V 109. Herakleian peninsula (Alexandriada ?).Apotropaic inscription, XIIth century C.E.

Monument

Type

Wall block. 

Material

Limestone. 

Dimensions (cm)

H.31.0, W.27.0, Th.6.0.

Additional description

On the front: relief woven patriarchal foliate cross, with traces of ochre. Slightly chipped. 

Place of Origin

Herakleian peninsula (Alexandriada ?). 

Find place

Herakleian peninsula. 

Find context

Unknown. 

Find circumstances

1925, survey of I.N. Borozdin and A.S. Bashkirov. 

Modern location

Sevastopol, Crimea. 

Institution and inventory

National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 25г/4288. 

Autopsy

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

Epigraphic field

Position

Top corners. 

Lettering

Lapidary. Delta with projecting right diagonal, minuscule zeta and lambda, phi with elongated vertical. 

Letterheights (cm)

2.0–2.2.

Text

Category

Apotropaic inscription. 

Date

XIIth century C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

Unpublished. 

Edition

Φεῦγε, ζῆλε.
Χ(ριστό)ς σ<ε> διόκη.

2: orig. ΣΣ

Diplomatic

ΦΕΥΓΕΖΗΛΕ
ΧΣΣΣΔΙΟΚΗ

2: orig. ΣΣ

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/>Φεῦγε, ζῆλε.
      <lb n="2"/><expan><abbr>Χ</abbr><ex>ριστό</ex><abbr>ς</abbr></expan> 
    σ<choice><corr>ε</corr><sic>Σ</sic></choice> διόκη.
      
   </ab>
   </div>

Translation

Flee, Envy, Christ chases you away.

 

Commentary

On the formula, see IV.3.D.a.

2. The use of sigma instead of epsilon finds a reverse analogy in two Early Byzantine inscriptions from (V 18, V 19).

The same shape of the cross is found on a panel from Chersonesos (now in the State Hermitage). The script resembles that of V 68 (1183 C.E.). Considering the uniqueness of the formula, we could safely propose that V 42 and V 109 were carved at the same time.

In the report of Borozdin (Borozdin 1925), this stone is not mentioned. Taking into consideration the area of survey, we can speculate that the stone was found in the vicinity of Alexandriada.

 

Images

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