Complete
Linguistic features:
Formulae:
ܐܢܐ or "I" followed by a name
Quotations from literary texts:
Dating:
AD 585
-
AD 700
Language:
Syriac
Monumental:
Medium:
wall
Visible:
Accessible:
Has figural depiction:
Has iconoclastic damage:
Activities commemorated:
Name recorded
Funds:
Price:
Placement:
door jamb
People mentioned:
Name:
MRY/Mārī
Patronym:
Status:
official
Ethnic allegance:
Semitic
Tribal allegane:
none
Family status:
unspecified
Role:
Name recorded
Occupation:
scribe
Age:
Gender:
male
Religion:
Christianity
Religious denomination:
unspecified
Language:
Syriac
Description
date: after 585 CE (sc. later than the construction of the church documented by a greek inscription). description: Probably a vistor’s graffito (by a visitor from a nearby monastery or from the personel of the church). Positioned on the left-hand door-jamb of the south doorway. W. of the stone: 0.56 m. Letter height 4-5 cm. Recorded by the PAES and first published by Enno Littman in 1934. ed. PAES IVB 12. ܐܢܐ ܐܚܐ ܡܪܝ ܟܬܘܒܐ 1. perhaps ܐܣܐ st. abs. of ܐܣܝܐ ‘the physician’, but if so, difficult to explain: Littmann ‘I am the brother Mārī, the scribe.’ (tr. E. Littmann) commentary: Since the author of the graffito uses the term ‘the brother’, i.e. ‘monk’, the site may have monastic connotations. One must, however, remember that the word ܐܚܐ is largely a conjecture by Littmann (see Littmann’s doubts regarding line 1 in the apparatus). Littamnn was looking for prosopographical parallels for this name. A certain Mārī the deacon and scribe is attested through an inscription from Dār Ḳītā. Littmann, however, is rightly careful and does not assume that the two inscriptions mention the same person in spite of close distance between the two villages. Nonetheless, Littmann’s argument is a bit mismatched. He pointed to different dates of the construction of this church and the church of Saint Sergios at Dār Ḳītā (built in 537 CE). This is somewhat strange as the graffito by Mārī was found in the Southwest Church, not that of Saint Sergios.
Author:
Paweł Nowakowski
Added by:
Martyna
Created:
2022-08-04 11:36:06
Last update:
2024-03-28 20:11:50
Building:
basilica
Dimensions: surface: w 0.58 meter
Condition: Probably a vistor’s graffito (by a visitor from a nearby monastery or from the personel of the church). Positioned on the left-hand door-jamb of the south doorway.
Text: Letter height 4-5 cm.
Date: 585 CE - 700 CE
After 585 CE (sc. later than the construction of the church documented by a greek inscription).
Findspot: Unknown
Original location: Syria Ḫirbat Tīzīn (Khirbet Tēzīn; Tīzīn al-‘Atīqa) 36.166111, 36.636111 basilica door jamb
Current repository: Unknown
Text type: Graffito
Summary:
Graffito in basilica of Ḫirbat Tīzīn (Khirbet Tēzīn; Tīzīn al-‘Atīqa). 585 CE - 700 CE.
Changes history: 2022-08-04 Pawel Nowakowski Creation; 2023-08-29 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: Perhaps ܐܣܐ st. abs. of ܐܣܝܐ ‘the physician’, but if so, difficult to explain: Littmann.
Commentary
Since the author of the graffito uses the term ‘the brother’, i.e. ‘monk’, the site may have monastic connotations. One must, however, remember that the word ܐܚܐ is largely a conjecture by Littmann (see Littmann’s doubts regarding line 1 in the apparatus).
Littamnn was looking for prosopographical parallels for this name. A certain Mārī the deacon and scribe is attested through an inscription from Dār Ḳītā. Littmann, however, is rightly careful and does not assume that the two inscriptions mention the same person in spite of close distance between the two villages. Nonetheless, Littmann’s argument is a bit mismatched. He pointed to different dates of the construction of this church and the church of Saint Sergios at Dār Ḳītā (built in 537 CE). This is somewhat strange as the graffito by Mārī was found in the Southwest Church, not that of Saint Sergios.
Bibliography (edition)
- 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, Paris, 12.