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 post-date 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