V 35. Cherson.Inscribed keystone, X-XIIth centuries C.E.

Monument

Type

Keystone. 

Material

Limestone. 

Dimensions (cm)

H.17.5, W.16.3, Th.9.6.

Additional description

Planed front bears a carving of patriarchal cross on Golgotha. Chipped all over. 

Place of Origin

Cherson. 

Find place

Berman's Gully. 

Find context

Balaklava district, mouth of Berman’s Gully, north slope, east of a highway 5km to Feolent; building complex of the Xth-XIIth centuries C.E. 

Find circumstances

1991, survey of V.V. Soznik and T.B. Kudryavtseva.  

Modern location

Sevastopol, Crimea.  

Institution and inventory

National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 90/36504. 

Autopsy

May 1999, August 2001, September 2002, September 2003, September 2004, September 2005, September 2006, September 2007. 

Epigraphic field

Position

In corners between the arms of the cross.  

Lettering

Lapidary. Pi with extended horizontal; phi with elongated vertical. 

Letterheights (cm)

1.5–3.2.

Text

Category

Demonstrative. 

Date

X-XIIth centuries C.E. 

Dating criteria

Archaeological context. 

Editions

Unpublished. 

Edition

Φ(ῶ)ς Χ(ριστο)ῦ
φ(αίνει) π(ᾶσιν).

Diplomatic

ΦΣΧΥ
ΦΠ

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><expan><abbr>Φ</abbr><ex>ῶ</ex><abbr>ς</abbr></expan> 
    <expan><abbr>Χ</abbr><ex>ριστο</ex><abbr>ῦ</abbr></expan>
      <lb n="2"/><expan><abbr>φ</abbr><ex>αίνει</ex></expan> <expan><abbr>π</abbr><ex>ᾶσιν</ex></expan>.
   </ab>
   </div>

Translation

The light of Christ shines for all.

 

Commentary

On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.C.a. The abbreviations are somewhat unusual: ΦΣ ΧΥ Φ Π instead of typical Φ Χ Φ Π.

The keystone was probably positioned at the apex of an arch in some important building, possibly a church.

 

Images

 Photograph of face (from ??)

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