V 309. Bosporus. Inscription of Kosmas, IX-Xth centuries C.E.

Monument

Type

Wall block. 

Material

Limestone. 

Additional description

Wall block from the tumulus vault. Fully preserved. 

Place of Origin

Bosporus. 

Find place

Kerch. 

Find context

"Tsarski" (Royal) tumulus, dromos, vault. 

Find circumstances

1956, survey of A.A. Shalkevich. 

Modern location

Kerch. 

Institution and inventory

In situ (?), no inventory number. 

Autopsy

Non vidi. 

Epigraphic field

Position

On the front. 

Lettering

Graffito; slightly elongated letters. Alpha with a loop. 

Text

Category

Commemoration (?). 

Date

IX-Xth centuries C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography, nearby graffiti. 

Editions

L1. Amelkin 2001, 242. 

Edition

Κοσμᾶς.

Diplomatic

ΚΟΣΜΑΣ

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      <lb n="1"/>Κοσμᾶς.
   </ab>
   </div> 

Translation

Kosmas.

 

Commentary

The text was inscribed after the dromos of the Tsarksi tumulus had been filled, a new entrance cut through the vault and a church set up inside (see Shalkevich 1976, 162–164). The text is commemorative. The shape of alpha and a drawing of a spear nearby (for more details, see Amelkin 2001) suggest that the inscription was made in the IX-Xth centuries.

On the name, see commentary to V 237.

 

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.)