Ancient World

James Ossuary

The James Ossuary is a limestone box that is claimed to be from the 1st-century that was used for containing the bones of the dead. An Aramaic inscription reading "Jacob (James), son of Joseph, brother of Yeshua" in translation is cut into one side of the box. The ossuary attracted scholarly attention due to its possible association with the Christian Holy Family. It has been the subject of continuing debate over its authenticity. It is owned by Israeli antiquities collector Oded Golan. In a trial that lasted from 2004 to 2012, Oded Golan and others were tried for forging the inscription. The judge found that the evidence was insufficient to establish their guilt, while making it clear that the verdict did not prove or disprove the authenticity of the inscription.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Greek Crimea
• ▸Heteromeles
• ▸Bryges

Uncatalogued shelf

Text from Wikipedia; plate via Wikimedia Commons. Text CC BY-SA 4.0; plate freely licensed (see Commons). Source record. Images and catalogue data are reproduced from open-access collections.