E02782: Painted Greek inscriptions (dipinti) found in the sanctuary of *Lot (Old Testament patriarch, S01234) at Deir 'Ain 'Abata near Zoara/modern Ghor es-Safi on the southeast shore of the Dead Sea (Jordan/Roman province of Palaestina III). Probably 6th-7th c.

Inscription 1:

Sandstone block with an inscription painted in red. Found in the rubble, in the north aisle. H. 0.34 m; W. 0.44 m; Th. 0.204 m. Letter height 0.023-0.032 m. The inscription predates the layer of plaster, laid on the edges.

+ ̣ἅ[γιε] ̣Λώτ, μν̣ή-
σθητι τ̣ῶν δούλων
σου Σωζομενοῦ
καὶ Μεγαλ̣ή̣σ̣ω̣ν̣ο̣ς (?)
καὶ Οὐλπι[ανο]̣ῦ

'+ O Saint Lot, remember your servants, Sozomenos, and Megaleson (?), and Ulpianos!'

Text: Politis 2012, 412-413, no. 13 [ed. and translation Y. Meimaris & K.I. Kritikakou-Nikolaropoulou].

The inscription was the first piece of evidence found by the excavators (in 1990) that allowed them to identify the site with the shrine of Lot depicted on the Mosaic Map of Madaba (see: $E02524). In addition, this and the following texts show that Lot was addressed as saint (ἅγιος) by supplicants seeking his help at the shrine.

It is plausible that Sozomenos, mentioned in line 3, is the abbot who occurs in a dedicatory mosaic from the church (see E02664, Mosaic 4), dated 605 or 607.

Inscription 2:

Sandstone slab from the northeast wall of the choir of the church. Still in situ. H. 0.28 m; W. 0.60 m. Broken and lost in the upper left-hand corner. The face bears a scarcely legible inscription painted in red.

+ ̣ἅ[γιε Λώτ, μνήσθ]-
ηθι [- - -]
̣ΑΚΑΙ[- - -]Ν
[- - -]

'+ Saint Lot, remember [- - -]!'

Text: Politis 2012, 413-414, no. 15 [ed. and translation Y. Meimaris & K.I. Kritikakou-Nikolaropoulou].

Inscription 3:

The inscription is painted red on a column drum, from the colonnade between the north aisle and the nave. Circumference of the drum 1.28 m; diameter 0.40 m; H. 0.39 m. Letter height 0.016-0.022 m. Scarcely legible.

ἅγ̣ι̣ε, ̣β[οή]-
θησον [Μη]-
νᾶ [- - -]
ΜΟΚΕΔ
ΥΘΕ̣Π
Κ[- - -]
Ν[- - -]
ΚΕ̣Τ̣Ρ
ΝΟC

'+ O Saint, help Menas [- - -]!'

Text: Politis 2012, 414, no. 16 [ed. and translation Y. Meimaris & K.I. Kritikakou-Nikolaropoulou].

The invocation is probably on behalf of several supplicants.

Meimaris and Kritikakou-Nikolaropoulou mention three more scarcely legible painted inscriptions, that were found at the sanctuary. As they are not relevant for the present study, we do not reproduce them here. For the text, see Politis 2012, 413-414, nos. 14 (red paint), 17 (red paint), 18 (written in charcoal). For a plaster fragments with two letters in charcoal, see Politis 2012, 416, no. 4.