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Unpublished. 

Edition

[Ἐτελειώθη ὁ]
δοῦλος τοῦ θ[εοῦ]
Γεόργ(η)ος, [ὁ πα-]
λε̣[ό]τερος [π]άντω(ν).
5Κὲ δ[ι]ὰ τοῦ[τ]ο παρακ-
αλο͂ [τὸ]ν θεὸν τὸν ε[ὔ-]
[σπ]λαγχνον, ὅπος με
ἐλεήσῃ ἐν τῇ ἡμ[έ-]
ρᾳ τῆς κρήσεος, ἀμ[ήν].
10+ [Ἐ]τεληόθη ὁ [δοῦ-]
λος τοῦ θεοῦ Γεώ[ργιος].
Ἐτελειώθη μηνὴ Φ[εβ-]
ροαρήο κη´. +

Diplomatic

[..........]
ΔΟΥΛΟΣΤΟΥΘ[...]
ΓΕΟΡΓΟΣ[...-]
Λ.[.]ΤΕΡΟΣ[.]ΑΝΤΩ
5ΚΕΔ[.]ΑΤΟΥ[.]ΟΠΑΡΑΚ
ΑΛΟ[..]ΝΘΕΟΝΤΟΝΕ[.-]
[..]ΛΑΓΧΝΟΝΟΠΟΣΜΕ
ΕΛΕΗΣΗΕΝΤΗΗΜ[.-]
ΡΑΤΗΣΚΡΗΣΕΟΣΑΜ[..]
10+[.]ΤΕΛΗΟΘΗΟ[...-]
ΛΟΣΤΟΥΘΕΟΥΓΕΩ[.....]
ΕΤΕΛΕΙΩΘΗΜΗΝΗΦ[..-]
ΡΟΑΡΗΟΚΗ+

EpiDoc (XML)

<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

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