Complete
Linguistic features:
Writing from top to bottom
Formulae:
ܫܘܒܚܐ ܠܡܪܢ Praise be to our Lord!; ܢܗܘܐ ܕܘܟܪܢـܐ ܛܒـܐ Pious remembrance be to; ܕܘܟܪܢܗܘܢ ܠܒܘܪܟܬܐ Their memory be blessed; ܫܪܝܢܢ ܒܒܢܝܢـܐ ... ܘܫܟܠܠܢ We began the building ... and we completed (it); ܐܬܪܐ – τ´οπος – church
Quotations from literary texts:
Dating:
AD 491
-
AD 496
Language:
Syriac
Monumental:
Medium:
wall
Visible:
Accessible:
Has figural depiction:
Has iconoclastic damage:
Activities commemorated:
Foundation of a building
Funds:
Price:
Placement:
wall
People mentioned:
Name:
DMYNʾ/Damianos
Patronym:
Status:
priest
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Founder
Occupation:
periodeutes
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
non-Chalcedonian
Language:
Syriac
Name:
DNʾL/Daniel
Patronym:
Status:
lower clergy
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Supervisor
Occupation:
deacon
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
non-Chalcedonian
Language:
Syriac
Name:
MRʾ/Mara
Patronym:
Status:
lower clergy
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Supervisor
Occupation:
deacon
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
non-Chalcedonian
Language:
Syriac
Description
For this inscriptions, see also my comments in the Cult of Saints database: http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E04386 date: the dating formula gives the date 491/492 CE as the beginning of the construction, and says that the work was finished in 495/496 CE. description: the inscribed field, a raised, horizontal tabula ansata (H. 0.38 m; W. 0.81 m), is integrated witha stone belonging to the south wall of the church. It faces the outside of the building. Vertical writing. Letter height: line 1–13: 3–5 cm; lines 14–15: 2.5–4 cm. First read and published by Henri Pognon in 1907. Enno Littmann in 1934 offered a revised and more reliable text. ed. Pognon 1907, no. 21; PAES IVB 50 (CSLA.E04386). Cf. Littmann 1922, 182 (German translation); Aggoula 1992, 410–411, no. 6; TIB 15, p. 992. See also: PAES II B5, 285–286; Butler, Churches, 67–70; Tchalenko, Villages I, 231–233; II, Abb. LXXIV; Strube, BD I, 255–258; Strube, Stadt und Land 70; Burns, Monuments 61. + ܫܘܒܚܐ ܠܡܪܢ ܢܗܘܐ ܕܘܟܪܢـܐ ܛܒـܐ ܠܡܪܝ .4 ܦܝܪܝܕܘܛـܐ ܕܡܝܢـܐ ܕܐܬܩܢ ܗܢـܐ ܐܬܪܐ ܠܡܪܝ ܦܘܩـܐ .8 ܫܪܝܢܢ ܒܒܢܝܢـܐ ܒܫܢܬ ܚܡܫܡـܐܐ ܘܐܪܒܥܝܢ ܘܫܟܠܠܢ ܒܫܢܬ ܚܡـܫܡـܐܐ .12 ܘܐܪܒܥܝܢ ܘܐܪܒܥ ܫܡـܫـܐ ܕܢܝܐܠ ܡܪܐ ܘܣܝܥܬܗܘܢ ܕܘܟܪܢܗܘܢ ܠܒܘܪܟܬܐ ܦܪܝܕܘܛܐ4 Pognon, ܦܝܪܝܕܘܛܐ Littmann || 10. ܘܫܠܡܢܢ Pognon, ܘܫܟܠܠܢ Littmann || 13. ܡܪܐ ܘܣܝܥܬܗ Aggoula || 14. the line was misunderstood by Pognon: ܪ....ܐ ܕܣܝܥܬܗ Pognon and restored ܪܝܫܝܐ as the first word, ‘head of the (monastic) assembly’ and maybe more differences with Pognon ‘+ Praise be to our Lord! Pious remembrance be to mār periodeutes (itinerant presbyter) Damianos, who founded this place for mār Phokas! We began the building in the year five hundred and forty, and we completed (it) in the year five hundred and forty four: the deacons Daniel, Mara, and their fellows. Their memory be blessed!’ (tr. E. Littmann, lightly adapted with S. Minov, CSLA.E04386) commentary: The mention of the beginning and completion of the construction of the church is particularly important for studies on church building. It also helps establish the chronology of this site and even of the nearby sanctuary of Saint Simeon Stylites the Elder. The identity of Saint Phokas is not clear. I discussed it in the CSLA database, it might be the homonymous martyr of Antioch. The use of the Syriac term ܐܬܪܐ/‘place’ for the Greek τόπος, a very popular denotation of a church, is noteworthy from the linguistical point of view. We may be dealing with a linguistic calque. ‘Fellows’ in line 14 are discussed by Littmann who though they were fellow monks and that the church was part of a monastery (see Littmann 1922, 182). The passage is also interpreted in Aggoula 1992, 410–411, no. 6. Major reading disagreements: Pognon read ܡܪܐ ܕܣܝܥܬܗ “head of his community”, Littmann ܡܪܐ ܘܣܝܥܬܗܘܢ “Daniel, Mara, and their fellows”. Aggoula rejected these two readings, and opted for ܡܪܐ ܘܣܝܥܬܗ which he understood as referring to the deacon Daniel (“Daniel, the head of the work, and his team”).
