ECG011. The Decree of Vani

Material: Plaque

Object type: Bronze

Dimensions: w 12 x h 28 x d 1 cm

Decoration:

Text: cm

Letters:

The letters are engraved between the two parallel lines drawn beforehand. Letters are clear and the edge points are carved deeply while their connecting lines are not that dee

0,7 0,6-0,7

Date: III BC (lettering)

Findspot: Found in 1985

Original location: ვანი

Current repository: Unknown

Last recorded location(s): ვანის არქეოლოგიური ექსპედიციის მუზეუმი

Summary: Decree

Editor(s): Tinatin Kaukhchishvili, Otar Lortkipanidze, Michael Vickers

Publication details: Ilia State University, Institute of Linguistic Studies; დოკუმენტი ვრცელდება Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 ლიცენზიის ფარგლებში.

Interpretive

ὁ σώ[φρων] ? –ος ὠ
τῷ παντὶ ὅσι[ια]
ἅπτοντα
Ν ὁ τάφος Σ
5[ἀ]πολειφθῆναι
ΠΟΝ ἔχειν Α
ουσι τοὺς ἐκγόνους καὶ
[ποι]οῦντας τοὺς τὴν αὐτῶν
ΟΥΣ ἐν τοῖς γεγραμμέ[νοις]
10χαραχθεῖσα καὶ τὴν στήλην
μηδὲ [...]ανοις μηδὲ [ἀνεπιχει]ρήτοις
κωλύειν κατὰ δύνα[μιν]
[ἀκ]ολουθήσασι τοῖς [γεγραμ]μένοις
Σ αὐτῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν
15καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν πάντων
Ο]ΥΣ ὁ ἐν τάξει καὶ ὁ ποσεῖ
καὶ ἡ ἐν Σούρι καθημέ[νη] στήλη
[ἡ] Γῆ καὶ ὁ Ἥλιος καὶ ὁ Μείς
[κ]αὶ πᾶσαι ἵλεως εἴη
20μηδὲ [τ]είνασι μηδὲ ποιήσασι
συμβουλεύσασι ποιῆσαι
[οις] πάντα τ(ἀ)ναν[τία]
θεοῖς τοῖς μεγίσ[τοις]
Σ ἄλλο μηθὲν
25τῶν τε προ
ἀσίτοις

Diplomatic

ΟΣΩ[....]?–ΟΣΩ
ΤΩΠΑΝΤΙΟΣΙ[..]
ΑΠΤΟΝΤΑ
ΝΟΤΑΦΟΣΣ
5[.]ΠΟΛΕΙΦΘΗΝΑΙ
ΠΟΝΕΧΕΙΝΑ
ΟΥΣΙΤΟΥΣΕΚΓΟΝΟΥΣΚΑΙ
[...]ΟΥΝΤΑΣΤΟΥΣΤΗΝΑΥΤΩΝ
ΟΥΣΕΝΤΟΙΣΓΕΓΡΑΜΜΕ[....]
10ΧΑΡΑΧΘΕΙΣΑΚΑΙΤΗΝΣΤΗΛΗΝ
ΜΗΔΕ[...]ΑΝΟΙΣΜΗΔΕ[........]ΡΗΤΟΙΣ
ΚΩΛΥΕΙΝΚΑΤΑΔΥΝΑ[...]
[..]ΟΛΟΥΘΗΣΑΣΙΤΟΙΣ[......]ΜΕΝΟΙΣ
ΣΑΥΤΩΝΤΕΚΑΙΓΥΝΑΙΚΩΝ
15ΚΑΙΤΩΝΛΟΙΠΩΝΠΑΝΤΩΝ
Ο]ΥΣΟΕΝΤΑΞΕΙΚΑΙΟΠΟΣΕΙ
ΚΑΙΗΕΝΣΟΥΡΙΚΑΘΗΜΕ[..]ΣΤΗΛΗ
[.]ΓΗΚΑΙΟΗΛΙΟΣΚΑΙΟΜΕΙΣ
[.]ΑΙΠΑΣΑΙΙΛΕΩΣΕΙΗ
20ΜΗΔΕ[.]ΕΙΝΑΣΙΜΗΔΕΠΟΙΗΣΑΣΙ
ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΕΥΣΑΣΙΠΟΙΗΣΑΙ
[...]ΠΑΝΤΑΤΝΑΝ[...]
ΘΕΟΙΣΤΟΙΣΜΕΓΙΣ[....]
ΣΑΛΛΟΜΗΘΕΝ
25ΤΩΝΤΕΠΡΟ
ΑΣΙΤΟΙΣ

