A dipinto in Greek, of the 7th/9th c., in the basilica of *Demetrios (martyr of Thessalonike, S00761) in Thessalonike (south Balkans/Greece), invokes the protection of the God of *Demetrios on behalf of a guild of artisans or merchants.
Evidence ID
E01256
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Graffiti
Ὁ Θ(εὸ)ς τοῦ ἁγή-
ου Δημητρήο[υ]
πλύθυνον τὸν [π-]
όρον τον καναβ[ά-]
δον ἥνα πάντε-
ς μετὰ πάντον χ-
έρομεν ὑ ἐκ γέν-
ους ἠς τὴν [hole] διακο-
νήαν τοῦ Θ(εο)ῦ
Τημᾶται [........] Θ(εὸ)ς
‘God of Saint Demetrius, increase the income (?) of the canvas-makers (?), so that all we members of the association may prosper together with everyone in the service of God. God is honoured [….]’
Text: Soteriou 1952 (modified by E. Rizos).
Translation: E. Rizos
Cult PlacesPrayer/supplication/invocation
Protagonists in Cult and Narratives
Cult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityPrayer/supplication/invocation
Saint as patron - of a community
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesMerchants and artisans
Source
Discussion
This dipinto was written with black paint on the mortar of a pillar of the north colonnade of the nave. It was recorded by Soteriou, but is no longer extant. Soteriou dated it to the 15th century, assuming that the dedicants were a late Byzantine aristocratic family. However, the text is clearly much earlier, as one can deduce both from the style of the letters and the wording. The formula ὁ θεὸς τοῦ ἁγίου (...) is a frequent form of invocation of the help of God by the intercession of a saint in inscriptions, papyri, and texts from the 6th to 9th centuries. The text must postdate the conflagration which damaged the basilica in the early 7th century.The dedicants are described as the ]όρος τον καναβ[ά]δον = ]όρος τῶν καναβάδων. This very probably refers to a guild of artisans or merchants producing or selling hemp products, like canvas cloth or ropes. It is an interesting case of a professional guild making a dedication/invocation, and requesting blessings on behalf of its members (cf. E01029). The verb πληθύνω/plethyno ('to increase') is often used with reference to the abundance of crops (cf. SEG 44,775,781 = SEG 50, 1014,1017; SEG 34,944; SEG 44,761; Greek and Latin Inscriptions of Caesarea Maritima, 129, 130). Here it is used with the obscure word [_]όρος which can be tentatively reconstructed as πόρος ('revenue/income') in the sense of increasing the revenue of the trade. The group is described by the term γένος/genos ('race, group, fellowship'). In a spirit of corporate solidarity, the dipinto requests prosperity and unity for all the members of the guild: ἥνα πάντες μετὰ πάντον χέρομεν ὑ ἐκ γένους ἠς τὴν διακονήαν τοῦ Θ(εο)ῦ= ἵνα πάντες μετὰ πάντων χαίρωμεν οἱ ἐκ γένους εἰς τὴν διακονίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ('so that all we fellows may prosper together with everyone in the service of God).
Bibliography
Edition:G. Soteriou, M. Soteriou, Ἡ βασιλικὴ τοῦ Ἁγίου Δημητρίου Θεσσαλονίκης, Βιβλιοθήκη τῆς ἐν Ἀθήναις Ἀρχαιολογικῆς Ἑταιρείας, 34, Athens, 1952, 234.
Further reading:
Lehmann, C.M., and Holum, K.G., The Greek and Latin Inscriptions of Caesarea Maritima (The Joint Expedition to Caesarea Maritima Excavation Reports 5; Boston, Mass.: The American Schools of Oriental Research, 2000).
Images
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A 7th/9th-century Greek dipinto in the basilica of *Demetrios (Soteriou 1952)
Record Created By
Efthymios Rizos
Date of Entry
09/04/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00761 | Demetrios, martyr of Thessalonike | Δημήτρηος | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Efthymios Rizos, Cult of Saints, E01256 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01256