Abstract
El propósito del presente trabajo es dar a conocer, editar y contextualizar una nueva inscripción latina procedente de Gharandal (la antigua Arindela de la provincia romana de Arabia Petraea, en la actual provincia jordana de al-Tafilah). La pieza, probablemente del siglo II d. C., es la lápida funeraria de un tal Sprato, un desconocido soldado de una cohors Ulp(ia) mil(iaria), que no resulta fácil de identificar con el resto de las cohortes Ulpiae que conocemos a través de los testimonios epigráficos. El interés de la inscripción no sólo se debe a que amplía el breve catálogo de la epigrafía latina de la zona, sino sobre todo al hecho de que contribuye a aumentar nuestro conocimiento de la ocupación militar romana de la zona en la primera mitad del siglo II d. C.
Highlights
The aim of this paper is to bring to light, edit and contextualize a Latin inscription from Gharandal
The piece, dating probably from the 2nd century AD, is the gravestone of Spratus, a soldier of a cohors Ulp(ia) mil(iaria), hard to identify with any of the other cohortes Ulpiae known from the epigraphic evidence. This new inscription is interesting because it enlarges the short catalogue of Latin epigraphy in the area, and because it broadens our knowledge of the Roman
Its authentic pre-eminence in the region was earned as a result of the Roman conquest of Arabia (106 AD)3: the earliest of the Latin inscriptions in the city (AE 1897, 65 = AE 1995, 1604; 112 AD)
Summary
The site of ‘Ayn Gharandal (coord. 30.729289 N, 35.650694 E) lies about 45 kilometres to the north of Petra, 15 kilometres to the southeast of at-Tafilah and 5 kilometres to south of Busaira, the biblical Bozra. Unlike the nearby Edomite settlement, whose history goes back to the 7th century BC, remains of Gharandal are much later and, in any case, do not predate to the Nabataean period. The Roman army established a military settlement that gave birth to an important town. In this way, Arindela (Ἀρίνδηλα in the Byzantine sources or Arieldela in the Notitia dignitatum [Or. 34,44]) became the administrative centre of the region (al-Jibal, the Greco-Roman Gabalitis) in the late Roman and Byzantine Era4:. 6 «A fourth century church at Gharandal would be among the earliest purpose-built Christian structures in a military context found in the eastern Roman Empire and offers insight into changes in religious practices among soldiers stationed along the eastern frontier». 6 «A fourth century church at Gharandal would be among the earliest purpose-built Christian structures in a military context found in the eastern Roman Empire and offers insight into changes in religious practices among soldiers stationed along the eastern frontier». (Duncan et al 2017, p. 85)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
