V 263. Jalita.Invocation, 999 C.E.(?).

Monument

Type

Wall. 

Material

Limestone. 

Dimensions (cm)

H.8.0, W.8.0.

Additional description

Wall with images of crosses. Water stains on the surface. 

Place of Origin

Jalita. 

Find place

Iograf Ridge. 

Find context

Cave with a church. 

Find circumstances

1998, survey of O.V. Kaverin. 

Modern location

In situ. 

Institution and inventory

In situ, no inventory number. 

Autopsy

September 2005, July 2012. 

Epigraphic field

Position

On the front. 

Lettering

Graffito. 

Letterheights (cm)

0.5-1.5.

Text

Category

Invocative inscription. 

Date

999 C.E.(?). 

Dating criteria

Explicit date. 

Editions

Unpublished. 

Edition

[Ἔτους] ͵[ς]φζ´ (?),
[μηνὶ Ἰου]νίου.
Βοήθη,
στ(αυ)ρόν.

Diplomatic

[......]ΦΖ(?)
[.......]ΝΙΟΥ
ΒΟΗΘΗ
ΣΤΡΟΝ

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><date><supplied reason="lost">Ἔτους</supplied> <num value="6507"><supplied reason="lost">ς</supplied>φζ</num> <note>?</note>,
      <lb n="2"/><supplied reason="lost">μηνὶ</supplied> <supplied reason="lost"> Ἰου</supplied>νίου</date>.
      <lb n="3"/>Βοήθη, 
      <lb n="4"/><expan><abbr>στ</abbr><ex>αυ</ex><abbr>ρόν</abbr></expan>.
   </ab>
   </div>

Translation

[In the year] 6]507 (?), [in Ju]ne. Help, cross.

 

Commentary

The inscription was kindly brought to our attention by N.P. Turova. It was made on the wall of a natural cave, inside which there was a church. It is possible that that section of the wall was part of the church, but equally possible is a scenario where the inscription had been made prior to the construction of the church, since the latter would have completely blocked the wall with inscription from natural light. The text, which appears among other graffiti (mainly, images of crosses), is very difficult to read and is impossible to photograph or trace on paper.

Its content is probably related to the images of crosses on the wall, but we cannot exclude the possibility that an actual cross was set up in the cave as well.

Archaeological excavations carried out by N.P. Turova yielded archaeological material, which dates to the IXth century C.E. and later.

 

Images

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