Greek inscription on a boundary stone of a church of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033). Found at Dorylaion (Phrygia, west central Asia Minor). Probably 6th c.
Evidence ID
E00910
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
(christogram) ὅ[ρος]
τῆς
ἁγίας
Μαρί-
ας
'(christogram) Boundary (of the church) of the Holy Mary.'
Text: Armanet 1904, no. 22.
Cult PlacesAwarding privileges to cult centres
Cult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityAwarding privileges to cult centres
Seeking asylum at church/shrine
Source
A cubic block used as a boundary stone, found in a yard near a local market at Eskişehir, ancient Dorylaion (Phrygia, central Asia Minor). All dimensions: c. 1.68 m. The inscription occupies its upper part. Dimensions of the text field: H. 0.19 m; W. 0.03 m.Discussion
This is a rare case, in which Mary is called by her name and the epithet ἁγία (holy), while she is usually addressed in Anatolia as the God-Bearer (Θεοτόκος).Though this inscription does not say so explicitly, boundary stones were usually bestowed upon sanctuaries by emperors.
For a boundary stone with a similar formula, see: E01219.
Bibliography
Edition:Armanet, C., "Inscriptions de Dorylée", Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique 28 (1904), no. 22.
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 1416: http://www.epigraph.topoi.org/ica/icamainapp/inscription/show/1416
Further reading:
Haspels, E.C., The Highlands of Phrygia (Princeton : Princeton University Press, 1971), 211, note 36.
Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua V, Lists I(i), 182, no. 130.
Record Created By
Pawel Nowakowski
Date of Entry
29/11/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00033 | Mary, Mother of Christ | Μαρία | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E00910 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00910