Very fragmentary inscription, possibly referring to relics of unnamed saints. Found in a small cemetery near the cemetery of Callixtus, via Appia, Rome. Late antique.
E05280
Inscriptions - Funerary inscriptions
Archaeological and architectural - Internal cult fixtures (crypts, ciboria, etc.)
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
[- - -]um abuit supertactae ferres (?)
[- - - ]equiae sanctorum
1. sec]um: Grisanzio in EDB || 2. in r]equiae Ferrua
The editor, Antonio Ferrua, pointed out that the meaning of the text, and even the division of letters into words in line 1 is not clear. We find there, perhaps, the expression secum abuit / 'had with him/her', a prefixed form of the participle tactae / 'touched', and the 2nd singular imperfect form of the subjunctive of fero: ferres / 'you would have been carrying', 'you would have been reporting', etc.
According to Ferrua, line 2 could be restored as in r]equiae sanctorum, which he, however, does not explain. The Christian liturgy knows the expression pro requiae / 'for the repose'. But perhaps we have here a corrupted form of the expression re<li>quiae sanctorum / 'relics of saints'. One could also complete the line as, for example obs]equiae sanctorum / 'funeral rites of saints', etc.
Text: ICVR, n.s., VI, no. 17356 = EDB14499.
Burial site of a saint - crypt/ crypt with relics
Burial site of a saint - tomb/grave
Burial site of a saint - cemetery/catacomb
Non Liturgical ActivityPrayer/supplication/invocation
Burial ad sanctos
Ceremonies at burial of a saint
RelicsUnspecified relic
Source
Lower right-hand corner of a marble plaque with large margins. Preserved dimensions: H. 0.17 m; W. 0.64 m; Th. 0.05 m. Letter height 0.02 m. The upper halves of the letters in line 1 are largely lost.Found in cubiculum Ha in a small cemetery near the cemetery of Callixtus, on the via Appia, Rome. Now near staircase S2 in the same cemetery. First published by Antonio Ferrua in 1975, a good photograph is now offered in the Epigraphic Database Bari.
Bibliography
Edition:Epigraphic Database Bari, nos. EDB14499. See http://www.edb.uniba.it/epigraph/14499
De Rossi, G.B., Ferrua, A. (eds.), Inscriptiones Christianae Urbis Romae Septimo Saeculo Antiquiores, n.s., vol. 6: Coemeteria viis Latina, Labicana et Praenestina (Vatican: Pont. Institutum Archaeologiae Christianae, 1975), no. 17356.
Paweł Nowakowski
30/03/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00060 | Martyrs, unnamed or name lost | Uncertain | S00518 | Saints, unnamed | Certain | S01744 | Saints, name lost or very partially preserved | Certain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Paweł Nowakowski, Cult of Saints, E05280 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E05280