V 255. Sougdaia.Epitaph (?) of an unknown, VIIIth-Xth centuries C.E.

Monument

Type

Panel. 

Material

Limestone. 

Dimensions (cm)

H.16.0, W.11.0, Th.4.0.

Additional description

Inset panel; raised border is 1.5cm high and 4cm wide. Broken off on the top and right. 

Place of Origin

Sougdaia. 

Find place

Sudak. 

Find context

Fortress, Block I. 

Find circumstances

1998, excavations of I.A. Baranov. 

Modern location

Sudak, Crimea. 

Institution and inventory

Museum "Sudak Fortress", no inventory number. 

Autopsy

September 2003, September 2009. 

Epigraphic field 1

Position

Within inset field. 

Lettering

Lapidary. Alpha with broken crossbar. Ligature eta-nu-eta. 

Letterheights (cm)

2.0.

Text 1

Category

Funerary (?) inscription. 

Date

VIIIth-Xth centuries C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

L1. Vinogradov, Dzhanov2004, 417–418, № 10. 

Edition

[---] μ̣-
ην̣[ὶ ---]-
ίου α´ [--- ἐν ἐ-]
κήνῃ [τῇ ---].

Diplomatic

[---].
Η.[.---]
ΙΟΥΑ[---...-]
ΚΗΝΗ[..---]

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="textpart" subtype="inscription" n="1">
      <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/> <unclear>μ</unclear>
      <lb n="2" break="no"/>η<unclear>ν</unclear><supplied reason="lost">ὶ</supplied> <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/>
      <lb n="3" break="no"/><w part="F">ίου</w> <num value="1">α</num> <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/> <supplied reason="lost">ἐν</supplied> <supplied reason="lost">ἐ</supplied>
      <lb n="4" break="no"/>κήνῃ <supplied reason="lost">τῇ</supplied>
      <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/>.
      </ab>
   </div>

Translation

... on the 1st..., in this...

 

Commentary

The panel is quite thin suggesting that it was meant to be set into a wall.

1-3. The main text apparently ends with an extensive dating formula, which is characteristic first and foremost of funerary monuments. Letters ΗΝ in line 2 and ΙΟΥ in line 3 strongly suggest that we have a reference to a month, but its name is lost, preventing us from reconstructing the length of the line (from 6 letters in May to 11 letters in February or September).

4. Letters ΚΗΝΗ in the last line of text are part of a concluding formula, and ἐκείνῃ suggests itself, e.g., in such phrase as "in this monastery."

 

Images

 Photograph of face 1(from ??)

Epigraphic field 2

Position

On the corner of the raised border. 

Lettering

See field 1. 

Text 2

Category

Demonstrative. 

Date

VIII–Xth centuries C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

L1. Vinogradov, Dzhanov2004, 417–418, № 10. 

Edition

Α [Ω]

Diplomatic

Α[.]

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="textpart" subtype="inscription" n="2">
      <ab>
      <lb n="1"/>Α <supplied reason="lost">Ω</supplied>
      </ab>
   </div>

Translation

Alpha, omega.

 

Commentary

On the left bottom corner of the raised border we can discern an alpha. It is reasonable to suppose that it was matched by an omega on the right side of the panel. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.C.b.

 

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