V 97. Cherson.Liturgical inscription, Xth century C.E.
Monument
Type
Small panel.
Material
Marble.
Dimensions (cm)
H.13.5, W.8.0, Th.0.8.
Additional description
On the front is a carving of a cross with serif ends. Broken on the right and bottom.
Place of Origin
Cherson.
Find place
Sevastopol (Chersonesos).
Find context
Church 19, northeast corner.
Find circumstances
1897, excavations of K.K. Kostsyushko-Valyuzhinich.
Modern location
Sevastopol, Crimea.
Institution and inventory
National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 4229.
Autopsy
May 1999, August 2001, September 2002, September 2003, September 2004, September 2005, September 2006, September 2007.
Epigraphic field
Position
Within the cross.
Lettering
Lapidary style; highly accentuated serifs. Bowl-shaped omega.
Letterheights (cm)
1.0–1.5.
Text
Category
Liturgical inscription.
Date
Xth century C.E.
Dating criteria
Palaeography.
Editions
L1. Latyshev1899, 50, № 47.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/><roleName><expan><abbr>Κ</abbr><ex>ύριο</ex><abbr>ς</abbr></expan></roleName>
<lb n="2"/><join target="#fot1 #fot2 #fot3" result="w"/>φ
<lb n="3"/>ω
<lb n="4"/><supplied reason="lost"><expan><ex>καὶ</ex></expan></supplied> <supplied reason="lost">σω</supplied><unclear>τ</unclear><supplied reason="lost">ήρ</supplied> <supplied reason="lost">μου</supplied>
<lb n="5"/><supplied reason="lost">ισ</supplied>
<lb n="6"/><supplied reason="lost">μ</supplied>
<lb n="7"/><supplied reason="lost">ό</supplied>
<lb n="8"/><supplied reason="lost">ς </supplied>
<lb n="9"/><supplied reason="lost">μ</supplied>
<lb n="10"/><supplied reason="lost">ου</supplied>.
</ab>
</div>Apparatus criticus
2-3: φῶ[ς?Latyshev
4-10: om.Latyshev
Translation
Lord is my illumination and my saviour.
Commentary
The size of the fragment is restored hypothetically, on the basis of letter height. The shape of omega is similar to that in V 89, while the type of the monument resembles V 67. For these reasons, I am inclined to date the inscription to the Xth century. On the date of Church 19, see commentary to V 104.
The formula that can be reconstructed here comes from Ps. 26, verse 1, and is widely used in liturgy, including as a prokeimenon. Its reconstruction here presupposes crosswise arrangement with tau in the centre, and traces of tau's serifs are actually preserved. In the Early Byzantine period, the formula was used in baptism ceremony and in sanctification of water. Such an interpretation of our text would fit the conventional identification of the northeast pastophorium of the "Church with the reliquary" as baptisterium well. At the same time, we should also consider the possibility (kindly suggested to us by the reverend M. Zheltov) that the pastophorium in question could have been a martyrium; indeed, Ps. 26:1 is attested in Crimea in funerary context (V 303).
Images
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
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