Fragmentary Greek inscription mentioning martyrs whose names are lost. Found at Bostra (Roman province of Arabia). Probably 6th c.
Evidence ID
E02236
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
τοὺς ἁγίους μ[αρ]-
τύρας ὅτου Π[ρο]-
κοπί[ου - -]ΤΗ̣Λ[..]
Λ [- - - - - - - ]
[- -]Η[- - -]Ο[- -]
'The holy martyrs [- - -] of/under Prokopios (?) [- - -]'
Text: IGLS 13/1, no. 9043.
Cult Places
Cult building - independent (church)
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesOther lay individuals/ people
Source
A complete basalt block, with ornaments in the upper corners. H. 0.43 m; W. 0.705 m; Th. 0.24 m. Letter height 0.03-0.04 m. The inscription is scarcely legible.The stone was first recorded by Maurice Sartre in the 1970s, during his surveys of Bostra, in a storage room of the citadel. The original find-spot is unknown. First published by Sartre in 1982, with a photograph.
Discussion
As the inscription is poorly preserved, its precise nature is not clear. The restorations of lines 1-3, suggested by Maurice Sartre, are hypothetical, but the text might indeed refer to a dedication to some 'holy martyrs', for example, from a certain Prokopios, or to the construction of a martyr shrine under a bishop named Prokopios, etc.The names of these martyrs, if they were ever mentioned, are now lost. They could have been Sergios, Bakchos, and/or Leontios: the primary martyrs to whom the cathedral church of Bostra was dedicated in 512/513 (see: E02234). Our inscription is also likely to date to the 6th c.
Bibliography
Edition:Sartre, M. (ed.), Les inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, vol. 13/1: Bostra: nos. 9001 à 9472 (BAH 13, Paris: Librairie orientaliste P. Geuthner, 1982), no. 9043.
Images
)
Photograph. From: IGLS 13/1, Pl. VII.
Record Created By
Paweł Nowakowski
Date of Entry
07/01/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00060 | Martyrs, unnamed or name lost | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Paweł Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E02236 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E02236