V 43. Cherson.Apotropaic inscription on a cross (?), VI–VIIth centuries C.E.

Monument

Type

Cross (?). 

Material

Limestone. 

Dimensions (cm)

H.20.0, W.13.0, Th.unknown.

Additional description

Burnt and damaged by sea water; weathered, broken off on all sides, except the right; chipped on the left. 

Place of Origin

Cherson. 

Find place

Sevastopol (Chersonesos). 

Find context

City wall, western sector, external face. 

Find circumstances

1911, excavations of R.Ch. Loeper, chance find. 

Modern location

Unknown. 

Institution and inventory

Unknown. 

Autopsy

Non vidi. 

Epigraphic field

Position

On the front. 

Lettering

Lapidary. Letters are filled in with red paint. Alpha with broken crossbar; lunate epsilon and sigma. Diamond-shaped ligature: omicron-upsilon. 

Letterheights (cm)

2.0.

Text

Category

Apotropaic inscription. 

Date

VI–VIIth centuries C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

L1. IOSPE I2 724. 

Edition

+ [Σ]ταυροῦ
[πρ]ο̣κιμένου,
[ὁ φ]θ̣όνος
[ἀ]π̣έ̣[στω].

Diplomatic

+[.]ΤΑΥΡΟΥ
[..].ΚΙΜΕΝΟΥ
[..].ΟΝΟΣ
[.]..[...]

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><g ref="#stauros"/> <supplied reason="lost">Σ</supplied>ταυροῦ
      <lb n="2"/><supplied reason="lost">πρ</supplied><unclear>ο</unclear>κιμένου,
      <lb n="3"/><supplied reason="lost">ὁ</supplied> <supplied reason="lost">φ</supplied><unclear>θ</unclear>όνος
      <lb n="4"/><supplied reason="lost">ἀ</supplied><unclear>πέ</unclear><supplied reason="lost">στω</supplied>.
   </ab>
   </div>
 
Apparatus criticus

1‐4: ΣΑΥΡΟΥ ... ΟΚΗΜΕΝΟΥ ... ΛΟΝΟΣ ... Μ ...IOSPE I2 corr. Feissel.

Translation

Where a cross is set forth, may Envy [retreat].

 

Commentary

I was not able to locate this stone in the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos (old inv. no. 35050). Latyshev was able to see (apparently on an estampage) letters above line 1. The photograph does not show them. The first editor dated the inscription to the Roman period, but its Early Byzantine date is supported by the diamond-shaped ligature omicron-upsilon (cf. V 24).

The reading and dating had been proposed by D.Feissel in a private conversation with I.A.Makarov, and the latter kindly relayed that information to me. On the formula, see IV.3.D.b. The inscription was probably carved on a cross.

 

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.)