Stone Vessels
Apart frommiqva}otand synagogues, two other types of objects connected
to Jewish religiosity came into use during the later first centuryb.c.e.:
stone vessels and ossuaries. Stone vessels are now known from more than
sixty sites in ancient Palestine. They first appeared around 50b.c.e.in Je-
rusalem and during the following decades flooded the market in an ever
growing variety of forms, peaking just before the First Revolt and declin-
ing until the Bar Kokhba Revolt. After 150c.e.they disappeared. Most
widely used were small mugs with a handle (sometimes also with a lid)
and round bowls mass produced by turning blocks of soft limestone on a
lathe. Since the raw materials were especially easy to find near Jerusalem
and in the vicinity of Nazareth, these two locations served as production
centers. At the turn of the era, large crater-like vessels imitating luxurious
Hellenistic marble ware were added to the repertoire of Jerusalem work-
shops, as were trays, tabletops (see fig. 4), decorative elements, small col-
umns, and sundials. It is conceivable that the rapid distribution of simple
stone vessels in first-century-b.c.e.and -c.e.Judea was inspired by stricter
purity regulations, but it would go too far to link all products of the grow-
ing stone industry to religious attitudes or practices. Many products were
simply fashionable, practical, and available in sufficient numbers to be
successful on the market.Ossuaries
Ossuaries are another product of the limestone industry. They came to be
used only during the later decades of the first centuryb.c.e., starting in Je-
rusalem. They peaked just before the First Revolt and gradually disap-
peared in the second centuryc.e.Most of the ossuaries found in Jerusalem
are not decorated, but most in Jericho are. The latter were ornamented
with architectural, geometric, and plant motifs. The most frequent type of
decoration involved incising or chip-carving a series of zigzag lines within
two straight lines (see fig. 8). As noted above, some ossuaries have the
names of the deceased inscribed on them and at times add details about
the origin or the occupation of the deceased.342
jürgen k. zangenbergEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:04:13 PM