An ancient Hebrew tombstone was recently discovered in southern India, dated to approximately the 13th century. The finding of the artifact implies that there might have been a forgotten community of Jews residing in the area long ago.
According to reports, the tombstone was unearthed on a coconut farm in the city of Ramanathapuram in the state of Tamil Nadu. Dubai-based history researcher and Hebrew calligrapher Thoufeek Zakriya managed to decipher an inscription on the surface of the relic, leading him to conclude it likely originated in the years 1224 or 1225 A.D.
The discovery of this tombstone is significant as it predates the previous Hebrew archaeological find that was thought to be the oldest of its kind in India. “This means that it is older than the Sarah Bat Israel Tombstone in Kerala’s Chennamangalam, which is considered the oldest Hebrew tombstone ever identified in India,” Zakriya explained to THE WEEK.
32-year-old chemical engineer and amateur historian Hathim Ali originally shed light on the monumental tombstone. “One of my friends informed me about this tombstone found in the coconut farm owned by Mr. Balu,” he said. “When I went to inspect it, I understood that it was neither Tamil nor Arabic. Later, I thought maybe it could be Hebrew,” Ali added.
Zakryia originally became aware of the discovery when a newspaper article about the tombstone was forwarded to him by the president of the Ramanathapuram Archaeological Research Foundation, Rajaguru. “The Hebrew inscription bears the date as the 1st of Shvat (Hebrew Month) 1536 or 1537 of the Seleucid era,” Zakriya told The Week.
“When converting the dates from the Seleucid era to the common era, it was found that the date on the tombstone inscriptions is approximately equivalent to January 1, 1224 AD, or January 18, 1225 AD,” Zakriya told The Week. “So, I could not find the name of the deceased or his father. … But I could see a name partially which could be read as Nehemiah in Hebrew,” he said. “The initial analysis shows a strong Yemeni Jewish influence in the tombstone’s pattern.”
The Christian Tribune has reported on other substantial archaeological finds related to ancient Judaism. Archaeological researchers discovered what they believe are the remains of a biblical city described in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings.
Scientists from Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan and Ariel University in Samaria collaborated to unearth a monumental find which seems to validate the Scripture in 2 Kings 12:17, which reads, “At that time Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and took it.”
“Our findings are very important for deciphering the intensity of the fire and scope of destruction at Gath, the largest and most powerful city in the Land of Israel at the time, as well as understanding the building methods prevailing in that era. It’s important to review conclusions from previous studies, and sometimes even refute former interpretations, even if they came from your own school,” Prof. Aren Maeir from the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University.
Featured image credit: Leah Lipszyc, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tchufute_Kalei_fallen_tombstones_result_of_earthquakes.JPG