Greek dedicatory inscription commemorating an embellishment of a sanctuary of an unnamed martyr, almost certainly *Theodotos (probably a Montanist martyr of Ankyra, S00626). Found at Kalecik near Ankyra (Galatia, central Asia Minor). Probably 5th-6th c.
Evidence ID
E00992
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
Literary - Poems
The name of the donor followed by a single hexameter verse:
Ἀγλαόμυρις
μάρ|τυρος ἀθλοφορῆ|ος ὅλον κοσμή|σατο νηόν (christogram)
'Aglaomyris adorned the entire shrine of the prize-winning martyr.' (christogram)
Text and translation: Tabbernee 1997, no. 89.
Cult PlacesCult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityBequests, donations, gifts and offerings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesWomen
Cult building - independent (church)
Burial site of a saint - cemetery/catacomb
Place associated with saint's life
Non Liturgical ActivityBequests, donations, gifts and offerings
Renovation and embellishment of cult buildings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesWomen
Aristocrats
Heretics
Source
A slab found near a fountain at Kalecik (ancient Malos, area of Ankyra, Galatia, central Asia Minor). There is no published description of the stone.Discussion
The inscription commemorates an embellishment of a sanctuary of an unnamed martyr (styled μάρτυς ἀθλοφόρος / 'the prize-winning martyr'), probably Theodotos of Ankyra, the protagonist of the Martyrdom of Theodotos and the addressee of an invocation found at a cemetery near Kalecik, and presented as E00991.The person who commissioned the embellishment (perhaps carried by the artisan Antoninos, mentioned in E00991), is Aglaomyris, an otherwise unattested woman, but certainly a rich member of the local elite. As Theodotos, the patron of the sanctuary, is sometimes considered a Montanist saint, the donor may also have been a supporter of this religious sect.
Except for the name of the donor, the inscription consists of one hexameter verse and a christogram.
Dating: 5th or 6th c. (based on the letter forms and the contents).
Bibliography
Edition:Tabbernee, W. (ed.), Montanist Inscriptions and Testimonia: Epigraphic Sources for Illustrating the History of Montanism (Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 1997), no. 89.
Steinepigramme aus dem griechischen Osten, no. 15/02/10.
I. North Galatia, no. 211.
Legrand, Ph.-E., "Inscriptions de Paphlagonie", Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique 21 (1897), 101.
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 2381: http://www.epigraph.topoi.org/ica/icamainapp/inscription/show/2381
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), 102.
Mendel, G., "Catalogue des monuments grecs, romains et byzantins du Musée Impérial Ottoman de Brousse", Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique 33 (1909), 348.
Mitchell, St., "The Life of Saint Theodotus of Ancyra", Anatolian Studies 32 (1982), 93-113.
Tabula Imperii Byzantini 4, 173, 201-202.
Reference works:
Bulletin épigraphique (1984), 481.
Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 32, 1263.
Record Created By
Pawel Nowakowski
Date of Entry
15/12/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00060 | Martyrs, unnamed or name lost | μάρτυς ἀθλοφόρος | Certain | S00626 | Theodotos, a probably Montanist martyr of Ancyra (Galatia, central Asia Minor), and his seven virgin companions, ob. c. 312 | μάρτυς ἀθλοφόρος | Certain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E00992 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00992