ECG009. Greek inscription plaque of Samtavro necropolis

Material: Stone

Object type: Plaque

Decoration:

Text: Plaque with Greek inscription, broken into two parts, contains 15 lines with capital letters. The lines 11 and 12 are slightly damaged. w 33 x h 59 cm

Letters:

The shape of the letters σ and ε are notable as in some cases they are round and in other cases - square shaped. The letters μ, θ, ω are also round. ψ is of a quite peculiar shape. No accent marks or aspiration marks. No abbreviation marks except Αυρ. (= Αὐρήλις) remarked with the full stop (ΑΥΡ.). Only one ligature (in the line 4th and 11th). Itacisms are common: κιμε (=κεῖμαι), επει... (= ἐπί), επειβληψεν (= ἐπιβλέψειν), μιρριοστα (= μυριοστά), ητε (εἴ[τε), δωσι (δώσει), αναστασι (ἀναστάσει). The diphthong αι is represented with ε (κιμε); ο and ω are interchangeable: οστε (= ὥστε). Μιρριοστα needs to be noticed because of the double ρ (if μυριοστά is correctly restored).

3

Date: IV/IV-V AD (lettering)

Findspot: Samtavro აღმოჩნდა 1871 წლის ზაფხულში, გზის მშენებლობისას. ნიკოლაი ზეიდლიცის ცნობით, სამაროვანის გათხრა და შესწავლა რუსეთის მეფის ხელისუფლებამ დაავალა ფრიდრიხ ბაიერნს.

Original location: Samtavro necropolis

Last recorded location(s): National Museum of Georgia

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)

ავრელი აქოლისი, მხატვართუხუცესი და ხუროთმოძღვარი აქ განვისვენებ ჩემს მეუღლე, ბევრაზურიასთან ერთად, ვთხოვ მეგობრებსა და გამვლელებს, თვალი ეჭიროთ ერთმანეთის საქმიანობაზე, რომ მეათიათასე (წლამდე) ვინმემ არ დააზიანოს (ჩვენი საფლავი), ან ვინმემ არ მოინდომოს დასაფლავება ჩვენთან ერთად, ან ჩვენი გვარისამ, ან უცხომ (და თუ ასეთი რამ მოხდა,) მან აგოს პასუხი თავის აღდგომისას.

Translation (English)

I, Aurelis Acholis, chef artist and architect am buried here together with my wife, Bevrazuria, I ask to my friends and passer-by to keep eye on each other’s behaviour, for even in thousand years nobody could damage (our grave), or nobody could be buried in the same place, neither our relative of a stranger (and if such a thing will happen) let this man be responsible for it during his resurrection.

Commentary

Tinatin Kaukhchishvili: It is notable that the attributes “Chef artist and architect” designated to the main character Aurelis Acholis represent the development of the building institutions in Iberia. The name (Αὐρήλιος | Αὐρήλις, Ἀχόλιος | Ἀχόλις) is of Greco-Roman origin. The first part of the name is widely spread in central Greece and Rome as well as in the periphery, but having this name in the inscription does not prove that Aurelis Acholis is either Greek or a Roman man. Greco-Roman names have been spread in Georgia especially after receiving Christianity. The male name is Greco-Roman, the woman’s name is local. Both lived in Georgia and are buried in the Samtavro monastery. It is undoubted that the man was the architect and was leading the local work. So even if Aurelis Acholis was not Georgian his work was dedicated to Georgia. The man’s name is Greco-Roman and the woman’s name is Iranian. The text analysis show that they have different origin as the lines 12-14 highlight the words εἴτε γένος εἴτε ἄλλος ξένος... γένος meaning: family, tribe, nation… ἄλλος ξένος - other foreigner. We witness the type of antagonism: Aurelis Acholis and Bevrazurai do not want somebody else to be buried next to them, neither “stranger” nor “relative” - i.e. from the same family or tribe”. As the word “stranger” is opposed by γένος. We can interpret this word with “nation” rather than “family”. Aurelis Acholis states: nobody from his nation nor the foreigner can be buried next to him. It is hardly possible that a man from Greece buried in Georgia would oppose his nation - Greek - to other nations. We assume that a person who says these words is local for Georgia and he wants to clarify that neither somebody from his nation (a Georgian) nor a foreigner can be buried next to him. On the other hand, we could suggest that the last part of the epitaph is typical for the epitaphs of this period, but when we compare them to one other, we receive a different result. Inscription can be given a date according to the paleontological data (two versions of σ, c, and C, μ with round middle crossbar, trident shape round ω, a noticeably peculiar shape of ψ; ligature; α and λ with longer line at the upper left side) and linguistic characteristics (like abbreviation ΑΥΠ., different versions of itacism: ει=ι, η=ει and ι=ει) the inscription is late Roman, early Byzantin period. More precisely, according to the last line (“let this man be responsible for it during his resurrection” i.e. Day of Judgement) it is a Christian inscription.

Bibliography

საუერი, 1931 თინათინ ყაუხჩიშვილი, საქართველოს ბერძნული წარწერების კორპუსი, 256-257

ყაუხჩიშვილი, 1951 თინათინ ყაუხჩიშვილი, ბერძნული წარწერები საქართველოში, 253-257

ზედილიცი, 1872 Н. Зейдлиц, Изследование древных гробниц близ сел. Мцхета 10

Images

   Fig. 1. Plaque from Samtavro necropolis, 1938