Complete
Linguistic features:
Formulae:
καὶ σοί – To you too!
Quotations from literary texts:
Dating:
AD 101
-
AD 200
Language:
Greek
Monumental:
Medium:
rock
Visible:
Accessible:
Has figural depiction:
Has iconoclastic damage:
Activities commemorated:
Death
Funds:
Price:
Placement:
wall
People mentioned:
Description
date: perhaps second century CE. description: Inside the rock-cut tomb reused as probably oil press. Carved on the south rock-face. Below the inscription there is a niche (an arcosolium?). Good quality of the lettering. ed. Waddington 1890, no. 2686; AAES III 42; AAES IV Syr. 4 and 5; IGLS II 576. Cf. TIB 15, p. 1668–1669. καὶ σύ read: καὶ σοί "To you too!" commentary: Prentice and Littmann followed the opinion of Waddington that this inscription resembles pre-Christian Syrian epitaphs. See also the comments in AAES III 42. But it seems that rather than a reminder of an impeding death ("You too shall die!"), the formula is misspelt and one should read here: καὶ σοί which means "To you too!". On this formula, see IGLS II, p. 344, comments to no. 636, which is an expression of blessing to a visitor. The two Syriac texts also found in this chamber, are certainly much earlier and have no links to the present text expect for a shared space.
Author:
Paweł Nowakowski
Added by:
Martyna
Created:
2022-08-16 21:44:22
Last update:
2023-11-13 20:22:26
Building:
rock-cut chamber
Condition: Inside the rock-cut tomb reused as probably oil press. Carved on the south rock-face. Below the inscription there is a niche (an arcosolium?).
Text: Good quality of the lettering.
Date: 101 CE - 200 CE
Perhaps second century CE.
Findspot: Unknown
Original location: Syria Mār Sābā monastery 36.166111, 36.636111 rock-cut chamber wall
Current repository: Unknown
Text type: sepulcral inscription
Summary:
Greek inscription from a chamber in Mār Sābā monastery. 101 CE - 200 CE.
Changes history: 2022-08-16 Pawel Nowakowski Creation; 2023-08-24 Pawel Nowakowski Last modification; 2023-11-06 Martyna Swierk Preparation of EpiDoc file
Publication details: University of Warsaw; Warsaw;
Available under licence CC-BY 4.0
; @2021apparatus
1: read: καὶ σοί
Translation
'To you too!'.
Commentary
Prentice and Littmann followed the opinion of Waddington that this inscription resembles pre-Christian Syrian epitaphs. See also the comments in AAES III 42. But it seems that rather than a reminder of an impeding death ("You too shall die!"), the formula is misspelt and one should read here: καὶ σοί which means "To you too!". On this formula, see IGLS II, p. 344, comments to no. 636, which is an expression of blessing to a visitor.
The two Syriac texts also found in this chamber, are certainly much earlier and have no links to the present text expect for a shared space.
Bibliography (edition)
- W.H., Waddington, Paris, Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, Paris, 2686. AAES IV Syr.1 E., Littmann, 1914, Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expeditions to Syria in 1904-1905 and 1909. IV (a–D). Semitic inscriptions, Leiden, 4, 5. AAES III E., Littmann, D., Maggie, D.S., Stuart, 1921, Syria : publications of the Princeton University archaeological expeditions to Syria in 1904-5 and 1909. Division III, Greek and Latin inscriptions. Section A, Southern Syria, Leiden, 42. IGLS II L., Jalabert, R., Mouterde, 1939, Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, 2, Chalcidique et Antiochène, Paris, 576.
Bibliography
- TIB 15 K.-P., Todt, B. A., Vest, 2014, Tabula Imperii Byzantini, Vienna, 1668-1669.