Complete
Linguistic features:
Unusual spelling
Formulae:
ܕܥܒܕ who made; ܒܫܢܬ In the year; ܒܝܪܚ ... ܕܫܢܬ – In the month ... of the year; ܒܝ̈ܘܡܝ – In the days of
Quotations from literary texts:
Dating:
AD 496
-
AD 496
Language:
Syriac
Monumental:
Medium:
mosaic
Visible:
Accessible:
Has figural depiction:
Has iconoclastic damage:
Activities commemorated:
Foundation of a building
Funds:
Price:
Placement:
mosaic floor
People mentioned:
Name:
ʾSṬPNʾ/Istephan
Patronym:
Status:
priest
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Founder
Occupation:
priest
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Syriac
Name:
YʿQWB/Yaqob
Patronym:
Status:
priest
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Founder
Occupation:
priest and artisan
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Syriac
Name:
ŠMʿWN/Šimʿōn
Patronym:
Status:
lower clergy
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Founder
Occupation:
deacon
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Syriac
Name:
unnamed deacons
Patronym:
Status:
lower clergy
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Founder
Occupation:
deacon
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Syriac
Name:
unnamed monks
Patronym:
Status:
monk
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Founder
Occupation:
monk_or_clergyman
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Syriac
Description
date: 496 CE (the year 808 of the Seleucid era) Inscription on mosaic of unknown origin. It was published in 1988 by Moïn Halloun who stated that he had learned about the existence of this mosaic from A. Horowitz. It was then kept in a private collection in the US. An artisan attempted to restored the right-hand end, prior to the publication and without consulting the contents. Halloun notes that the restorer corrupted correct Syriac spelling, which significantly affected the reading. Halloun published this inscription based on photographs, and tentatively ascribed it to Edessa’s territory, or elsewhere “in Greater Syria”. Émile Puech agreed that it could come from the Edessene region. ed. Halloun 1988, 271–275. ܥܒܕ]ܘ ܩܫܝܫܐ ܐܣܛܦܢܐ ܘܩܫܐ ܝܥܩܘܒ ܢܓܪܐ ܘܫܡܥܘܢ ܐܪܟܝܕܝܟܘܢ ܘܫܪܟܐ ܕܫܡܫܐ ܘܐܚܐ ܘܐܫܬܟܠܠ ܒܝܘܡܝܗܘܢ ܒܫܢܬ ܬܡܢܡܐ ܘܬܡܢܐ ܒܝܪܚ ܐ]ܠܘܠ ܒܬܪܥܣܪ 1. or possibly ܠܐܚܐ ܘܩܫܝܫܐ "[Built it] the priest (or: [Belong to brother] and priest) Stephan and the priest Jacob the carpenter, and Shimon the archdeacon and the other deacons and brothers, and it was completed in their time in the year eight hundred and eight in the month of Alwl the twelfth." (tr. M. Halloun). Comments: Halloun has serious doubts about the actual contents of line 1. The damaged right-hand part and poorly done restoration made it very difficult to understand the text. Halloun identified the sequence of ecclesiastical functions in this inscription, as governed by hierarchy. As a result, he wonders if variant spelling of the term "priest", e.g. ܩܫܝܫܐ vs ܩܫܐ may record a specific place in hierarchy. In his translation, he described the function of Jacob as a "carpenter" or, les probably ܢܓܪܐ or "architect". Literature: Halloun, M., "Two Syriac inscriptions", Liber Annuus 38 (1988), 271–275 and Pl. 11–12.
Author:
Paweł Nowakowski
Added by:
Martyna
Created:
2022-08-12 22:40:39
Last update:
2023-11-13 19:50:44
Dimensions: surface: cm
Condition: Inscription on mosaic of unknown origin. It was published in 1988 by Moïn Halloun who stated that he had learned about the existence of this mosaic from A. Horowitz. It was then kept in a private collection in the US. An artisan attempted to restored the right-hand end, prior to the publication and without consulting the contents. Halloun notes that the restorer corrupted correct Syriac spelling, which significantly affected the reading.
Text:
Date: 496 CE
Findspot: Unknown
Original location: Osrhoene Edessa (Şanlıurfa; Ūrhāi; Riha; Urfa; Urhay; Antiochia Kallirhoe) 37.25952, 39.040817 unknown 1 mosaic wall
Current repository: Unknown
Text type: mosaic inscription
Summary:
Mosaic inscription from Edessa (Şanlıurfa; Ūrhāi; Riha; Urfa; Urhay; Antiochia Kallirhoe). 496 CE.
Changes history: 2022-08-12 Pawel Nowakowski Creation; 2023-08-22 Pawel Nowakowski Last modification; 2023-10-26 Martyna Swierk Preparation of EpiDoc file
Publication details: University of Warsaw; Warsaw;
Available under licence CC-BY 4.0
; @2021apparatus
1: or possibly ܠܐܚܐ ܘܩܫܝܫܐ
Translation
'[Built it] the priest (or: [Belong to brother] and priest) Stephan and the priest Jacob the carpenter, and Shimon the archdeacon and the other deacons and brothers, and it was completed in their time in the year eight hundred and eight in the month of Alwl the twelfth.'
(tr. M. Halloun)
Commentary
Halloun has serious doubts about the actual contents of line 1. The damaged right-hand part and poorly done restoration made it very difficult to understand the text.
Halloun identified the sequence of ecclesiastical functions in this inscription, as governed by hierarchy. As a result, he wonders if variant spelling of the term "priest", e.g. ܩܫܝܫܐ vs ܩܫܐ may record a specific place in hierarchy.
In his translation, he described the function of Jacob as a "carpenter" or, les probably ܢܓܪܐ or "architect".
Bibliography (edition)
- M., Halloun, 1988, Two Syriac inscriptions, Liber Annuus 38, 271–275. and Pl. 11–12.