Page 100 - A Walk to Caesarea / Joseph Patrich

86 Archaeological Review

The Case of Tamar

Rabbi Hiyya, Rabbi Yosé and Rabbi Immi were engaged in judging [the case of a woman named] Tamar. She
went and complained against them to Antiputa [governor] of Caesarea. The [rabbis] sent and wrote [about it] to
R. Abbahu [who lived in Caesarea]. R. Abbahu sent and wrote to them, “We have already won over advocates
(liturin), Tov Yeled (Goodchild), Tov Lamed (Well-learned), and Tarsus [known by their Greek equivalent as]
Ebdocus, Eumusus, and Talassios]. … But Tamar (‘bitter’) is bitterness. She abides in her bitterness, and we tried
to sweeten her [by a bribe] but ‘in vain has the smelter smelted’ (Jeremiah 6: 29) [for gold could not buy her]
(Jerusalem Talmud, Megillah 3:2, 74a, tr. J. Neusner, p. 126).

Fig. 83 The entrance to the palace was from the east, through a square propylon with
four turrets at its corners (Fig. 80). Another tall tower, north of the propylon, rose
The prison guard’s toward the hippo-stadium. Under Roman rule, Herod’s palace was extended by
inscription: Spes bona some 50 m to the east, along the rounded southern end of the hippo-stadium.
adiutorib(us) offici Four Latin inscriptions, discovered in this extension, refer to the activity of the
custodiar(um) (Good hope to staff that served in the governor’s officium, which consisted of 120 people, and
the assistants of the office/ identify parts of this government complex. A Latin mosaic inscription mentions
officials in charge of prisoners the jailers or the prison (Fig. 83). It was discovered in a room in the southern wing
[or the Prison]) of the upper terrace. One may presume that the prison was nearby, even though
not located in the excavations. However, beneath the main courtyard of the upper
terrace was a huge cistern, shaped like the letter T. Eventually, an underground
corridor broke into the space. Seemingly, this dark space served at that time as a
prison. This is evinced by a rather dramatic Christian inscription stating, “Lord
help Procopia!” The inscription was smeared with mud on the walls by a woman
named Procopia.

Another mosaic floor inscription (Fig. 84) identifies the office of the imperial
secret agents (frumentarii), located near the eastern gate of the government
complex. The headquarters of these agents was centered in Rome and they were
sent from there to different places in the Empire.

Fig. 84

Inscription of security
agents: Sanct[o] Genio
frum[mentarioru]m omnia
Felicia (To the sacred Genius
of the frumentarii. Good luck
in all things)