V 27. Cherson. Dedication of Gregory (?), VI–VIIth centuries C.E.
Monument
Type
Cross.
Material
White fine-grained marble.
Dimensions (cm)
H. 10.0, W. 21.0, Th. 11.0.
Additional description
The central intersection and the right arm of the cross survive. Chipped along the edges.
Place of Origin
Cherson.
Find place
Sevastopol (Chersonesos).
Find context
Harbour area, residential quarters between the 2nd longitudinal street and a connector lane by Curtain Wall XVII, Church "with arcosolia", main room, Grave 9, southeast wall, masonry.
Find circumstances
1963, excavations of L.G. Kolesnikova.
Modern location
Sevastopol, Crimea.
Institution and inventory
National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 579/36588.
Autopsy
May 1999, August 2001, September 2002, September 2003, September 2004, September 2005, September 2006, September 2007.
Epigraphic field
Position
On the vertical (kionedon) and horizontal arms of the cross.
Lettering
Lapidary. Partly in kionedon. Letters with light serifs; V-shaped uspilon.
Letterheights (cm)
2.5–3.5.
Text
Category
Dedication.
Date
VI–VIIth centuries C.E.
Dating criteria
Palaeography.
Editions
Unpublished.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/><supplied reason="lost">Ὑ</supplied><lb n="2" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">π</supplied><lb n="3" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">ὲ</supplied><lb n="4" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">ρ</supplied>
<lb n="5"/><supplied reason="lost">σ</supplied><lb n="6" break="no"/>ω<lb n="7" break="no"/><unclear>τ</unclear><lb n="8" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">η</supplied><lb n="9" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">ρ</supplied><lb n="10" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">ί</supplied><lb n="11" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">α</supplied><lb n="12" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">ς</supplied>
<lb n="13"/><supplied reason="lost" cert="low">Γρηγ</supplied>ωρήου <g ref="#stauros"/>
</ab>
</div> Translation
[For the sal]vat[ion?] of [Grego?]rios.
Commentary
1-12. The break occured right at the intersection of the arms of the cross, and the most suitable formula for the vertical arrangement would seem to be Ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας (см. IV.3.B.c), where omega forms part of the two intersecting words. Indeed, there is a trace of a horizontal bar (of a tau) right under omega.
13. This could also explain the use of omega in the name Gregory (here Gregoreos). This widely attested Christian name (no less than 50 times in Byzantine inscriptions, according to PHI7 Database) occurs in the Northern Black Sea region in two more, but later, inscriptions from Bakla and Mangup (V 121 and V 183).
I was not able to find parallels for such an inscription on a marble cross, but there are examples of Christian dedications inscribed within a cross-shaped field on a panel (see, e.g., Guarducci IV, 370–371, Karpathos, IV–Vth centuries C.E.). We could speculate that this Chersonian monument was a monumental cross (probably with a lengthened lower part) used as an acroterium for the roof of a church building, or as a finial of a church phiale; alternatively it could have topped a free-standing pillar, a type of religious monument well known in the Early and Middle Byzantine Cherson (Sorochan 2005, 825).
The lettershapes are similar (but not completely) to those of V 19. Highly articulated serifs testify in favour of a date in the VI-VIIth centuries.
Images
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (This file should validate to the EpiDoc schema.)