V 87. Cherson. Epitaph of Isidoros and Theodore (?), Xth century C.E.

Monument

Type

Panel. 

Material

Limestone. 

Dimensions (cm)

H. 12.5, W. 8.0, Th. 9.5.

Additional description

Broken on all sides, except the bottom. Letters are weathered. 

Place of Origin

Cherson. 

Find place

Sevastopol (Chersonesos). 

Find context

Necropolis by the Quarantine Bay, soil heap. 

Find circumstances

1907 

Modern location

Sevastopol, Crimea. 

Institution and inventory

National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 34930. 

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. Letters are slightly leaning to the right and written between the drawn lines. Alpha with a loop, delta with an extended horizontal, accentuated with serifs, lunate epsilon and sigma, iota with diaeresis, У-shaped upsilon. 

Letterheights (cm)

0.8–1.0.

Text

Category

Epitaph. 

Date

Xth century C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

L1. Latyshev 1908, 31, № 26. 

Edition

[Ἐκοιμήθησαν]
[ο]ἱ δοῦλ[οι τοῦ]
[Θ]εοῦ Ἰσ̣ί[δωρος]
τοῦ Σα[ββατίου?]
5[(καὶ)] Θεόδ[ωρος?]
[μ]ινὴ μ̣[αίου ..]

Diplomatic

[...........]
[.]ΙΔΟΥΛ[.....]
[.]ΕΟΥΙ.Ι[.....]
ΤΟΥΣΑ[.......]
5[.]ΘΕΟΔ[....]
[.]ΙΝΗ.[....··]

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/><supplied reason="lost">Ἐκοιμήθησαν</supplied>
      <lb n="2"/><supplied reason="lost">ο</supplied>ἱ δοῦλ<supplied reason="lost">οι</supplied>
      <supplied reason="lost">τοῦ</supplied>
      <lb n="3"/><roleName><supplied reason="lost">Θ</supplied>εοῦ</roleName> 
      Ἰ<unclear>σ</unclear>ί<supplied reason="lost">δωρος</supplied>
      <lb n="4"/>τοῦ Σα<supplied reason="lost" cert="low">ββατίου</supplied> 
      <lb n="5"/><supplied reason="lost"><expan><abbr/><ex>καὶ</ex></expan></supplied> 
      Θεόδ<supplied reason="lost" cert="low">ωρος</supplied>
      <lb n="6"/><date><supplied reason="lost">μ</supplied>ινὴ
      <rs type="month" ref="mai"><unclear>μ</unclear><supplied reason="lost">αίου</supplied></rs>
      <num><gap reason="lost" quantity="2" unit="character"/></num></date>
   </ab>
   </div> 
 
Apparatus criticus

2: δοῦλ[ος Latyshev
3-6: om. Latyshev
4: ...]ποῦσα Latyshev
5: Θεόδ[ωρος Latyshev

Translation

Fell asleep: servants of God, Isidoros, son of Sa[bbatios or: Sabas], and Theod[ore (?)]... of May.

 

Commentary

Latyshev only reconstructed the expression "servant of God" in lines 2 and 3, and the name Theodore in line 5.

1-2. On the restorable formula, see IV.3.F.e.

3-4. Christian names Isidoros and Sabas are not otherwise attested in epigraphic monuments of the Black Sea region; on the name Sabbatios, see commentary to V 282.

6. In reconstructing a month, we should prefer May to March due to the shorter length of the former, which allows to fit it into the available space of the line as we reconstruct it.

In the use of incised lines between lines of text, this inscription is similar to V 66, while its script is similar to V 243.

The monument was found in a broken state, in the fill of a necropolis, whence it probably originates.

 

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.)