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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


Four boundary stones, with Greek inscriptions, of a church of *Po(- - -), an unidentified saint, found in the proximity of Appia (Phrygia, west central Asia Minor). Probably late antique (5th-7th c.).

Evidence ID

E00877

Type of Evidence

Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)

Stone 1:

Found at Sevdiğin. Text:
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 1162; MAMA X, no. 17. Unshaped piece of greyish marble with rough edges. Partially buried. H. 1.04 m (visible); W. 0.87 m (preserved), Th. c. 0.32 m.; letter height 0.035-0.11 m (front); 0.03-0.13 m (back).

Face A:

+ νότου
ὅρο(ς) τοῦ Ῥεκ
̣τ(- - - ?)
ἁγί-
ου Π(- - - ?)

Face B:

βορᾶ ὅρο(ς).
χω(ρίων) τ<ο>ῦ Ἀντ(- - - ?)

B. χω = χω(ρίων) or Χ(ρίστ)ε
MAMA

'+ The south boundary of Rekt(- - - ?) of Saint P(- - - ?) // The north boundary of the village (?) of Ant(- - - ?).'

Stone 2:

Found at Karaağaç. Text:
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 1165; MAMA X, no. 24. An irregularly carved and weathered pillar, found next to a road entering the village; reused in a tomb. Partially buried. H. 0.51 m; diameter 0.34 m; letter height 0.035-0.07 m.

Field A:

+ ἀνα(τολῶν?) ὅρο(ς)
̣χω(ρίων) Ἀ(ντ - - -) ΟΙ
ΘΣΛΠΛΟΥ

Field B:

+ ὅρο(ς) τοῦ Ῥεκ[τ(- - -)]
ἁγίου Πο[- - -]

'The east boundary of the village of A(nt- - -?) // + The boundary of Rekt(- - - ?) of Saint Po[- - - ?].'

Stone 3:

Found at Alibey Köy. Text:
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 1180; MAMA X, no. 109. Grey marble slab; top right and bottom edges are broken. Partially buried. H. 1.2 m; W. 0.45 m; Th. 0.08 m (visible), letter height 0.02-0.115 m.

+ δύσιο(ς) ὅρο(ς)
τοῦ Ῥεκτ(- - -) ἁγίου Π(- - -)

'The west boundary of Rekt(- - -) of Saint P(- - -).'

Stone 4:

Under no. 25 the editors of the tenth volume of
Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua (= Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 1166) publish a picture (without transcription) of yet another boundary stone from Karaağaç (round, made of greyish marble, broken in half; H. 0.4 m; diameter 0.58 m; letter height 0.03-0.06 m). Letters, carved on its face, resemble that of other boundary stones from this area. Face A: ΙΡΟ | Τ | ΟΥ Π. Face B: Τ[- - -] | ΑΝΑΠ(Ο[- - -] | ΑΓΡΙΟ [- - -].

Cult Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Non Liturgical Activity

Awarding privileges to cult centres
Seeking asylum at church/shrine

Discussion

The editors of the tenth volume of Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua suppose that these signs marked the boundaries of church estates belonging to a sanctuary of St. Po(- - -), an unidentified saint. There is no certain way to date these stones, but they are probably late antique.

Bibliography

Edition:
Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua X, no. 17, 24, 25, 109.

Reference works:
Chroniques d'épigraphie byzantine, 362.

Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 43, 934.


Record Created By

Pawel Nowakowski

Date of Entry

23/11/2015

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00004Polykarpos/Polycarp, bishop and martyr of Smyrna, and his companion martyrsΠο(- - -)Uncertain
S00325Polyeuktos, soldier and martyr of MeliteneΠο(- - -)Uncertain
S00603Po(- - -), an unidentified saint, venerated in AnatoliaΠο(- - -)Certain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E00877 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00877