A collection of ancient inscriptions
from Israel/Palestine
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Keep Out, for the Sake of All that is Holy! (A Temple Warning Inscription)
To satisfy both the interests of the Temple’s worshippers and those who profited from the Temple’s secular functions, Herod the Great’s builders erected strict physical boundaries separating the holy inner sanctum of the Temple from the bustling marketplace.
Slavery in Rome: A Badge of Honor?
In what scenario might former slave status be a badge of honor? An epitaph of a middle-aged man from a prominent Jewish family near Jericho suggests that a slave’s service in Rome’s imperial palace may have conferred special honors following his manumission and return to Judea.
Death and Taxes: An Imperial Revenue Office in Byzantine Caesarea
Few people are particularly eager to pay their taxes. Whatever worthy causes one’s taxes go toward, most people would prefer to keep the money in their own pockets. This sentiment is hardly new, though the governor of Byzantine Caesarea had a particularly clever way of discouraging resentment.