Author:
Paweł Nowakowski
Added by:
Martyna
Created:
2022-07-23 22:46:57
Last update:
2023-11-13 17:19:03
Dimensions: surface: w 0.81 x h 0.38 meter
Condition: The inscribed field, a raised, horizontal tabula ansata, is integrated witha stone belonging to the south wall of the church. It faces the outside of the building.
Text: Letter height: line 1–13: 3–5 cm; lines 14–15: 2.5–4 cm. Vertical writing.
Date: 491 CE - 496 CE
The dating formula gives the date 491/492 CE as the beginning of the construction, and says that the work was finished in 495/496 CE.
Findspot: Unknown
Original location: Syria Bāṣūfān (Baṣoufan; Bâssoûfâne; Baṯūfān; Basufan) 36.34172, 36.873578 Church of Saint Phokas wall
Current repository: Unknown
Text type: building inscriptions
Summary:
Inscriptions from the Church of Saint Phokas in Bāṣūfān (Baṣoufan; Bâssoûfâne; Baṯūfān; Basufan). 491 CE - 496 CE.
Changes history: 2022-07-23 Pawel Nowakowski Creation; 2023-08-18 Pawel Nowakowski Last modification; 2023-10-20 Martyna Swierk Preparation of EpiDoc file
Publication details: University of Warsaw; Warsaw;
Available under licence CC-BY 4.0
; @2021apparatus
4: ܦܪܝܕܘܛܐ Pognon, ܦܝܪܝܕܘܛܐ Littmann.
10: ܘܫܠܡܢܢ Pognon, ܘܫܟܠܠܢ Littmann.
13: ܡܪܐ ܘܣܝܥܬܗ Aggoula
14: the line was misunderstood by Pognon: ܪ....ܐ ܕܣܝܥܬܗ Pognon and restored ܪܝܫܝܐ as the first word, ‘head of the (monastic) assembly’ and maybe more differences with Pognon.
Translation
‘+ Praise be to our Lord! Pious remembrance be to mār periodeutes (itinerant presbyter) Damianos, who founded this place for mār Phokas! We began the building in the year five hundred and forty, and we completed (it) in the year five hundred and forty four: the deacons Daniel, Mara, and their fellows. Their memory be blessed!’
(tr. E. Littmann, lightly adapted with S. Minov, CSLA.E04386)
Commentary
The mention of the beginning and completion of the construction of the church is particularly important for studies on church building. It also helps establish the chronology of this site and even of the nearby sanctuary of Saint Simeon Stylites the Elder.
The identity of Saint Phokas is not clear. I discussed it in the CSLA database, it might be the homonymous martyr of Antioch.
The use of the Syriac term ܐܬܪܐ/‘place’ for the Greek τόπος, a very popular denotation of a church, is noteworthy from the linguistical point of view. We may be dealing with a linguistic calque.
‘Fellows’ in line 14 are discussed by Littmann who though they were fellow monks and that the church was part of a monastery (see Littmann 1922, 182). The passage is also interpreted in Aggoula 1992, 410–411, no. 6.
Major reading disagreements: Pognon read ܡܪܐ ܕܣܝܥܬܗ “head of his community”, Littmann ܡܪܐ ܘܣܝܥܬܗܘܢ “Daniel, Mara, and their fellows”. Aggoula rejected these two readings, and opted for ܡܪܐ ܘܣܝܥܬܗ which he understood as referring to the deacon Daniel (“Daniel, the head of the work, and his team”).
Bibliography (edition)
- H., Pogon, 1907,Inscriptions sémitiques de la Syrie, de la Mésopotamie et de la région de Mossoul, Paris, 21. PAES IVB E., Littmann,1934, Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expeditions to Syria in 1905–5 and 1909. Division IV: Semitic Inscriptions. Section B: Syriac Inscriptions, Leiden, 50. E., Littmann,1922, Zur Topographie der Antiochene und Apamene,Zeitschrift für Semitistik und verwandte Gebiete 1, 182. (German translation) B., Aggoula,1992, Studia Aramaica III: III - Inscriptions syriaques de Syrie-Mésopotamie,Syria 69, 410-411, 6. TIB 15 K.-P., Todt, B. A., Vest, 2014, Tabula Imperii Byzantini, Vienna, 992.
Bibliography
- PAES IIB C. H., Butler, 1909, Syria : publications of the Princeton University archaeological expeditions to Syria in 1904-5 and 1909. Division II, Ancient architecture in Syria. Section B: Northern Syria, 285–286. G., Tchalenko, 1958, Villages antiques de la Syrie du Nord: Le Massif du Bélus a l'époque romaine, Paris, 1: 231-233; 2: Abb. LXXIV. C. H., Butler, 1969, Early churches in Syria. Fourth to seventh centuries, Amsterdam, 67-70. Ch., Strube, 1993, Baudekoration im Nordsyrischen Kalksteinmassiv. Band I, Kapitell-, Tür- und Gesimsformen der Kirchen des 4. und 5. Jahrhunderts n. Chr.( Damaszener Forschungen, 5), Mainz, 255-258. Ch., Strube, 1996, Die Toten Städte. Stadt und Land in Nordsyrischen während der Spätantike, Mainz, 70. R., Burns, 1999, The Monuments of Syria, London, 61.