V 332. Hermonassa.Epitaph of Sotias (?), second half of IV-Vth centuries C.E.

Monument

Type

Panel. 

Material

Proconnesian marble. 

Dimensions (cm)

H.42.0, W.46.0, Th.4.0–5.0.

Additional description

The front is polished. Broken on all sides; the middle and right half of line 2 are covered in red paint. 

Place of Origin

Hermonassa. 

Find place

Taman. 

Find context

Near the cross-domed church, excavation trench XXXa, grid square 182. 

Find circumstances

1954, excavations of B.A. Rybakov. 

Modern location

Moscow, Russia. 

Institution and inventory

State Historical Museum, no inventory number. 

Autopsy

May 1999, November 2008. 

Epigraphic field

Position

On the front. 

Lettering

Lapidary. Alpha with right-slanting crossbar. 

Letterheights (cm)

3.5–4.5.

Text

Category

Epitaph. 

Date

Second half of IV-Vth centuries C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

L1. Diatroptov, Yemets1995, 42; 2. Vinogradov2006, 293, № 4; 2.1. Vinogradov2010a, 151-152. 

Edition

[Ἐνθ]άδε κατά-
[κει]τε Σωτη̣ά̣ς

Diplomatic

[...]ΑΔΕΚΑΤΑ
[...]ΤΕΣΩΤ..Σ

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><supplied reason="lost">Ἐνθ</supplied>άδε κατά<lb n="2" break="no"/><supplied reason="lost">κει</supplied>τε Σωτ<unclear>ηά</unclear>ς
   </ab>
   </div>
 
Apparatus criticus

2: ὁ [δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ δεῖνα (?)]Diatroptov

Translation

Here lies Sotias (?).

 

Commentary

This is probably a Christian tombstone. Unfortunately, the damage to all sides prevents us from reaching any conclusion about the original shape of the monument. The polished front and the proconnesian marble suggest that we are mostly likely dealing with a reused architectural fragment from classical antiquity. The exact archaeological context of the find is unknown: in Rybakov's field report, the monument is not mentioned.

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

2. Subsequent to discovery, the name of the deceased has suffered damage from a spill of red oil paint, and only 3 letters are clearly legible. The name Sotias (here Soteas) is attested three times in a Coan inscription (Iscr. Cos, № 165, 9c; variant — Σωτία (Syll. 3rd ed., № 901)). We cannot rule out, however, that in our case it might be the male name Σωτίας, a cognate of Σωτιάδης (IG V 3) or, more distantly, of Σωτᾶς (LGPN IV, 325) and Σώτιος (Anthologiae graecae appendix, 604).

 

Images

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