Religion and language in Dura-Europos

Abstract

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Dura-Europos was rich in gods and rich in languages. The unique religious and linguistic situation of this fortress town on the Middle Euphrates reflected its vicissitudes. Founded as the Macedonian colony Europos on a plateau overlooking the river, Dura was under Parthian control (with a brief Roman interlude in AD 116/7) from the late-second century BC until AD 165. Lucius Verus' campaigns brought in the Roman troops who, nearly a century later, would be defeated by the Sasanians in AD 256. Throughout most of the Parthian and Roman phases a large Palmyrene contingent was to be found in the town too. The now legendary excavations from the 1920s and 1930s by Yale University and the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-lettres revealed a wide spectrum of pagan cults, coming from different spheres of influence, in addition to a synagogue (famous because of its unique murals, with their illustrations of scenes from the Hebrew Scriptures) and a Christian house church. Graffiti and inscriptions, as well as the remains of writing on more perishable material, show an even more remarkable diversity of languages and dialects in use, with the Classical languages supplemented by Aramaic (including Palmyrenean, 2 Hatrean and Syriac), Hebrew, Parthian and Middle-Persian, and the proto-Arabic dialect known as Safaitic. Though not one of the grand Levantine cities, Dura-Europos was no marginal outpost either, 3 and the abundance of archaeological findings makes it potentially our best case study for social and religious life in a normalNear Eastern small town under the early and high empire. So far, however, neither the religious life nor the language situation has received the attention that has long been due.The only comprehensive account of Dura's cults is an article by Bradford Welles from 1 I am very grateful to Lucinda Dirven for her critical comments on a draft of this paper, and to Hannah Cotton for asking me to contribute to this volume and subsequently showing so much patience. All remaining errors are of course mine. Abbreviations: DEÉ

Tagging sacred space in the Dura-Europos synagogue

“…Cf. also the related discussion in Kaizer 2009a andTaylor 2002. 47 Durene examples in Kaizer 2009a, 237 and 240-41;PAT no.…”

“…17 Fuller discussions of this point in Stern 2010, 481;Fine 2011. 18 Discussion in Kaizer 2009aKaizer , 2009bDirven 2004;Sommer 2004;and Taylor 2002. 19 Numbers of these and subsequent synagogue graffiti correspond with those assigned in IJO III.…”

“…Originally converted from a domestic building, the synagogue saw multiple stages of renovation. Its final iteration, called a "bayita" in Aramaic foundation dipinti on the ceiling tiles, was completed sometime around 27 Welles 1951, 251-74;Downey 1988, 79-101;Elsner 2007, 259;Kaizer 2009a and2009b. 28 Durene cult buildings are considered in Downey 1988;Dirven 1999;Kaizer 2009b;and Leriche 1997.…”

Religious Mobility in the Roman Empire

“…63 The underlying problem is that the excavations carried out here under the aegis of Cumont and Rostovtzeff, though written up with brilliant panache, need further work, now being carried out by the Franco-Syrian team under Pierre Leriche. Were they mainly like Pompeii and Herculaneum, or were they mainly much more diverse?…”

“…Its state of preservation makes it tempting to treat the town as 'potentially our best case study for social and religious life in a normal Near Eastern small town under the early and high Empire'. 63 The underlying problem is that the excavations carried out here under the aegis of Cumont and Rostovtzeff, though written up with brilliant panache, need further work, now being carried out by the Franco-Syrian team under Pierre Leriche. In addition, few have taken the opportunity to look synoptically at the evidence for all the cults found in the town, though Ted Kaizer has now taken on this daunting task.…”