ABSTRACT

The preceding chapters have provided an overview of how dedications for salvation’s sake appeared and functioned in the Near East. Such an overview, however, needs to be supplemented by case studies to show how and why the dedications for salvation, either for the emperor or for the individual, were made in particular places. As case studies, I chose Heliopolis (modern Baalbek in Lebanon), Dura Europos (Syria), and Gerasa (modern Jerash in Jordan). At each city, a number of dedications were found in a clear archaeological context with sufficient variation in historical development and distribution of inscriptions to invite comparison. Heliopolis, Dura Europas, and Gerasa all received a foundation of Greek culture in the fourth century B.C. under Seleucid rule, as was evident in their use of Greek language, religion, and municipal institutions and offices. The three cities also became subject to Roman rule. The particular ways in which both types of dedications-those for the emperor’s salvation and those for personal salvation-appear in these cities allow us to see the arrival of the dedications, their use in context, and their local significance. Gerasa also provides ample evidence of the fundamental shifts that occurred in Late Antiquity under the influence of Christianity.