Armenian Inscriptions Found in Jerusalem, Revealing 7th-Century Settlement
Armenian Inscriptions Found in Jerusalem, Revealing 7th-Century Settlement
Archaeologists found four Armenian inscriptions in Jerusalem’s Musrara neighborhood. These writings are from the sixth or seventh century.
Experts say the discovery offers clues about early Christian life in the city. Scholar Michael E. Stone says the findings bring “completely new historical information concerning the Christian, and particularly Armenian, settlement in Jerusalem in the seventh century CE.”
The inscription was found at the center of a mosaic floor in a reception room, believed to be part of a residential area. It was placed inside a circular design, or medallion, measuring about 1.19 meters in diameter. The medallion was fully integrated into the rest of the mosaic, using stones of the same size.
The circular frame around the inscription included several rings: an outer ring of white stones, followed by black, then a thicker white ring, and finally an inner ring of black ones. These rings stood out from the rest of the floor because they were laid in a different direction.
Structure and preservation of the mosaic inscription
The Armenian text was arranged into seven lines. The first and last lines each had just one word. The middle five lines varied in length depending on the space. A thin red line, two stones wide, separated each line of writing.
The inscription is nearly perfectly preserved. Only four small tiles are missing from the sixth line, but this does not affect the understanding of the text.
It includes a message from a priest named Ewstat‘. The message reads: “I Ewstat‘ the priest laid this mosaic. (You) who enter this house, remember me and my brother Luke to Christ.”
E. Stone explained that the writings were found on tombstones and a large pottery bowl. He believes these items, and the well-known Birds Mosaic, likely belonged to the same religious complex. Armenians appear to have played an important role there.
E. Stone notes that the message is written in flawless ancient Armenian. He also points out that it uses an unusual word for “mosaic”—a term not seen in any other inscriptions from mosaics found in Jerusalem so far.
Dating the findings and evidence of shared worship
Experts were able to confirm the period of the mosaic through items found at the site. Coins were discovered inside the dark gray mix of mortar and charcoal beneath the mosaic. The newest coin was a Byzanto-Arab piece from the mid-seventh century, helping date the mosaic to that time.
Researchers also uncovered two tombstones at the site. One carries the words “of Petros of Sodk‘,” linking the person to Siwnik‘, a region in Armenia. The other bears the name “Abel.”
One key detail stood out: signs of Armenian and Greek communities sharing the same religious space. An inscription in Greek, dated to the early seventh century based on the writing style, was found in the same church apse.
E. Stone explains that while the Armenian Church officially broke away from the Council of Chalcedon’s decisions in 451 CE, the split occurred gradually. This shared space suggests that both groups may have continued to worship side-by-side during that period.