V 68. Cherson.Epitaph of Petronios, 1183 C.E.
Monument
Type
Arch of arcosolium.
Material
Limestone.
Dimensions (cm)
H.11.0, W.100.0, Th.31.0.
Additional description
The arch consists of three blocks. The bottom left corner of the middle block is chipped off. The third block is broken into three parts.
Place of Origin
Cherson.
Find place
Sevastopol (Chersonesos).
Find context
St. Vladimir Cathedral, in front of the western facade.
Find circumstances
1889-1891, excavations of K.K. Kostsyushko-Valyuzhinich.
Modern location
Sevastopol, Crimea.
Institution and inventory
National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 5572.
Autopsy
May 1999, August 2001, September 2002, September 2003, September 2004, September 2005, September 2006, September 2007.
Epigraphic field
Position
On the front.
Lettering
Lapidary. Alpha with left-slanting crossbar, beta with vertically spaced loops, mu with Y-shaped middle. Ligatures, abbreviations.
Letterheights (cm)
3.0.
Text
Category
Epitaph.
Date
1183 C.E.
Dating criteria
Explicit date.
Editions
L1. Latyshev1892, 37–38, № 32; 2. Latyshev1895, 80, № 32; 2.1. Latyshev1896, 33–34, № 27.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/><g ref="#stauros"/> Κεκίμη<surplus>η</surplus>τε ὁ ἐν <expan><abbr>μακαρ</abbr><ex>ίᾳ</ex></expan>
<expan><abbr>τ</abbr><ex>ῇ</ex></expan> μνήμῃ καὶ <expan><abbr>δοῦ</abbr><ex>λος</ex></expan>
<expan><abbr>τ</abbr><ex>οῦ</ex></expan> <roleName><expan><abbr>Θ</abbr><ex>εο</ex><abbr>ῦ</abbr></expan></roleName>
Πετρόνιος <expan><abbr>ἱερο</abbr><ex>μόνα</ex><abbr>χος</abbr></expan> καὶ κληρικός,
<lb n="2"/>ὁ καὶ εὐεργέτης κ<unclear>α</unclear><supplied reason="lost">ὶ</supplied>
ἀν<supplied reason="lost">άξι</supplied>ος
<expan cert="low"><abbr>κ<unclear>λε</unclear><supplied reason="lost">ιρ</supplied>ων</abbr><ex>όμος</ex></expan>
τοῦ κτήτωρος, <date><expan><abbr>μη</abbr><ex>νὶ</ex></expan>
<rs type="month" ref="nou">Νοεβρίῳ</rs> εἰς <expan><abbr>τ</abbr><ex>ὰ</ex></expan>
<num value="10">ι</num>, <expan><abbr>ἠνδ</abbr><ex>ικτιῶνος</ex></expan> <num value="2">β</num>, <expan><abbr>ἔτ</abbr><ex>ους</ex></expan> <num value="6692">ςχϞβ</num></date>.
</ab>
</div>Apparatus criticus
1: Πέτρος: om.Latyshev1892
2: ὁ καὶ (?) εὐεργέτ]ης [τῆς ἁγία]ς ἐκ[λησίας ... Papadopoulo-Kerameus apud Latyshev1892;
[...]ωτηςLatyshev1895;
τ(ὴν)Latyshev
Translation
Fell asleep, who is in blessed memory and a servant of God, Petronios, hieromonk and cleric, benefactor and unworthy heir (?) of the ktitor, 10th November, in the 2nd indiction, in the year 6692.
Commentary
In preparing the editio princeps, Latyshev followed the advice of A.I.Papadopoulo-Kerameus, who proposed the restoration of the beginning of line 2: while the first half of that reconstruction was confirmed during Latyshev's examination of the monument, the second half seems less convincing. Following the autopsy of the monument, Latyshev republished the inscription, correcting, in addition, the name of the deceased: from Peter to Petronios.
The arch probably originates from an arcosolium, which housed the tomb of Petronios. Hieromonk Petronios must have been a cleric of that church (and hence of that monastery), where he was subsequently buried. If our restoration of the first half of line 2 is correct, then Petronios was also a benefactor of the church, and an heir of the church's founder, that is, the rightful heir of the ktitor. Church ktitors and their heirs are mentioned in a number of known inscriptions: Feissel, Philippidis-Braat 1985, № 67 (1322–1323 C.E.) and Stylianou 1960, 120, № 18 (Cyprus, 1520 C.E.).
Kostsyushko-Valyuzhinich informed Latyshev that the fragments of the inscription "had been found on the west side of Chersonessos' square, in front of the new cathedral. We also found here a completely ruined small church with mosaic floor, built over deep ancient cisterns." Only Church 26, with arcosolia, fits this description; it was cleared in 1861 and cannot be dated with any precision (Aynalov 1905, 67), but if our hypothesis about Petronius being an heir to the church's ktitor is correct, then the building would date to the 1st half - middle of the XIIth century.
Images
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
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