V 64. Cherson (?). Epitaph of Theodore, Constantine and others (?) (?), late IVth – Vth century C.E.

Monument

Type

Panel. 

Material

Crimbal (Alma) limestone. 

Dimensions (cm)

H. 40.5, W. 31.5, Th. 18.0.

Additional description

The panel is damaged: the top is mostly missing (there are traces of an incised circle on the front, probably containing a cross with widening arms); the central and bottom parts of the front are deeply chipped, the right side is badly weathered. 

Place of Origin

Cherson (?). 

Find place

Sevastopol (Chersonesos). (?) 

Find context

Unknown. 

Find circumstances

Unknown. 

Modern location

Sevastopol, Crimea. 

Institution and inventory

National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 120/36504. 

Autopsy

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

Epigraphic field

Position

Top half of the front. 

Lettering

Lapidary; bouletée. Looped alpha, lunate and rectangular epsilon and sigma; the diagonals and the vertical of kappa do not touch, mu with shortened middle, rho with extended vertical, V-shaped upsilon. 

Letterheights (cm)

1.5–2.1.

Text

Category

Epitaph. 

Date

Late IVth – Vth century C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

L1. Vinogradov 2007, 263, № 12; 2. Vinogradov 2010, 134–136, № h. 

Edition

+ Κ(ύρι)ε, ἀν{ν}άπαυσον
τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς ἐνθά[δε]
ἀνακιμένας μετὰ δι-
κέον : Θεοδόρου · Κοσταν-
5τίνου : Ἀσενίκας : Μαρίας
Κυραδ̣ίας · Γεοργίου : Ἀν-
{ν}αστα[σίο]υ : Ἰωάνν[ου]
Ἀνασ̣[τασία]ς : Νικομήδ[ου]
Ἀσε[νίκα?]ς : Μνήμης
10Κ̣υρ̣α̣δ̣[ίας :] Ἱδονε̑[ς?] resp. Ἱδόνε[ς].

Diplomatic

+ΚΕΑΝΝΑΠΑΥΣΟΝ
ΤΑΣΨΥΧΑΣΤΑΣΕΝΘΑ[..]
ΑΝΑΚΙΜΕΝΑΣΜΕΤΑΔΙ
ΚΕΟΝ:ΘΕΟΔΟΡΟΥΚΟΣΤΑΝ
5ΤΙΝΟΥ:ΑΣΕΝΙΚΑΣ:ΜΑΡΙΑΣ
ΚΥΡΑ.ΙΑΣΓΕΟΡΓΙΟΥ:ΑΝ
ΝΑΣΤΑ[...]Υ:ΙΩΑΝΝ[..]
ΑΝΑ.[.....]Σ:ΝΙΚΟΜΗΔ[..]
ΑΣΕ[....]Σ:ΜΝΗΜΗΣ
10.Υ...[....]ΙΔΟΝΕ̑[.]

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><g ref="#stauros"/> <roleName><expan><abbr>Κ</abbr><ex>ύρι</ex><abbr>ε</abbr></expan></roleName>,
      ἀν<surplus>ν</surplus>άπαυσον
      <lb n="2"/>τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς ἐνθά<supplied reason="lost">δε</supplied>
      <lb n="3"/>ἀνακιμένας μετὰ δι<lb n="4" break="no"/>κέον <g ref="#dipunct"/> Θεοδόρου ·
      Κοσταν<lb n="5" break="no"/>τίνου <g ref="#dipunct"/>
      Ἀσενίκας <g ref="#dipunct"/>
      Μαρίας
      <lb n="6"/>Κυρα<unclear>δ</unclear>ίας ·
      Γεοργίου <g ref="#dipunct"/>
      Ἀν<lb n="7" break="no"/><surplus>ν</surplus>αστα<supplied reason="lost">σίο</supplied>υ
      <g ref="#dipunct"/> Ἰωάνν<supplied reason="lost">ου</supplied>
      <lb n="8"/>Ἀνα<unclear>σ</unclear><supplied reason="lost">τασία</supplied>ς
      <g ref="#dipunct"/> Νικομήδ<supplied reason="lost">ου</supplied>
      <lb n="9"/>Ἀσε<supplied reason="lost" cert="low">νίκα</supplied>ς
      <g ref="#dipunct"/> Μνήμης
      <lb n="10"/><unclear>Κ</unclear>υ<unclear>ραδ</unclear><supplied reason="lost">ίας</supplied>
      <supplied reason="lost"><g ref="#dipunct"/></supplied>
      <app type="alternative"><lem>Ἱδονε̑<supplied reason="lost" cert="low">ς</supplied>
      </lem><rdg>Ἱδόνε<supplied reason="lost">ς</supplied></rdg></app>.
   </ab>
   </div> 
 
Apparatus criticus

9-10: Μνήμησ[ον], κύρ[ιε, μετὰ δικέ]ον Vinogradov 2007

Translation

Lord, grant rest to the souls lying here, with the righteous: of Theodore, Constantine, Asenika, Mary, Kyradia, George, Anastasia, John, Anastasia, Nikomedes, Asenika (?), Mneme, Kyradia and Hedone (?).

 

Commentary

Mass graves on such scale are not otherwise attested in Chersonesos. The largest group burial consists of four individuals (V 63.1). We must hypothesize that they are victims of fire, violence, or epidemic; a family tomb is less likely.

1–4. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.F.b.

4-9. The names are separated with a dipunct. Only in lines 4 and 6, a high dot is used instead of dipuncts. We should note that there is a regular alternation between male and female names: two male, three female, three male, one female, one male, four female. In addition, we may observe that the second occurs right after the first group of two men and three women. One possible explanation is that representatives of two or three families were buried together (a male name between two female at the end might be that of a child).

The names Theodore, Constantine, George, and John are well attested in the Northern Black Sea region (see Index of Personal Names). Anastasia is attested as a saint's name (V 76). Nikomedes is also known as Christian (см. Delehaye 1902, 122); Nikomedios is attested in SEG 7.251. The name Kyradia is known only from two Christian inscriptions in Asia Minor (I.Iznik 577; MAMA VII 555; Lycaonia), and so we can safely suppose that our Kyradia also hailed from Asia Minor. The names Mneme and Hedone (here Hidone) represent Christian nick-names ("memory" and "pleasure" respectively, cf. V 61 and V 63): the former has no parallels (although there is a Μνημοσύνη in LGPN), while the latter is recorded in LGPN 16 times (in V 339 a male equivalent, Hedonios, is attested). It is notable that the majority of female names are less common than male names.

9–10. On the formula, see Introduction IV.3.F.b.

A characteristic orthographic feature of this inscription is dittography of nu (lines 1 and 6), as well as the loss of a long "o" sound (and possibly, exchange of eta for epsilon in line 9, see commentary to V 61). Palaeographic features are close to those of V 65: we may compare the shapes of alpha with a loop and elongated rho; there is also an affinity with the script of V 5: rectangular epsilon and sigma, mu (cf. also V 21) and V-shaped.

 

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.)