V 269. Pantikapaion.Epitaph of Aniketos, IV–Vth centuries C.E.
Monument
Type
Stele.
Material
Limestone.
Dimensions (cm)
H.57.0, W.36.0, Th.6.5.
Additional description
On the front - carved crosses in top corners. Broken into 5 parts, chipped on all sides.
Place of Origin
Pantikapaion.
Find place
Kerch.
Find context
Glinishche, garden of K. Woerle.
Find circumstances
March 1896, chance find.
Modern location
Kerch, Crimea.
Institution and inventory
Kerch Historical and Cultural Reserve, КЛ–1018.
Autopsy
September 2010.
Epigraphic field
Position
On the front.
Lettering
Lapidary. Alpha with broken crossbar, rectangular epsilon, theta, omicron, sigma, delta with projecting right hasta.
Letterheights (cm)
ок. 3.0–4.5.
Text
Category
Epitaph.
Date
IV–Vth centuries C.E.
Dating criteria
Palaeography.
Editions
L1. Latyshev1896, 131–132, № 91а; 2. Shkorpil1898, 190, № 11; 1.1. Diatroptov, Yemets1995, № 7.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/>Ἐν<unclear>θ</unclear>ά<lb n="2" break="no"/>δε κ<unclear>ατ</unclear><lb n="3" break="no"/>άκιτε
<lb n="4"/>Ἀνίκη<lb n="5" break="no"/>τος.
</ab>
</div>Apparatus criticus
4-5: (Ἀ)νικετος (sic!)Diatroptov
Translation
Here lies Aniketos.
Commentary
The monument was acquired by Shkorpil for the Odessa Society for History and Antiquities in 1896. Latyshev used an estampage sent to him by K.E. Dumberg and accompanied by Shkorpil's note in preparing his edition. In particular, the latter observed that the script was similar to that of V 276. Two years later, Shkorpil published the inscription as well, without referring to Latyshev's edition. At present, only the bottom right corner survives.
1–3. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.F.d.
The conjecture of Diatroptov and Yemets - Ἀνικετος (sic!) - makes no sense. The name Aniketos is attested as such only in inscriptions from Asia Minor, and only 6 times (MAMA I 173 (hiereus of apotactics), 180, 237, 357; 7, 279b; Mitchell 1977 98, № 40). Two martyrs of this name are also known in Asia Minor (Delehaye 1902, 201, 885). In addition, this name is also attested 7 times in the epigraphic record of Asia Minor in classical antiquity, and outside Asia Minor - once each in Athens, Thessaly, Macedonia, and Amorgos, as well as 4 times in Egypt (according to PHI7 Database). On these grounds, we can cautiously hypothesize that the Bosporan Aniketos hailed from Anatolia.
Images
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
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