V 67. Cherson. Epitaph of Nicholas (?), Xth century C.E.

Monument

Type

Panel. 

Material

White fine-grained marble. 

Dimensions (cm)

H. 27.5, W. 17.0, Th. 4.0.

Additional description

Panel with rounded top; on the front is an incised cross, its left arm ending in two and bottom arm in three teardrops. Broken off on the right and bottom. 

Place of Origin

Cherson. 

Find place

Sevastopol (Chersonesos). 

Find context

Near Church 15 ("basilica in basilica"), rubble fill. 

Find circumstances

1903, chance find. 

Modern location

Sevastopol, Crimea. 

Institution and inventory

National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 4047. 

Autopsy

May 1999, August 2001, September 2002, September 2003, September 2004, September 2005, September 2006, September 2007. 

Epigraphic field 1

Position

In corners between the arms of the cross. 

Lettering

Lapidary; ornate letters. Alpha with broken crossbar and with a loop, kappa’s diagonals do not touch its vertical, rho with elongated vertical, upsilon with diaeresis. 

Letterheights (cm)

1.3.

Text 1

Category

Demonstrative. 

Date

Xth century C.E. 

Dating criteria

Form of the cross, script. 

Editions

L1. Latyshev 1905, 109–110, № 21. 

Edition

Ἰ(ησοῦ)ς Χ(ριστὸ)ς
νικᾷ.

Diplomatic

ΙΣΧΣ
ΝΙΚΑ

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="textpart" subtype="inscription" n="1">
      <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><expan><abbr>Ἰ</abbr><ex>ησοῦ</ex><abbr>ς</abbr></expan> 
      <expan><abbr>Χ</abbr><ex>ριστὸ</ex><abbr>ς</abbr></expan>
      <lb n="2"/>νικᾷ.
      </ab>
   </div> 

Translation

Jesus Christ is victorious.

 

Commentary

On circumstances of discovery, see Kostsyushko-Valyuzhinich 1905, 109. The shape of the cross is similar to that of V 89.

On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.C.e.

 

Images

Epigraphic field 2

Position

On either side of the bottom arm of the cross. 

Lettering

See field 1. 

Text 2

Category

Epitaph. 

Date

Xth century C.E. 

Dating criteria

Form of the cross, script. 

Editions

L1. Latyshev 1905, 109–110, № 21; 2. Latyshev 1908, 41. 

Edition

+ Ἐκοιμήθ(η) [ὁ ἐν μα]--
καρήᾳ τῖ [μνήμῃ καὶ]
δοῦλος [τοῦ Θ(εο)ῦ]
[Νικό]λ̣[α?]ο̣ς [---]

Diplomatic

+ΕΚΟΙΜΗΘ[.....]-
ΚΑΡΗΑΤΙ[........]
ΔΟΥΛΟΣ[......]
[....].[.].Σ[---]

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="textpart" subtype="inscription" n="2">
      <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><g ref="#stauros"/> <expan><abbr>Ἐκοιμήθ</abbr><ex>η</ex></expan> <supplied reason="lost">ὁ 
      ἐν</supplied> <supplied reason="lost">μα</supplied>-<lb n="2" break="no"/>καρήᾳ τῖ 
      <supplied reason="lost">μνήμῃ καὶ</supplied>
      <lb n="3"/>δοῦλος <supplied reason="lost">τοῦ</supplied> 
      <roleName><supplied reason="lost"><expan><abbr>Θ</abbr><ex>εο</ex><abbr>ῦ</abbr></expan></supplied></roleName>
      <lb n="4"/><supplied reason="lost">Νικό</supplied><unclear>λ</unclear><supplied reason="lost" cert="low">α</supplied><unclear>ο</unclear>ς <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/>
      </ab>
   </div> 
 
Apparatus criticus

2: Καρηάτι[ος] Latyshev 1905
4: om. Latyshev

Translation

Fell asleep, [who is in bl]essed memory, and a servant of God, Nicholas.

 

Commentary

1-3. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.F.c. In the editio princeps, Latyshev had incorrectly restored the name Καρηάτι[ος] because he did not take into consideration the size of the monument, but he later corrected his mistake.

4-5. In the last line, Latyshev speculated that the deceased's name may have been written, but he did not include it in his restoration. A widely attested common name Νικόλαος (see commentary to V 48) could, in our opinion, fit the number and shapes of the surviving letters most comfortably, especially since the sigma is set above the line of text in a way similar to Line 1. The inscription most likely ended with a date.

Palaeographic features of this inscription represent a unique case where we observe a process of transition from alpha with broken crossbar to alpha with a loop, which was under way in Cherson in the Xth century.

 

(cc) © 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (This file should validate to the EpiDoc schema.)