V 53. Cherson. Invocation of –sakios, IX–XIth centuries C.E.

Monument

Type

Colonnette. 

Material

Proconnesian marble. 

Dimensions (cm)

H. 16.0.

Additional description

Broken off on the top and bottom. 

Place of Origin

Cherson. 

Find place

Sevastopol (Chersonesos). 

Find context

Southern slope. 

Find circumstances

1895, excavations of K.K. Kostsyushko-Valyuzhinich. 

Modern location

Sevastopol, Crimea. 

Institution and inventory

National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 34853. 

Autopsy

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

Epigraphic field

Position

Along the column's shaft. 

Lettering

Lapidary. Alpha with slanting crossbar; delta and lambda with projecting left hastae; elongated sigma; V-shaped upsilon. Ligature: omicron-upsilon. 

Letterheights (cm)

1.0–2.0.

Text

Category

Invocative inscription. 

Date

IX–XIth centuries C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography, superscript nu. 

Editions

L1. Latyshev 1899, 50, № 48. 

Edition

[Κύριε], [σῶσο]ν (e.g.) τῷ δοῦλόν σ[ο]υ
[---]σ̣α̣κίου.

Diplomatic

[.........]Ν(e.g.)ΤΩΔΟΥΛΟΝΣ[.]Υ
[---]..ΚΙΟΥ

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
      <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><roleName><supplied reason="lost">Κύριε</supplied></roleName>,
      <supplied reason="lost">σῶσο</supplied>ν <note>e.g.</note> τῷ δοῦλόν
      σ<supplied reason="lost">ο</supplied>υ
      <lb n="2"/><gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/><seg part="F"><unclear>σα</unclear>κίου</seg>.
      </ab>
   </div> 
 
Apparatus criticus

1: βοήθησο]ν Latyshev
2: ...]κίου Latyshev

Translation

[Lord, save] your servant [...]sakios.

 

Commentary

On the archaeological context of the find see Kostsyushko-Valyuzhinich 1897a, 91, drawing 233.

The shape of the monument has no analogies. The direction of writing suggests that the inscription was carved after the colonnette ceased to serve its original purpose and was probably reused in masonry. At the same time, it is difficult to be sure about the exact function of the monument.

1. The verb in this formula is restored hypothetically. On the mixing of noun cases see IV.3.E.a; we cannot exclude the possibility that the name in the genitive in the second line was a patronymic.

2. The name of the dedicator may have been either Isakios or Arsakios.

 

Images

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