V 316. Bosporus.Epitaph of Kyreakos, 767 C.E.
Monument
Type
Column.
Material
Proconnesian marble.
Dimensions (cm)
H.288.0, Diam.45.5.
Additional description
The surface is heavily weathered.
Place of Origin
Bosporus.
Find place
Kerch.
Find context
Church of St. John the Precursor, northwestern column, eastern side.
Find circumstances
1799, survey of P.I Sumarokov.
Modern location
In situ.
Institution and inventory
In situ, no inventory number.
Autopsy
May 1999, September 2004, September 2008.
Epigraphic field
Position
Middle height of the column. H.59.0, W.22.0
Lettering
Lapidary, bouletée. Alpha with broken crossbar, lunate epsilon, kappa with free-standing vertical.
Letterheights (cm)
2.0–2.5.
Text
Category
Epitaph.
Date
767 C.E.
Dating criteria
Explicit date.
Editions
L1. Murzakevich1844, 93-95, № 626; 2. Latyshev1896, № 93.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/> <g ref="#staurogram"/> Ἐν<supplied reason="lost">θ</supplied>άδ<supplied reason="lost">ε</supplied>
<lb n="2"/>κατάκιτε <supplied reason="lost">ὁ</supplied>
<lb n="3"/>δοῦλ<supplied reason="lost">ος</supplied> τοῦ <roleName><expan><abbr>θ</abbr><ex>εο</ex><abbr><supplied reason="lost">ῦ</supplied></abbr></expan></roleName>
<lb n="4"/>Κυρηακός, υἱ
<lb n="5" break="no"/>ὸς Γεωργίου,
<lb n="6"/><expan><abbr>ἔνγον</abbr><ex>ο</ex><abbr>ς</abbr></expan> Βι<unclear>δ</unclear>
<lb n="7" break="no"/>δηρ. Ἐτεληό
<lb n="8" break="no"/>θη <date><expan><abbr>μη</abbr><ex>νὸς</ex></expan> <rs type="month" ref="iun">Ἰουνί
<lb n="9" break="no"/>ου</rs> <num value="3">γ</num> <supplied reason="lost">ἐ</supplied>ν <expan><abbr>ἰνδ</abbr><ex>ικτιῶνι</ex></expan>
<lb n="10"/><num value="10">ι</num>, ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ <supplied reason="lost">ἔτους</supplied>
<lb n="11"/><num value="6265">ςσξ<supplied reason="lost">ε</supplied></num></date>.
</ab>
</div>Apparatus criticus
2-3: ἡ δούληMurzakevich
6: ΕΝΕΟΝMurzakevich;
ΒινδηρMurzakevich,Latyshev
8: ΜΙMurzakevich; μ(ηνὸς)Latyshev
9: ΜΙΝΔMurzakevich
11: ςσζ´Murzakevich
Translation
Here lies a servant of God, Kyriakos, son of George, grandson of Bidder. He died on the 3rd of June, in the 10th indiction, in the year 6265 since Adam.
Commentary
For a detailed history of study of this inscription, see Latyshev 1896, № 93; 1897, 157–158. By the time Murzakevich was making his transcription, the inscription had already suffered damage since the time of Sumarokov (1800, 71). The latter was still able to read the date fully. By the time of Latyshev, further deterioration had occurred, and further still since his time.
1–3. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.F.d.
4. On the name Kyriakos (here Kyreakos), see commentary to V 72.
6–7. A mention of grandchildren is quite common in Byzantine epigraphy, but mainly in the context of listing family members. A grandfather's name as that of the main figure of the inscription occurs only when it is important to stress one's descent from him, in which case a father is usually not mentioned (IdC 37; IG III 3547, and possibly RECAM II 463, 467), or when it was important for administrative reasons (Theban cadastre). So, in our case, we must either consider Bidder to have been a very important personage, or, as Latyshev thought, to view a mention of grandfather's name as a feature of local custom (cf. V 136, V 141).
7–8. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.F.f.
10. On the dating formula 'since Adam' see Introduction IV.4.C.
11. The year date can be restored on the basis of Sumarokov's testimony, who did not see the inscription himself, but relied on the communication of the local proto hiereus. In any case, as Latyshev had rightly observed, only that date, and not 6207 (as in Murzakevich's transcription), and not 6260 (as in the latter's Russian translation) corresponds to the 10th indiction (on the correspondence of years 'since Creation' and 'since the Birth of Christ' in the Middle Byzantine period, see Introduction IV. 4. D). The last epsilon is almost illegible on the stone.
The question of whether the inscription had been carved before or after the church's construction, has been fueling lively scholarly debates for a long time. At present, it is clear that both this and another, right, column (bearing V 321) originate from some Early Byzantine church, possibly, form a basilica of the V-VIth centuries, which had stood on the stop of the present church. The latter was built not before the XIIIth century (See Ponomarev 1999, 46; see also commentary to V 314 and Vinogradov 2008).
Images
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
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