V 215. Chilter-Marmara. Epitaph of an unknown, IX–XIth centuries C.E.

Monument

Type

Wall. 

Material

Limestone. 

Additional description

The surface is completely eroded. 

Place of Origin

Chilter-Marmara. 

Find place

Chilter-Marmara. 

Find context

3rd row, room 39 (according to Veyrman), western wall, over a double grave. 

Find circumstances

1896, survey of Yu.A. Kulakovsky. 

Modern location

In situ. 

Institution and inventory

In situ, no inventory number. 

Autopsy

Non vidi. 

Epigraphic field

Position

On the front. 

Lettering

Dipinto; square, slanting letters. Alpha with a loop, lambda with projecting right diagonal, pi with extended horizontal. 

Text

Category

Epitaph. 

Date

IX–XIth centuries C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

Unpublished. 

Edition

Ἰ̣(ησοῦ)ς̣ + Χ(ριστὸ)ς
[..].. [ἐ]κημή[(θι)] Ν̣ο̣ε̣-
β̣ρί̣[ῳ] εἰς τὰ ς´. Κὲ
[Ἰω]ά̣νης λείψα[να] ἔ̣σ̣[τ]η̣-
5σεν εἰς τὸ σπίλεω[ν]
[. 5.] κὲ ἀ̣π̣έ̣θ̣ησεν
[... ἀπ᾿] ἀσπίδος
[...]ΑΤ[---]

Diplomatic

..+ΧΣ
[··]··[.]ΚΗΜΗ[]...
.Ρ.[.]ΕΙΣΤΑΣΚΕ
[..].ΝΗΣΛΕΙΨΑ[..]..[.].
5ΣΕΝΕΙΣΤΟΣΠΙΛΕΩ[.]
[·····]ΚΕ....ΗΣΕΝ
[···...]ΑΣΠΙΔΟΣ
[···]ΑΤ[---]

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><expan><abbr><unclear>Ἰ</unclear></abbr><ex>ησοῦ</ex><abbr><unclear>ς</unclear></abbr></expan>
       <g ref="#stauros"/> <expan><abbr>Χ</abbr><ex>ριστὸ</ex><abbr>ς</abbr></expan>
      <lb n="2"/><gap reason="lost" quantity="2" unit="character"/><gap reason="illegible" quantity="2" unit="character"/>
    <expan><abbr><supplied reason="lost">ἐ</supplied>κημή</abbr><supplied reason="lost"><ex>θι</ex></supplied></expan>
    <date><rs type="month" ref="nou"><unclear>Νοε</unclear><lb n="3" break="no"/><unclear>β</unclear>ρ<unclear>ί</unclear><supplied reason="lost">ῳ</supplied></rs>
     εἰς τὰ <num value="6">ς</num></date>. Κὲ
      <lb n="4"/><supplied reason="lost">Ἰω</supplied><unclear>ά</unclear>νης
       λείψα<supplied reason="lost">να</supplied> <unclear>ἔσ</unclear><supplied reason="lost">τ</supplied><unclear>η</unclear>
    <lb n="5" break="no"/>σεν εἰς τὸ σπίλεω<supplied reason="lost">ν</supplied> 
      <lb n="6"/><gap reason="lost" quantity="5" unit="character"/> κὲ <unclear>ἀπέθ</unclear>ησεν
      <lb n="7"/><gap reason="lost" quantity="3" unit="character"/> <supplied reason="lost">ἀπ᾿</supplied> ἀσπίδος
      <lb n="8"/><gap reason="lost" quantity="3" unit="character"/><orig>ΑΤ</orig><gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/>
   </ab>
   </div> 

Translation

Jesus Christ. [...] fell asleep on the 6th of November. And Ioanes set the remains in the cave and put away [from?] the snake...

 

Commentary

Latyshev published only a diplomatic transcription (1896, 126б № 44с; 1897, 153) and no illustration (see Mogarichev 1997, 32, fig. 116.2). The photograph published here is preserved at the Photo Archive, Institute for History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences (О.267.16; II–1193, kindly pointed out to me by S.V. Kharitonov; also О.12.20; II–1592). By now the inscription is completely destroyed.

2. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.F.e. The absence of the traditional epithet "servant of God" is unusual.

4. On the name John, see commentary to V 64.

5. It is noteworthy that the enclosure where the grave was found is called a cave, not a church, as had been thought by Mogarichev and others (Vinogradov, Gaydukov, Zheltov 2005, 72–80).

3-8. The formula of the second half of the inscription has no analogies.

On the photo we can see below the second illegible four-line inscription in dipinto technique, probably also funerary.

This inscription proves that the cave complex at Chilter-Marmara continued in use through the IX-XIth centuries.

 

Images

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