Greek inscription on a boundary stone of a church dedicated to *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033). Found near Eresos (Lesbos, the Aegean Islands). Probably late antique.
Evidence ID
E01219
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
ὅροι τῆς ἁγίας Μαρίας
'Boundaries (of the church) of the holy Mary.'
Text: Conze 1865, 34, note 1.
Cult PlacesAwarding privileges to cult centres
Cult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityAwarding privileges to cult centres
Seeking asylum at church/shrine
Source
A white marble block, found near Eresos (Lesbos) in the summer of 1858 by Alexander Conze in a ruined church named Panagia Στὰ χλιαρά ('the All-holy one by the hot springs'). There is no detailed description of the stone.Discussion
The inscription marked the boundaries of the asylum site or an estate belonging to a church dedicated to the 'holy Mary'. The fact that Mary is here identified by her name and the epithet ἁγία (holy), is remarkable, as she is usually venerated as the God-Bearer/Θεοτόκος in Greek inscriptions from the Aegean Islands and Anatolia.For a boundary stone with a similar formula, see: E00910.
Though this inscription does not say so explicitly, boundary stones were usually bestowed upon sanctuaries by emperors.
Dating: Probably late antique (based on the context of other dated boundary stones), but any reliable attempt to date the inscription would require an examination of the script; and there is no drawing or photograph of the stone.
Bibliography
Edition:Conze, A., Reise auf der Insel Lesbos (Hannover: C. Rümpler, 1865), 34, note 1.
Further reading:
Kiourtzian, G., "Pietas insulariorum", [in:] Eupsychia: mélanges offerts à Hélène Ahrweiler, vol. 2 (Série Byzantina Sorbonensia 16, Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne, 1998), 376.
Robert, L., Hellenica, Recueil d'épigraphie, de numismatique et d'antiquités grecques, vol. 10: Dédicaces et reliefs votifs, villes, cultes, monnaies et inscriptions de Lycie et de Carie. Inscriptions et topographie. Inscriptions de Phocée et des Dardanelles, Péripolarques, monnaie de Thibron (Paris: Librairie d'Amérique et d'Orient, Ed. Maisonneuve, 1955), 230, note 1.
Reference works:
Bulletin épigraphique (1956), 200.
Record Created By
Paweł Nowakowski
Date of Entry
23/03/2016
| 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:
Paweł Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E01219 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01219