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Unpublished.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