Greek inscription on a boundary-stone of a church or monastery of *Menas (soldier and martyr buried at Abu Mena, S00073). Found at Siref Akreim (Cyrenaica, eastern North Africa). 5th/6th c.
Evidence ID
E08476
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
τοῦ ἁγί-
ου Μη-
νᾶ Κ(ύρι)ε
ὁ θεὸς β-
ωήθει
'[Boundary] of the holy Menas. Lord God help [us]'
Text: Mohamed and Reynolds 2000, 1488-90.
Translation: B. Ward-Perkins.
Cult Places
Cult building - unspecified
Source
Limestone stele: H 0.92 m; W 0.48 m; Th c. 0.31 m. Letter height 0.05-0.07 m. Found at Siref Akreim in the Gebel Akhdar (interior of Cyrenaica); taken to the Museum of Cyrene. The inscription is set within an incised rectangular frame.The letter forms suggest a date in the sixth century, or possibly in the fifth.
Discussion
From the form of the block and the wording of the inscription, this is clearly a boundary stone marking the property of a church or monastery dedicated to Menas, the great saint of Abu Mena. Such stones are common in Asia Minor and Syria, though, in those regions, they almost always explicitly include in the text the word ὅροι ('boundaries'), followed by the name of the saint (in the genitive, as here). To the best of our knowledge, this is the only boundary stone for church property known from the provinces of North Africa.Bibliography
Editions and discussion:Mohamed, F.A. and J. Reynolds, "Recently discovered Christian inscriptions in Cyrenaica," in M. Khanoussi, P. Ruggeri and C. Vismara (eds.), L'Africa Romana. Atti del XIII Convegno di Studi, Djerba 1998, Vol II (Rome 2000), 1487-96, at 1488-90.
Ward-Perkins, J.B. and R. Goodchild, ed. J. Reynolds, Christian Monuments of Cyrenaica (Monograph 4, Society for Libyan Studies 2003), 407-8.
Images
)
From Ward-Perkins and Goodchild 2003
Record Created By
Bryan Ward-Perkins
Date of Entry
25/07/2023
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00073 | Menas, soldier and martyr buried at Abu Mena | Μηνᾶ | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Bryan Ward-Perkins, Cult of Saints, E08476 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E08476