The Philinos cave in the Beth Guvrin Area

Adi Erlich, Nachum Sagiv, Dov Gera

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A cave with two Greek inscriptions and two wall reliefs was discovered on a hill near Kibbutz Beth Guvrin. One inscription mentions the name of Philinos; the other is a vulgar inscription attesting to homosexual intercourse between Philinos and Papias. The reliefs depict a Herm-like shaft and another unclear shape. The name and reliefs have parallels in nearby Maresha, c. 4 km to the south. The Philinos cave is dated to the Hellenistic period and provides evidence of the pagan nature of the area prior to its conversion from Idumaea to Judaea.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)55-69
Number of pages15
JournalIsrael Exploration Journal
Volume66
Issue number1
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Archaeology
  • History
  • Archaeology

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