Greek epitaph for a chief presbyter of a church of *Platon (martyr of Ankyra, S00650). Found at Tavium (Galatia, central Asia Minor). Probably late antique.
Evidence ID
E01007
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Funerary inscriptions
ἔνθα κατάκιτε
ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ θ(εο)ῦ
ὁ εὐσεβέσ-
τατος προ-
τοπρεσβ(ύτερος)
Γεώργις
τοῦ ἁγίου
καὶ ἐνδό-
ξου μάρτυ-
ρος Πλάτον-
ος
'Here lies Georgios, servant of God and most God-fearing chief presbyter (of the church) of the holy and glorious martyr Platon.'
Text and translation: I. North Galatia, no. 427.
Cult Places
Cult building - independent (church)
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Source
A white marble stele, with a carving of a tabula ansata, a wreath, and a lozenge decoration. H. 0.8 m; W. 0.61 m; letter height 0.03 m. Found at Büyüknefes (area of ancient Tavium, Galatia, central Asia Minor).Discussion
The inscription is the epitaph for Georgios, a chief presbyter (protopresbyteros) that served in a sanctuary of Platon, a martyr of Ankyra, probably martyred under Diocletian, and brother of the martyr *Antiochos (see Synax. Eccl. Const. 18 XI). The sanctuary of Platon in nearby Ankyra was a renowned pilgrimage centre and a church was dedicated to the martyr in Constantinople under Justinian (see: Foss 1977, 52-53; Delehaye 1912, 186-187). However, Stephen Mitchell argues that our priest served in an otherwise unattested church of Platon at Tavium, the closest city to the find-spot. This is disputable, as Georgios could have been associated with the sanctuary at Ankyra and simply buried at his home village.Dating: 5th c. or later (based on the contents and letter forms).
Bibliography
Edition:I. North Galatia, no. 427.
Macpherson, I. W., New Evidence for the Historical Geography of Galatia (Unpublished Cambridge University PhD thesis: 1958), 196, no. 284.
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 2441: http://www.epigraph.topoi.org/ica/icamainapp/inscription/show/2441
Further reading:
Delehaye, H., Les origines du culte des martyrs (Bruxelles : Société des Bollandistes, 1912), 186-187.
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.
Foss, C.,"Late Antique and Byzantine Ankara", Dumbarton Oaks Papers 31 (1977), 52-53.
The comments to I. North Galatia, no. 237.
Reference works:
Bulletin épigraphique (1983), 438.
Record Created By
Pawel Nowakowski
Date of Entry
20/12/2015
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | 03-305 | Certain | S00650 | Platon, martyr of Ankyra (central Asia Minor) | Πλάτων | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Pawel Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E01007 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01007