Caesarea and the Middle Coast: 1121-2160

Anyone involved in the study of ancient Iudaea/Palaestina and its vicinity has felt the need for a comprehensive work containing all the inscriptions in various languages found in the region. The lack of such a work was all the more regrettable, as the material concerns not only those interested in the region, but also students of a great variety of related subjects, such as the history of the ancient Near East, ancient Jewish history and early Christianity, and, of course, historians of the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods.
A group of scholars from Israel and Germany is now producing such a corpus. It contains all the inscriptions from the time of Graeco-Roman rule in the area, from the time of Alexander until the end of Byzantine rule in Palestine around 640. The territory covered is the strip between the Mediterranean and the river Jordan, the Negev, and the Golan Heights. Unlike traditional corpora of inscriptions it is intended to include inscriptions in all languages represented: not only Greek and Latin, but also Semitic languages, primarily Hebrew, Aramaic (Jewish, Samaritan, Nabataean, Christian and Syriac), Thamudic and the Caucasian languages. The advantages of such a Corpus are obvious: all cultural phenomena expressed in inscriptions can be seen together. The inscriptions are presented within their specific context, and complemented by a translation and commentary; where available, the texts are accompanied by a reproduction.
Each volume of the edition is dedicated to a specific region: Vol. 1 Jerusalem, Vol. 2 Caesarea and the Middle Coast, Vol. 3 South Coast, Vol. 4 Judea/Idumea, Vol. 5 Galilee, Vol. 6 Negev.

The second volume of the Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae covers the inscriptions of Caesarea Maritima and the coastal region of the Middle Coast from Tel Aviv in the south to Haifa in the north from the time of Alexander to the Muslim conquest. The approx. 1,050 texts comprise all the languages used for inscriptions during this period (Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic, Samaritan, Syrian, and Persian) and are arranged according to the principal settlements and their territory. The great majority of the texts belongs to Caesarea, the capital of the province of Judaea/Syria Palaestina. No other place in Judaea has produced more Latin inscriptions than this area, reflecting the strong Roman influence on the city.