Complete
Linguistic features:
a Latin name transcribed to Syriac
Formulae:
ܒܪܝܟ ܘܕܟܝܪ Bless and remember; ܠܒܪܗ made it; ܕܗܘܝܘ who completed
Quotations from literary texts:
Dating:
AD 527
-
AD 528
Language:
Syriac
Monumental:
Medium:
column/pillar
Visible:
Accessible:
Has figural depiction:
Has iconoclastic damage:
Activities commemorated:
column
Funds:
Price:
Placement:
column
People mentioned:
Name:
ṬWBYʾ/Tobia
Patronym:
Status:
priest
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Benefactor
Occupation:
priest
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
non-Chalcedonian
Language:
Syriac
Name:
MRQWS/Markos
Patronym:
Status:
maker
Ethnic allegance:
unspecified
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
maker
Occupation:
artisan
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
non-Chalcedonian
Language:
Syriac
Description
description: on a limestone pillar equipped with panels on it narrower face. All the four faces of the pillar bear carved geometrical decorations, especially rosettes. Dimensions when recorded: H. 220 cm; W. 55 cm; Th. 65 cm. Letter height 3 cm. Partly lost in its lower half. The pillar almost certainly belonged to the church of Saint Phokas. At some point it was displaced. First recorded it in the vicinity of the church in 1940 by the inhabitants of the village. First published in 1958 by Enno Littmann. ed. Littmann (Tchalenko) 1958, p. 107, no. 1; Jarry 1967: no. 4 (from a squeeze). Cf. Tchalenko 1953, vol. 1, p. 231; vol. 2, Pl. LXXIV; Tchalenko 1958, p. 88; TIB 15, p. 992. ܒܪܝܟ ܘܕܟܝܪ ܛܘܒܝܐ ܩܥܐ ܘܥܡܫܐ .4 ܕܗܘܝܘ ܙܒܢܗ ܠܣܓܕܐ ܠ .6 ܗܢܐ .6 ܠܒܪܗ .7 ܡܪܩܘܣ 2. perhaps ܛܘܒܳܟܳܐ as 'saint' Littmann || 5. Littmann hesitated on the reading: ܙܰܒܢܶܗ or ܙܰܕܩܶܗ or ܙܰܝܢܶܗ ‘Bless and remember Tobia the priest and deacon, the one who completed (donated?) this tower! Marqos made it.’ (tr. E. Littmann) The same inscription was republished by Jacques Jarry in 1968 as follows: ܒܢܘ ܗܢܐ ܒܢܝܢܐ ܪܒܢܐ ܘ ܫܡܫܐ .4 ..ܘ ..ܥ ..ܗ ܡܢܗ ܕ ܡܢ ܓܠܝܠ ܣܪܗܢ ܠܘܩܐ ܘ ܡܪܩܘܣ ‘Ont construit ce bâtiment l’abbé et les diacres Sarhon, Luc et Marc (venus) de la Galilée elle-même’ (tr. J. Jarry) commentary: If Littmann is right in his readings, the inscription documents the name of a cleric using Syriac, a person with a Latin name. According to Littmann's interpretation, this Latin name was transcribed to Syriac (Marcus -> Marqos). It is, however, strange that one person would be called ‘priest’ and ‘deacon’ at the same time, so the reading is probably wrong. This troubled Jarry who offered a new reading of this text from a squeeze. In the commentary, he argued that line 4 contained a date calculated according to the era of Antioch: 576, i.e. 527/528 CE, but eventually this seemed too bold for him to include it in the final printed text and his French translation. In the end, he opted for an interpretatio where the inscription commemorated the construction of a monastic building, twenty-six years after the construction of the church of Saint Phokas by the periodeutes Damianos. He was also convinced that the present inscription was the first epigraphic source documenting the presence of people from Galilee in the Limestone Massif.
Author:
Paweł Nowakowski
Added by:
Martyna
Created:
2022-07-23 23:10:20
Last update:
2023-11-13 17:24:57
Dimensions: surface: w 65 x h 220 x d 65 cm
Condition: On a limestone pillar equipped with panels on it narrower face. All the four faces of the pillar bear carved geometrical decorations, especially rosettes. Partly lost in its lower half.
Text: Letter height 3 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 column
Current repository: Unknown
Text type: honorific inscriptions
Summary:
Inscriptions from the Church of Saint Phokas in Bāṣūfān (Baṣoufan; Bâssoûfâne; Baṯūfān; Basufan). 527 CE - 528 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
2: perhaps ܛܘܒܳܟܳܐ as 'saint' Littmann
5: Littmann hesitated on the reading: ܙܰܒܢܶܗ or ܙܰܕܩܶܗ or ܙܰܝܢܶܗ
Translation
‘Bless and remember Tobia the priest and deacon, the one who completed (donated?) this tower! Marqos made it.’
(tr. E. Littmann)
Commentary
If Littmann is right in his readings, the inscription documents the name of a cleric using Syriac, a person with a Latin name. According to Littmann's interpretation, this Latin name was transcribed to Syriac (Marcus -> Marqos). It is, however, strange that one person would be called ‘priest’ and ‘deacon’ at the same time, so the reading is probably wrong. This troubled Jarry who offered a new reading of this text from a squeeze. In the commentary, he argued that line 4 contained a date calculated according to the era of Antioch: 576, i.e. 527/528 CE, but eventually this seemed too bold for him to include it in the final printed text and his French translation. In the end, he opted for an interpretatio where the inscription commemorated the construction of a monastic building, twenty-six years after the construction of the church of Saint Phokas by the periodeutes Damianos. He was also convinced that the present inscription was the first epigraphic source documenting the presence of people from Galilee in the Limestone Massif.
The same inscription was republished by Jacques Jarry in 1968 as follows:
ܒܢܘ ܗܢܐ
ܒܢܝܢܐ ܪܒܢܐ
ܘ ܫܡܫܐ
.4 ..ܘ ..ܥ ..ܗ
ܡܢܗ ܕ ܡܢ ܓܠܝܠ
ܣܪܗܢ ܠܘܩܐ
ܘ ܡܪܩܘܣ
‘Ont construit ce bâtiment l’abbé et les diacres Sarhon, Luc et Marc (venus) de la Galilée elle-même’ (tr. J. Jarry)
Bibliography (edition)
- E., Littmann, Deux inscriptions syriaques, in: G., Tchalenko, Villages antiques de la Syrie du Nord: Le Massif du Bélus a l'époque romaine 3, 1958, Paris, 107, 1. J., Jarry,1967, Inscriptions arabes, syriaques et grecques du massif du Bélus en Syrie du nord [avec 42 planches], Annales Islamologiques 7, 4 (from a squeeze).
Bibliography
- G., Tchalenko, 1958, Villages antiques de la Syrie du Nord: Le Massif du Bélus a l'époque romaine, Paris, 1: 231; 2: Pl. LXXIV. G., Tchalenko, 1958, Villages antiques de la Syrie du Nord: Le Massif du Bélus a l'époque romaine 3, Paris, 107, 1. TIB 15 K.-P., Todt, B. A., Vest, 2014, Tabula Imperii Byzantini, Vienna, 992.