apparatus

Translation

Translation by Tinatin Khaukhchishvili: “Sensible, or moderate... Completely pure, clean... laid one’s hand on... started (some kind of job)... grave, tomb... backwards... To their successors... And of those who made it (some stela of a female gender?) in a written document (possibly a formal complaint)... cut out (written) and stela... Neither some people, nor the invincible (or the ones who cannot be negotiated with) should be impeded... They had better follow the written (rule)... Both from them and from women… and all the others who will add and who will count…. And the stela erected in Suri…. The Earth and the Sun and the Moon… and may all (female gender) be merciful... Neither those who had it in mind and those who take action... All the opposite was done against the negotiators... The great gods … Yet, nothing (only particles)… to the hungry (or all of them)

Commentary

A comment by Tinatin Kaukhchishvili: The Archaeological Museum in Vani preserves a fragment of a Bronze plaque unearthed in 1985. The right part of the plaque has no edges. The plaque had not obviously been plain, as is evidenced by the presence of a fragment of a frame shaped like a semi-column. It is possible to distinguish 26 lines from which the 11th-26th lines present no doubt. The first 10, however, are damaged by fire so that it is hard to figure out what it really says. According to the bits and pieces available, the text seems to be an ecclesiastical legal document, which poses certain conditions: the one who intends to start a job (any job) should be fully pure. They should be purified even before touching a grave and this applies to them as well as to their offspring. This statement is engraved on a stela and is addressed against those who, by the way, cannot be dealt with without this prohibition. The inscription calls parishioners, men (?) as well as women (they obviously belong to the same circle) and all the others (these “others” must represent a different class by their context) should follow this ordinance. There is an additional point in the ordinance about the manner of adding and monitoring. The stela with the aforementioned ordinance is erected in Suri. They call the gods: earth, the Sun and the moon; They ask one of the gods to be merciful. This mercy does not apply to those who intended or committed evil (an act forbidden by this document). The counselors agreed that whomsoever do the contrary, the great gods will not help them and they will go through all kinds of tribulations. It is noteworthy that the inscription mentions the geographic name “Suri” (the same as the written sources call “Surion/Surium”) that is the Hellenistic name for Vani, also the Triad of the great gods (Earth, the Sun and the Moon) that were worshipped in Suri. Date: According to the outlines of letters (Ω, Σ, Μ, Β, Ρ, Ε, Γ ...) and the lingual norms (μηθέν, ἀνεπιχείρητος) the inscription refers to the 3rd century B.C. Archaeologically the fragment was found in the layer dated back to the late Hellenistic period.

Bibliography:

თინათინ ყაუხჩიშვილი, საქართველოს ბერძნული წარწერების კორპუსიbibliography.xmlb81, 149-150

თინათინ ყაუხჩიშვილი, საქართველოს ისტორიის ძველი ბერძნული წყაროებიbibliography.xmlb194, 241-245

თინათინ ყაუხჩიშვილი, საქართველოს ბერძნული წარწერების კორპუსი, ტ. Ibibliography.xmlb82, 149-150

თინათინ ყაუხჩიშვილი, ბერძნული წარწერები საქართველოშიbibliography.xmlb80, 92

ოთ. ლორთქიფანიძე, ვანი, არქეოლოგიური გათხრებიbibliography.xmlb139

O. Lordkipanidzé, Vani, une Pompei géorgiennebibliography.xmlb140

O. Lordkipanidze, Vani, ein antikes religiöses Zentrum des goldenen Vlieses (Kolchis)bibliography.xmlb141, 353-401

Medeas Gold - Neue Funde aus Georgienbibliography.xmlb142

Michael Vickers, Vani, rich in goldbibliography.xmlb143, 35-36

თინათინ ყაუხჩიშვილი, ვანის ბერძნული წარწერებიbibliography.xmlb195

თინათინ ყაუხჩიშვილი, ვანის ბერძნული წარწერა ბრინჯაოს ფილაზეbibliography.xmlb196

Тинатин Каухчишвили, Греческая надпись на бронзовой плите из Ваниbibliography.xmlb197, 248-261

Images

 [Open image]  Fig. 1. Decree of Vani, 1985