V 240. Panayir.Epitaph of George, Xth century C.E.
Monument
Type
Panel.
Material
Limestone.
Dimensions (cm)
H.35.0, W.35.0, Th.15.0.
Additional description
Cut at the top and right; surface is chipped; the top right corner was damaged after the discovery.
Place of Origin
Panayir.
Find place
Ayu-Dag, Mount.
Find context
Panayir Bay, monastery, Room 6, Grave 8, western wall, upside down.
Find circumstances
1996, excavations of S.B. Adaksina.
Modern location
Alushta, Crimea.
Institution and inventory
Alushta Branch of the Central Museum of Tavrida, no inventory number.
Autopsy
September 2005.
Epigraphic field
Position
centre of the front surface.
Lettering
Lapidary; bouletée, letters of uneven height, slightly elongated and pointy. Alpha with a loop; kappa with extended vertical. Ligature omicron-nu-epsilon, omicron-upsilon.
Letterheights (cm)
0.8–2.8.
Text
Category
Epitaph.
Date
Xth century C.E.
Dating criteria
Palaeography.
Editions
Unpublished.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/><supplied reason="lost">Ἐτελειώθη</supplied> <supplied reason="lost">ὁ</supplied>
<lb n="2"/>δοῦλος τοῦ <roleName>θ<supplied reason="lost">εοῦ</supplied></roleName>
<lb n="3"/><expan><abbr>Γεόργ</abbr><ex>η</ex><abbr>ος</abbr></expan>, <supplied reason="lost">ὁ</supplied> <supplied reason="lost">πα</supplied><lb n="4" break="no"/>λ<unclear>ε</unclear><supplied reason="lost">ό</supplied>τερος <expan><supplied reason="lost"><abbr>π</abbr></supplied><abbr>άντω</abbr><ex>ν</ex></expan>.
<lb n="5"/>Κὲ δ<supplied reason="lost">ι</supplied>ὰ τοῦ<supplied reason="lost">τ</supplied>ο παρακ
<lb n="6" break="no"/>αλο͂ <supplied reason="lost">τὸ</supplied>ν <roleName>θεὸν</roleName> τὸν ε<supplied reason="lost">ὔ</supplied><lb n="7" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">σπ</supplied>λαγχνον, ὅπος με
<lb n="8"/>ἐλεήσῃ ἐν τῇ ἡμ<supplied reason="lost">έ</supplied><lb n="9" break="no"/>ρᾳ τῆς κρήσεος, ἀμ<supplied reason="lost">ήν</supplied>.
<lb n="10"/><g ref="#stauros"/> <supplied reason="lost">Ἐ</supplied>τεληόθη ὁ <supplied reason="lost">δοῦ</supplied><lb n="11" break="no"/>λος τοῦ <roleName>θεοῦ</roleName> Γεώ<supplied reason="lost">ργιος</supplied>.
<lb n="12"/>Ἐτελειώθη <date>μηνὴ <rs type="month" ref="feb">Φ<supplied reason="lost">εβ</supplied><lb n="13" break="no"/>ροαρήο</rs> <num value="28">κη</num></date>. <g ref="#stauros"/>
</ab>
</div>Translation
Died: a servant of God, George, the oldest of all. And so I entreat the merciful God to spare me on the day of Judgement, amen. Died: a servant of God, George. Died on the 28th of February.
Commentary
Adaksina (2001, 16, fig. 74) published the drawing and translation of M.M. Dandamaeva (in consultation with the latter, we have agreed that her translation will not be considered by us as an edition).
1–2, 10, 12. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.F.f. See also on its probable Bosporan origin.
3–4, 11. On the name George, see commentary to V 64. The epithet "the oldest of all" points to the eldest member of some congregation, probably monastic.
5-9. The motivation for the request "and so" probably follows the idea that even the most long-living eventually die and have to appear before Divine judgement. On the plea for mercy on the Day of Judgement, see Pomyalovsky 1883, № 30.
10, 12. The repetition of the word "died" in the dating formula: cf. V 243 from nearby Partenit; a triple repetition is however unique and might be reflective of a low professional expertise of the epitaph's author. The phonetic form of the month is comparable with V 134.3 (of the same time period).
Images
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
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