Greek epitaph mentioning a monastery named after a 'holy Konstantinos', probably a local holy monk, founder of the monastery. The epitaph was found at Germia (Galatia, central Asia Minor), the monastery is presumed to have been located at Germanikopolis (Euphratesia/Syria). Probably 6th c.
Evidence ID
E01150
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Funerary inscriptions
[ἐ]νθάδε κατάκει̣τε
̣ὁ [δ]̣οῦλος τοῦ θεο[ῦ]
̣Σ̣ο[λ]̣ομών πό(λεως) Γερμ̣ανι-
̣κ[είας], μονῆς το̣ῦ ἁγίου
̣Κ̣ωνσταντίνου· τε̣λ(ευτᾷ)
̣μ̣ηνὶ Ἰουνίῳ ιθ΄, ἰνδ(ικτιῶνος) ιγ΄
3-4. Γερμ̣ανι|̣κ[είας] Feissel || Γερ̣μι̣ανί(ων?) | ̣Ι … Walser
'Here lies the servant of God, Solomon, from the city of Germanikeia, from the monastery of the holy Konstantinos. He died in the month of June, on the 19th (day), in the 13th indiction.'
Text: Walser 2013, no. 20 with altered restorations from BE (2014), 581.
Cult PlacesMonarchs and their family
Cult building - monastic
Places Named after SaintMonastery
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesMonarchs and their family
Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Source
Two adjoining fragments of a limestone block. Broken on the right-hand side. Preserved dimensions: H. 0.94 m; W. 0.98 m; Th. 0.24 m; letter height 0.035-0.045 m. Found in the ruins, to the north of Germia (modern Gömüş Konak/Yürme).Discussion
The inscription is the epitaph for a certain Solomon, a monk from a monastery named after a “holy Konstantinos”. This figure was not the emperor Constantine who was venerated as a saint in the middle Byzantine period, as comparable evidence for the cult of Constantine in Late Antiquity is scarce and disputable (see, for example, Walser 2013, 569, and: E00867; E00970; E04550: a censer of probably Syrian origin dedicated to a saint Konstantinos; E02273: a church in Riḥāb near Bostra, dedicated to a saint Konstantinos: both almost certainly different form the emperor. The emperor is, however, invoked in the cistern-chapel at Salamis-Constantia on Cyprus, see E01317). Therefore, it is more probable that our Konstantinos is a holy monk, founder of the mentioned monastery (but cf. SEG 63, 1197 where the saint is identified as the emperor).As the inscription was found in the territory of Germia (modern Gömüşkonak/Yürme) Andreas Walser suggested that its name appeared in line 3 in the form of the ethnikon πό(λεως) Γερμιανί(ων?). If so, our inscription would be the oldest epigraphical source mentioning the name of this city. However, in his remarks published in Bulletin épigraphique Denis Feissel argues that such a form is implausible and one should read here πό(λεως) Γερμανι|κ[είας], which implies that Solomon was probably a citizen of the city of Germanikeia in Euphratesia. This seems entirely plausible as ethnika were normally used to describe foreigners and hardly ever occur in cities, they refer to.
Dating: probably 6th c. (based on the lettering and contents).
Bibliography
Edition:Walser, A.V., "Kaiserzeitliche und frühbyzantinische Inschriften aus der Region von Germia in Nordwestgalatien", Chiron 43 (2013), no. 20.
Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae database, no. 2345: http://www.epigraph.topoi.org/ica/icamainapp/inscription/show/2345
Reference works:
Bulletin épigraphique (2014), 581.
Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 63, 1197.
Record Created By
Pawel Nowakowski
Date of Entry
25/02/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00186 | Constantine, emperor, ob. 337 | Κωνσταντῖνος | Uncertain | S01746 | Konstantinos (unspecified) | Κωνσταντῖνος | 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, E01150 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01150