Material: Yelowish local stone
Object type: Building plaque
Dimensions: w 53 x h 48 x d 9 cm
Decoration:
The embossed A (the similar to the one in within the inscription) is written on top of the male figure on the right side of the inscription (height 4,5 cm). In the middle of the figure there is a carved letter N (not embossed but carved). Along the feet of the figure’s anaphora there are scratched letters CHT.
Text: 9 line Green inscription on the left part of the plaque. h 37
Letters:
The letters are capital, designed in a careful and stylish manner. The letters at the beginning of the inscription are rather big while the lower part is performed with smaller letters ( e.g. N on the 1st line is 5 cm height, in the lines 2nd-3rd - 4,5 cm., 7th and 9th line - 3 cm.).
24-26Date: წარწერის პალეოგრაფიული მონაცემები (ასოთა მოხაზულობა, ორთოგრაფია, საერთო სტილი) და მართლწერის ნორმები VI-VII სს-ით დათარიღების საშუალებას იძლევიან. დათარიღება შეიძლება დაზუსტდეს VI ს-ით, ბერძენი ქრონოგრაფოსების ცნობების საფუძველზე. (lettering)
Findspot: Sepieti Yellow colored specially carved stone is placed on the joining wall of south columns of Sepieti Archangel basilica. Exact location: the upper niche of the middle arch from 360 cm height from the floor (it is not visible without getting close to the niche).
Original location: Sepieti
Last recorded location(s): Sepieti Archangel Church
Text type:Unknown
Editor(s): Tinatin Kaukhchishvili
Publication details:Ilia State University, Institute of Linguistic Studies; დოკუმენტი ვრცელდება Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 ლიცენზიით.
Translation (ka)
ქ. წმიდაო სტეფანე, ყოველთა წმიდათა თანა მეოხ ეყავ მონასა ფილოქტისტეს და ყოველთა ნათესავთა მისთა.
Translation (English)
Saint Stephen, together with all the saints, be merciful towards the servant of yours Philochtistes and his close people.
Commentary
The plaque that is used in the Archangel church as a building material was part of the St. Stephen church before, which was located in the same district in the middle of VI century (comAgathia, Περὶ Ἰουστ. III, 5; Georgica III, 1936., 52). Philochteste, a clergy not mentioned in any other source, is asking for mercy from Lord God under the name of the patron Saint of the church, St. Stephen for himself and close people to him. The line 9th instead of presupposed αὐτοῦ we have αὐτῶ[ν].
Bibliography
ყაუხჩიშვილი, 2004: თინათინ ყაუხჩიშვილი, საქართველოს ბერძნული წარწერების კორპუსი, 121-122
Images
Fig. 1. Sepieti limestone plaque, 2016