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NEW GREEK GRAFFITI OF St SOFIA’S IN CONSTANTINOPLE IN THE ARCHIVE OF ROBERT VAN NICE (DOP, WASHINGTON)1
Резюме: Впервые публикуются 9 греческих граффити, найденные в соборе Св. Софии в Константинополе в 1969 году Робертом и Барбарой ван Найс и сейчас хранящиеся в виде карандашных заметок в архиве Роберта ван Найса в Вашингтоне.
Ключевые слова: греческие граффити, собор Софии Константинопольской, архив Роберта ван Найса
In July 2011 in Dumbarton Oaks I analyzed some photos of graffiti made by Barbara G. van Nice in St Sofia’s in 1969 and all the papers devoted to St Sofia’s graffiti in Robert van Nice’s archive. After that in November 2011 the results of the above-mentioned analysis were verified in the cathedral in Constantinople. Some of the inscriptions from Robert van Nice’s papers were found in situ, others were not. This article continues our previous article (Evdokimova 2013) devoted to the unpublished Greek graffiti from the archive of Robert van Nice. As in the mentioned, article not all the graffiti in question have been found in situ in the cathedral; that’s why now we use only archive materials for their publication.
1. Box 11, graffiti (9th folder), sheet of paper A4, graphite pencil. This graffito was found in the south-eastern gallery on the floor piece between the farthest column south-east and the eastern wall. Paleography: “s” lunar, “v”, “o” and “t” are minuscule, other letters majuscule. Orthography: “i” instead of “n” in the “©гобьц”. f К E BoH Tovctov Л8 0eo5i|j.
К(6р0г po^[0£L] tov aov 8ou[Xov] 0£o§n^[ov]
Lord, help Your servant Theodime
1 This article was written within the frame of RFBR № NK 13-06-00086\13
2. Box 11, graffiti (9th folder), sheet of paper A4, graphite pencil. It is situated in the south-eastern gallery of the cathedral, on floor piece between the farthest column south-east and the south-eastern wall. Paleography: “e” lunar, “k”, “P” and “n” are majuscule, others minuscule.
K E BoH0 to Au
T ^payyoi^
K(upi)e po^0[si toic;] 5[o]u[Aoic; aou] ^payyoic;
Lord, help Your servants Francs (?)
3. Box 11, graffiti (9th folder), sheet of paper A4, graphite pencil. In the right corner of the paper there is a small plan of the location of the graffito in the south-western bay of the cathedral. Paleography: the letters are majuscule, «a» with “broken” hasta. Orthography: “^” instead of “v” in the “AOYAOM”, “n” instead of “i” in the
“AAMHANON”, “a” instead of “®” in the “AMAPTAAON”.
K. B...0H TONAOYAOMC.YAAMHANONAMAPTA
AONMONAXON AMHNf
K(6pi)s po^0[si] tov 5[o]u[Xov] aou Aa^iavov a^apTwXov ^ovaxov a^v.
Lord, help Your servant Damian sinner monk, amen.
4. Box 11, graffiti (11th folder), sheet of paper A4, graphite pencil. The inscription is located in the south-western bay of the cathedral, on the column 44, Br2, as Robert wrote: it «going into wall towards fast». Paleography: “e” lunar, “o” and “A” minuscule, other letters are majuscule. Orthography: reduplication of the “A” in the “—EXaoN” instead of “n”.
KG
X EXaoN K(6pi)s ¿Xe^aov Lord, have mercy
5. Box 11, graffiti (11th folder), sheet of paper A4, graphite pencil, no photo. In the right corner of the sheet we can see the plan of the location of this graffito in the cathedral western gallery. Paleography: “e” and “o” lunar, “k” and “n” are majuscule, others minuscule.
f K E M-
K(upi)e ¿Xena(6v) ^[e a]^[a]pT[w]X(ov)
Lord, have mercy on me, sinner
6. Box 11, graffiti (11th folder), sheet of paper A4, graphite pencil, no photo. The inscription is located in the northwest gallery. This graffito is upside-down like the other two published in a different article (Evdokimova 2011, 8, 9-10). Paleography: the letters are majuscule. Orthography: “n” instead of “ei” in the “[Po^0]n”, “n” instead of “i”, “v” instead of “vv” and “o” instead of “®” in the “HOaNHN”.
K....HToNAOTAONCOYHOaNHNaMHN
K(upi)e po^0[ei] tov 8[o]u[Xov] aou ’Iwavv^v a^^v.
Lord, help Your servant John, amen
7. Box 11, graffiti (11th folder), sheet of paper A4, graphite pencil. The location in the south-western exedra, in the 17th column (green marble), was verified in situ. Paleography: “e” lunar, “k”, “P” and —” are majuscule, others minuscule.
K §
Bo
Iro
aN
t
K(upi)e po^0[si tov SouXov aou] ’Iwav[vnv]
Lord, help Your servant John
8. Box 11, graffiti (11th folder), sheet of paper A4, graphite pencil. In the south-western exedra, in the 17th column (green marble), was verified in situ. Paleography: “e” lunar, “k”, “P” and “i” are majuscule, others minuscule.
KEBoT ovAB Xov x*Tn
K(upi)e po[^0£i] tov ôoûXov Lord, help Your servant
9. Box 11, graffiti (11th folder), sheet of paper A4, graphite pencil. In the south-western exedra, in the 17th column (green
marble), was verified in situ . Paleography: “є” lunar, “o”, “0” and “i” are minuscule, others majuscule.
K Є Н0І ON 0Є
Awaio
N
К(6р0є [po]^0£L [t]ov 8ou[Xov aou] ©£[o]6oaiov...
Lord, help Your servant Theodosius
The dating of the graffiti is problematic, because no dates are mentioned in the texts. Moreover, due to the frequency of the names mentioned, like Theodime (in graffito 1), Damian (in graffito 3), John (in the 6th and 7th graffiti), Theodosius (in the 9th graffito), there is no substantial reason to attribute them to any historical person. That’s why we can only provide for approximate dating of these graffiti: judging by their paleographic traits, they appear to belong to the X-XIII century. The upside-down position of the 6th graffito requires special attention. Presumably, the marble block was turned over after the graffito had been written, provided the construction allowed for such changes. As previously mentioned, there are other cases of such transposition of blocks in this cathedral, which have no explanation.
Literature
Evdokimova 2013 - Evdokimova A.A. Greek graffiti of St Sofia’s in Constantinople in the archive of Robert van Nice. (DOP, Washington) // Byzantine Epigraphy - New Methods and New Projects. Wien: 2013 (in press).
