Fragmentary Greek inscription originally interpreted as mentioning a certain martyr *Prokopios, possibly on a boundary stone of a church dedicated to the saint, but in fact recording a vow of an ordinary man Prokopios. Found at Anamur, near Ikonion (central Asia Minor), close to Kaisareia. Probably middle Byzantine.
Evidence ID
E02766
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
Transcription, as presented by Alexander Zäh:
+ ὑπὲρ εὐχῆς
χώρα (?) μάρτ[υρος]
Προκοπίου, εὐχ[ῆς]
[- - -]
'+ As a vow. Territory (?) (of the church) of the martyr (?) Prokopios. A vow [- - -].'
Text: Zäh 2009, 36-37.
Transcription, as suggested to us by Denis Feissel (in a letter dated 17.05.2018):
+ ὑπὲρ εὐχ[ῆς καὶ ἀφέσ]-
εος ἁμαρτι[ῶν - - -]
Προκοπίου, ΕΥΧ[- - -]
[- - -]
'+ As a vow [and for the remission of sins - - -] of Prokopios [- - -].'
Cult PlacesAwarding privileges to cult centres
Cult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityAwarding privileges to cult centres
Seeking asylum at church/shrine
Source
Stone block. H. 0.30 m; W. 0.45 m. Reused in a wall of a modern house in Anamur, a mountain village situated between Konya (Iconium) and Beyşehir (Mistea) in the Roman province of Lykaonia (central Asia Minor). Original find-spot unknown. First recorded and published in 2009 by Alexander Zäh who also notes the presence of nearby ruins of an 'early Byzantine' church, and traces of a monastery or settlement.Discussion
In Zäh's transcription the phrasing of the inscription is unusual: it looks like a combination of a votive text with an inscription from a boundary stone. In lines 2-3 Zäh read an unparalleled expression: χώρα μάρτ[υρος] | Προκοπίου, εὐχ[ῆς]. According to his interpretation the stone was a label erected at the shrine of the martyr, informing the reader that the region was the homeland (χώρα) of that holy figure. However, the published photograph, although scarcely legible and not showing the right-hand end of the slab, does not support the reading of the word χώρα in line 2. It is also disturbing that the restored term μάρτυς is not preceded, as it usually was, by the article and the epithet ἅγιος, e.g. τοῦ ἁγίου μάρτ[υρος].The martyr Prokopios, if he is really mentioned in lines 2-3, was identified by Zäh as the Procopius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, a companion of Quartus. Their feast is known only from the Martyrologium Hieronymianum (8 July: E04875). For a similar case, where an obscure martyr of Kaisareia is attested by both the Martyrologium and a local inscription, see E01025. For a martyr Prokopios attested near Verinopolis in Galatia, see E01011.
Denis Feissel suggested to us a different reading of the text with the word ἁμαρτιῶν instead of μάρτυρος in line 2. This is a very plausible solution, and allows us to interpret the inscription as recording a vow of an ordinary man called Prokopios rather than a boundary stone of the church of St Prokopios.
Dating: The lettering suggests that our inscription is likely to date to the middle Byzantine period.
Bibliography
Edition:Zäh, A., "Vorläufiger Bericht über archäologische Beobachtungen auf Reisen an der karischen Küste un im lykaonisch-isaurischen Grenzgebiet", Anzeiger der philosophisch-historischen Klasse (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften Wien) 144/1 (2009), pp. 17-74.
Reference works:
Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 59, 1581.
Images
)
Photograph. From: Zäh 2009, 36.
Record Created By
Paweł Nowakowski
Date of Entry
06/05/2017
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S01314 | Procopius and Quartus, martyrs of Caesarea in Cappadocia | Προκόπιος | Uncertain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Paweł Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E02766 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E02766