greek. This inscription itself was quite carefully executed, in the calligraphy reminiscent of a manuscript style. The fine script could be dated paleographically to the 6th century CE but the 7th century cannot be excluded. R. Harahshah, A.J.P. Desreumaux, “A recently discovered Christo-Palestinian Aramaic inscription from northeastern Bādiyah, Jordan”, Semitica et Classica 9 (2016), 245–250
Author:
Tomasz Barański
Added by:
Paweł Nowakowski
Created:
2023-09-11 16:25:10
Last update:
2025-04-06 19:02:07
Building:
loose finding
Dimensions: surface: cm
Condition: Five lines of CPA inscription on a basalt block, founded in a a remote desert place, ca. 15 km west of the Qasr Burqa. Vertical or horizontal(?), according to the editors it was meant to be read horizontally but produced in vertical lines. The Arabic inscription, probably slightly later than the CPA text, was later engraved on the same piece of stone. Two crosses, in the beginning and at the end of the CPA text. The first cross is 14x8 cm.
Text: Letter height ca. 5 cm for an overage letter, varying from 3.5 up to 7 cm.
Date: 500 CE - 700 CE
6th- 7th century
Findspot: Unknown
Original location: Arabia Qasr Burqa (Qasr Burqu; Wadi al-Khudri) 32.608436, 37.96237 loose finding a remote desert place
Current repository: Unknown
Text type: dedicstory inscription
Summary:
Inscription in Christian Palestinian Aramaic from Qasr Burqa (Qasr Burqu; Wadi al-Khudri). 500 CE - 700 CE.
Changes history: 2023-09-11 Tomasz Barański Creation; 2024-01-29 Martyna Swierk Last modification; 2024-01-29 Martyna Swierk Preparation of EpiDoc file
Publication details: University of Warsaw; Warsaw;
Available under licence CC-BY 4.0
; @2021Commentary
It is an invocation to God for the mercy of a person. He, Deacon Stephanos, was most likely a member of the monastery at Qasr Barqu. Both his name (sṭʾpnws) and his title (diaqonu) are transliterated from Greek. This inscription itself was quite carefully executed, in the calligraphy reminiscent of a manuscript style. The fine script could be dated paleographically to the 6th century CE but the 7th century cannot be excluded.
Bibliography (edition)
- R., Harahshah, A.J.P, Desreumaux, 2016, A recently discovered Christo-Palestinian Aramaic inscription from northeastern Bādiyah, Jordan, Semitica et Classica 9, 245-250.