The stone is part of a structure from the time of the Romans. The inscription is in Aramaic, then the common language of the region, but the letters are Hebrew. It is believed that the pillar in question is from a slightly earlier time, and was reused by the Romans. The inscription is attributed to “Hananiah son of Dodalos of Jerusalem.”
Inscriptions from the Second Temple period that include the full Hebrew name “Yerushalayim” are rare. Most inscriptions from that time use shorter forms for the city’s name, usually in Aramaic. It is the oldest known inscription of this kind. A coin featuring the same full Hebrew name for Jerusalem also dates to the same period, but is believed to be...
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