Emotions in Late-Antique Jewish Epitaphs: Palestine and the Diaspora

Description

This paper explores the ways in which emotions are expressed in late-antique Jewish funerary
inscriptions (2nd-7th centuries CE), subsequently comparing texts uncovered in Palestine with those deriving from the Diaspora. Funerary inscriptions range from basic ones, briefly identifying the deceased (“Sarah, daughter of Kyrinos, lies here”), to long and complex ones,
eulogizing the departed person or expressing the intense grief which their death had caused
their loved ones (“If only I who reared you, Justus my child, could place you in a golden coffin.
Now Lord [grant] his sleep in peace. [Receive] the infant Justus… aged 4 years 8 months”).
Some texts display direct speech, highlighting strong emotions long after the words have
been engraved. Others, while using a more detached mode of indirect speech, nevertheless
exhibit emotions like sorrow, love, gratitude and respect. By surveying and analyzing the
modes of expression in these Jewish epitaphs, and plotting them geographically, this paper
attempts to chart a map of the emotions expressed centuries ago.

Period	11 Jul 2017
Event title	British Association for Jewish Studies Annual Conference, Edinburgh, 2017
Event type	Conference
Location	Edinburgh, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International