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‘Atiqot 83 (2015)
ISBN 2948-040X
The Inscription from Khirbat Umm Leisun, and Georgian Presence in the Holy Land
(pp. 185–193)
Tamila Mgaloblishvili
Keywords: Jerusalem, Georgian epigraphy, paleography, monastery, Georgian language, Christianity, epigraphy, monastic life, Peter the Iberian, etymology, Georgian pilgrims, Georgian travelers, Georgian church
This inscription, dating from the end of the fifth or the first half of the sixth century CE, is one of the oldest Georgian inscriptions in the Holy Land. The use of the name “Iohane” further confirms this early date. In this article, it is argued that the word Purtaveli, mentioned in the inscription, is not of Georgian origin, and that Iohane was not the bishop of a monastery called Purtavi situated in Georgia. It is suggested that the name Purtaveli was given to the bishop in the Holy Land and that it was of local Semitic origin, either Hebrew or Aramaic. The prominent position of Bishop Iohane—buried in a tomb separated from the other tombs in the crypt of the monastery—and his identification by a Georgian inscription are convincing evidence that the Umm Leisun monastery should be considered to be Georgian.