A Roman army veteran in the Sepphoris necropolis

Abstract

Photos from the IAA Scientific Archive (1918–48) capture an unpublished funerary inscription from Sepphoris. The inscription records a certain Gaius Iulius Paulus, veteran of the Roman army. This is the first publication of the text. It argues that within the necropoleis of predominantly Jewish cities the deceased should be considered Jewish unless proven otherwise. Consequently, it asks whether or not this veteran is a Jew, and how this inscription reflects upon Jewish society in Sepphoris in the second and third centuries CE.