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.
<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.
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
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