V 109. Herakleian peninsula (Alexandriada ?). Apotropaic inscription, XIIth century C.E.
Monument
Type
Wall block.
Material
Limestone.
Dimensions (cm)
H. 31.0, W. 27.0, Th. 6.0.
Additional description
On the front: relief woven patriarchal foliate cross, with traces of ochre. Slightly chipped.
Place of Origin
Herakleian peninsula (Alexandriada ?).
Find place
Herakleian peninsula.
Find context
Unknown.
Find circumstances
1925, survey of I.N. Borozdin and A.S. Bashkirov.
Modern location
Sevastopol, Crimea.
Institution and inventory
National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 25г/4288.
Autopsy
May 1999, August 2001, September 2002, September 2003, September 2004, September 2005, September 2006, September 2007.
Epigraphic field
Position
Top corners.
Lettering
Lapidary. Delta with projecting right diagonal, minuscule zeta and lambda, phi with elongated vertical.
Letterheights (cm)
2.0–2.2.
Text
Category
Apotropaic inscription.
Date
XIIth century C.E.
Dating criteria
Palaeography.
Editions
Unpublished.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/>Φεῦγε, ζῆλε.
<lb n="2"/><expan><abbr>Χ</abbr><ex>ριστό</ex><abbr>ς</abbr></expan>
σ<choice><corr>ε</corr><sic>Σ</sic></choice> διόκη.
</ab>
</div> Translation
Flee, Envy, Christ chases you away.
Commentary
On the formula, see IV.3.D.a.
2. The use of sigma instead of epsilon finds a reverse analogy in two Early Byzantine inscriptions from (V 18, V 19).
The same shape of the cross is found on a panel from Chersonesos (now in the State Hermitage). The script resembles that of V 68 (1183 C.E.). Considering the uniqueness of the formula, we could safely propose that V 42 and V 109 were carved at the same time.
In the report of Borozdin (Borozdin 1925), this stone is not mentioned. Taking into consideration the area of survey, we can speculate that the stone was found in the vicinity of Alexandriada.
Images
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (This file should validate to the EpiDoc schema.)