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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


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


Greek inscription on a boundary stone of a church of *Stephen (the First Martyr, S00030). Found near Amisos (Helenopontus, northern Asia Minor). 491-518.

Evidence ID

E00983

Type of Evidence

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

A stone, found at Alayurt (area of Amisos, Helenopontus, - Asia Minor) in the summer of 1986 by the mission of the British Institute at Ankara. There is no published detailed description of the object.

Mentioned in: French 1987a, 194; French 1987, 10.

The inscription was not published
in full in either of the two articles by David French. From the description we learn that it marks the boundaries of a church of the holy and glorious First Martyr Stephen (ἅγιος καὶ ἔνδοξος πρωτομάρτυς Στέφανος) in the territory of Galaë (Γαλαη), and that it was authorised by the emperor Anastasius. A certain bishop Ioannes and an anonymous comes in the rank of consularis are also mentioned.

Dating: 491-518, based on a reference to the emperor Anastasius.

Cult Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Non Liturgical Activity

Seeking asylum at church/shrine
Awarding privileges to cult centres

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Monarchs and their family
Ecclesiastics - bishops
Officials
Aristocrats

Bibliography

Further reading:
Destephen, S., "Martyrs locaux et cultes civiques en Asie Mineure", in: J.C. Caillet, S. Destephen, B. Dumézil, H. Inglebert, Des dieux civiques aux saints patrons (IVe-VIIe siècle) (Paris: éditions A. & J. Picard, 2015), 104.

French, D.H., "Roads and Roman milestones in Asia Minor, 1986 [in Turkish]",
Araştırma Sonuçları Toplantısı 5 (1987a), 194.

French, D.H., "The year's work",
Anatolian Studies 37 (1987), 10.

Reference works:
Chroniques d'épigraphie byzantine, 456.


Record Created By

Pawel Nowakowski

Date of Entry

13/12/2015

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00030Stephen, the First MartyrCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E00983 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00983