V 286. Pantikapaion. Epitaph of Philoxenos, IVth century C.E.

Monument

Type

Stele. 

Material

Limestone rubble. 

Dimensions (cm)

H. 41.0, W. 36.5, Th. 7.5.

Additional description

The front is well worked and bears carved image of Latin cross with serifs on the left and right arms and tri-forked top and bottom arms. Fully preserved.  

Place of Origin

Pantikapaion. 

Find place

Kerch. 

Find context

Glinishche, garden of Poltavsky. 

Find circumstances

3 May 1909, chance find. 

Modern location

Kerch, Crimea. 

Institution and inventory

Historical and Archeological Museum of Kerch State Historical and Cultural Preserve, КЛ–1175. 

Autopsy

May 1999, September 2004, September 2008. 

Epigraphic field

Position

In corners between the arms of the cross. 

Lettering

Lapidary; letters filled in with ochre. Alpha with broken crossbar; delta and lambda with projecting right hastae, rectangular and lunate epsilon, rectangular phi, Y-shaped and V-shaped upsilon. 

Letterheights (cm)

3.0–5.0.

Text

Category

Epitaph. 

Date

IVth century C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

L1. Marti 1911, 8–11, № 3; 1.1. Yaylenko 1987, 165 approx. 11; 1.1.1. Bull.ép. 1990, 903; 1.1.2. SEG 39, 699; 1.2. Diatroptov, Yemets 1995, № 39; 2. Vinogradov 2007, 261–263, № 9. 

Edition

+ Ἐνθάδε κα-
τάκιτε Φι-
λόξενος
υἱὸς Ἀγα-
5πητοῦ τὴν
τέχνη(ν) γου-
νάριος.

Diplomatic

+ΕΝΘΑΔΕΚΑ
ΤΑΚΙΤΕΦΙ
ΛΟΞΕΝΟΣ
ΥΙΟΣΑΓΑ
5ΠΗΤΟΥΤΗΝ
ΤΕΧΝΗΓΟΥ
ΝΑΡΙΟΣ

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><g ref="#stauros"/> Ἐνθάδε κα<lb n="2" break="no"/>τάκιτε Φι<lb n="3" break="no"/>λόξενος
      <lb n="4"/>υἱὸς
      Ἀγα<lb n="5" break="no"/>πητοῦ τὴν
      <lb n="6"/><expan><abbr>τέχνη</abbr><ex>ν</ex></expan> γου<lb n="7" break="no"/>νάριος.
   </ab>
   </div> 

Translation

Here lies Philoxenos, son of Agapetos, a furrier by trade.

 

Commentary

The monument was bought from I. Pekerev for the Melek-Chesmen Tumulus Museum. Marti believed that the cross had been carved before the inscription, but it is unclear what his opinion is based on. D. Feissel, the author of the lemma in Bull. ép., could not find a reference to editio princeps in Yaylenko and so wrongly considered the inscription to be a new find.

1-2. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.F.d.

2–3. The name Philoxenos is attested in Bosporus three time, starting as early as the IInd century C.E.(see CIRB 905). It is also known in Christian epigraphy (see Feissel 1983, № 160; IG XIV 2418).

4–5. The name Agapetos is unknown in Bosporus, but occurs in Byzantine inscriptions (MAMA I 279; VI 339; IGLS 1908; ICUR 25972; SEG 8.741). Two saints of this name are known (see Delehaye 1902, 1043).

5–7. Indication of professional occupation is known in Christian inscriptions, it is used particularly in Corinth (see Bees 1941, pass.). The occupation γουνάριος is attested in Beševliev 1964, № 99, 100, 102–104 (VIth century), Feissel 1983, № 34 (V–VIth century).

 

Images

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