Ossuary with a Greek inscription for Sara, originally of Ptolemais, from Jerusalem (JLM0197)

Ossuary with a Greek inscription for Sara, originally of Ptolemais, from Jerusalem (JLM0197)

Limestone ossuary with Greek inscriptions for Sara, identified as the daughter or wife of Simon, and originally from Ptolemais. An ossuary for a certain Aaron, son of Simon, was found in the same burial cave, and may have been related to Sara (CIIP 344-346, no.324). Aaron's ossuary seems to refer to him as a Cyrenian; if he is related to Sara, the Ptolemais of JLM0197 should be identified with the city in Cyrenaica, not the Phoenician Ptolemais. From Jerusalem, dated to the 1st c. CE.

CIIP1: 331

Limestone

JLM0197

H 31cm
W 54.5cm
D 27cm

Plain, with Greek inscriptions incised on one long side (a), the right short side (b), and on the lid.

(a) ΣΑΡΑΣΙΜΩΝΟΣ
ΠΤΥΛΕΜΑΙΚΗ
(b) ΣΑΡΑΣ
(c) ΣΑΡΑΣ

(a) Σαρα Σιμωνος | Πτυλεμαικη
(b) Σαρας
(c) Σαρας

(a) Sara (daughter/wife) of Simon, from Ptolemais.
(b) Sara
(c) Sara

CIIP1

CIIP1

CIIP1

Burial cave at Karm esh-Sheikh in the Kidron Valley

Israel Museum, Jerusalem, IAA inv. no. 1942-125

JLM0194-JLM0197 were all found in the same burial cave in the Kidron Valley.

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.351-352, no.331.