V 96. Cherson. Liturgical inscription, IV–Vth centuries C.E.
Monument
Type
Panel.
Material
Marble.
Dimensions (cm)
H. 10.0, W. 16.0, Th. 3.5.
Additional description
Polished panel with inset image. Broken on the top and left.
Place of Origin
Cherson.
Find place
Sevastopol (Chersonesos).
Find context
North, Block XVII, Room 15, layer 2-3.
Find circumstances
1940, excavations of G.D. Belov.
Modern location
Sevastopol, Crimea.
Institution and inventory
National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 1/36126.
Autopsy
May 1999, August 2001, September 2002, September 2003, September 2004, September 2005, September 2006, September 2007.
Epigraphic field
Position
Within frame below the cross.
Lettering
Lapidary style; elongated letters. Alpha with slightly slanted crossbar, lunate sigma; ligatures alpha-mu (?), eta-nu.
Letterheights (cm)
3.5.
Text
Category
Liturgical inscription.
Date
IV–Vth centuries C.E.
Dating criteria
Palaeography.
Editions
Vinogradov 2010149–150, № o.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/><app type="alternative"><lem><gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/>
<supplied reason="lost">δ</supplied>ίκαιος,
<supplied reason="lost">ἀ</supplied>μήν</lem>
<rdg><gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character"/> καὶ
<supplied reason="lost">ὀσ</supplied>μήν</rdg></app>
</ab>
</div> Translation
...righteous, amen (or: and fragrance).
Commentary
The text cannot be securely restored. The inscription was found in the earth fill of a courtyard of a Medieval house (Belov, Yakobson 1953, 152).
The panel was meant to be fitted into slots. The cutter was rather meticulous: he drew lines not only for the text, but also for the image above it.
Images
© 2015 Andrey Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (This file should validate to the EpiDoc schema.)