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E01926: Greek inscription from a boundary stone marking the asylum of a church, or churches, dedicated to *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033) and *Kosmas and Damianos (brothers, physician martyrs of Syria, S00385). Found at Ḥamāh/Amathe (central Syria). Probably 6th c.

online resource
posted on 2016-10-17, 00:00 authored by pnowakowski
+ ὅροι ἄ-
συλοι τ-
ῆς δεσ-
ποίνης
ἡμῶν τ(ῆς)
Θεοτόκου
(καὶ) τῶν ἁ-
γίων Κ-
οσμᾶ (καὶ)
Δαμια-
νοῦ δω-
ρι<ε>θέ
[ντες -]
[- - -]

'+ Boundaries of the asylum of Our Lady the God-Bearer (Theotokos) and of Saints Kosmas and Damianos, bestowed [by - - -].'

Text: IGLS 5, no. 2002.

History

Evidence ID

E01926

Saint Name

Mary, Mother of Christ : S00033 Kosmas and Damianos, brothers, physician martyrs in Syria, ob. 285/287 : S00385

Saint Name in Source

Θεοτόκος Κοσμᾶς καὶ Δαμιανός

Type of Evidence

Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)

Language

  • Greek

Evidence not before

500

Evidence not after

600

Activity not before

500

Activity not after

600

Place of Evidence - Region

Syria with Phoenicia

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Ḥamāh

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Ḥamāh Thabbora Thabbora

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Seeking asylum at church/shrine

Source

Stone stele, broken and lost at top and bottom, reused in a wall in the east section of the city. H. 1.38 m; W. 0.315 m; Th. 0.12 m. Letter height 0.07-0.08 m.

Discussion

The inscription marked the boundaries of the asylum of a church, or churches, of Mary and of the physician martyrs Kosmas and Damianos. The editors suggest that only one church is meant here and that it was dedicated to all three saints, but two churches is more likely. Dated boundary stones are usually authorised by 6th c. emperors. Our inscription is likely to be of the same date.

Bibliography

Edition: Jalabert, L., Mouterde, R., Mondésert, C., Les inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, vol. 5: Émésène (BAH 66, Paris: P. Guethner, 1959), no. 2002. Prentice, W.K. (ed.), Greek and Latin Inscriptions (Publications of an American archaeological expedition to Syria in 1899-1900 3, New York: Century 1908), 276, no. 350. Uspensky, F., “”, Izvestiya russkago arkheologicheskago institutα v Konstantinopole 7 (1902), 148. Further reading: Cosentino, S., "Boundary marks and space organization in early Byzantine epigraphy", in: Ch. Stavrakos (ed.), Inscriptions in the Byzantine and post-Byzantine history and history of art : proceedings of the international symposium "Inscriptions: Their Contribution to the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine History and History of Art" (Ioannina, June 26-27, 2015) (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag in Kommission, 2016), 100, note 16. Devreesse, R., Le Patriarcat d'Antioche depuis la paix de l'Église jusqu'a la conquête arabe (Paris: J. Gabalda et cie, 1945), 182, note 9. Halkin, F., "Inscriptions grecques relatives à l'hagiographie, II, Les deux Phénicies et et les deux Syries", Analecta Bollandiana 67 (1949), 102, note 2. Jalabert, L., Mouterde, R., Mondésert, C., Les inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, vol. 5: Émésène (BAH 66, Paris: P. Guethner, 1959), 317 (addendum). Leclercq, H., "Droit d'asile", DACL, vol. coll. 1556-1557. Wenger, L., “Ὅροι ἀσυλίας”, Philologus 86 (1931), 431.

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    Evidence -  The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

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