E02871: Large marble block with a Greek inscription labelling it as a 'weight of (a church) of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033). Found at Caesarea Maritima (Roman province of Palaestina I). Probably late antique.

Greyish marble block with blue veins. H. 0.28 m; W. 0.45; Th. 0.21-0.23 m. Weight: c. 70 kg. Broken at the right-hand end and bottom. The front face bears a Greek inscription in fine carving, letter height c. 0.036-0.047 m. The back face was probably covered by plaster. Now in the Kibbutz Sdot Yam Museum.

First published by K. Kleopas in 1920, who, however, misread line 2. The stone caught the attention of Kenneth Holum in the 1980s. Holum took a new photograph and discussed the object, first himself and then with Clayton Lehmann. In March 2010 the stone was revisited by Walter Ameling who offered a new edition in the Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae Palaestinae.

Inscription:

+ τάλαντον
τῆς ἁγίας Μαρίας

2. ὁσίας Μαρίας Kleopas

'+ The weight of the Holy Mary.'

Text: CIIP 2, no. 1751.