E02366: Floor-mosaics with Greek inscriptions with poems commemorating the construction of a church dedicated to the Apostles *Peter (S00036) and *Paul (S00008), and two stone reliquaries. Found at Gerasa/Jerash (Roman province of Arabia). Probably mid-6th or early 7th c.
Creators: name: Pnowakowski
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2017
Subjects: History

description: Inscription 1:<br><br>Rectangular mosaic panel framed by a tabula ansata. H. 0.70 m; W. 2.98 m (with ansae 3.68 m). Letter height 0.10 m. Now in the Gallery of Fine Art, Yale University. Each line contains one hexameter verse. The Ansae are decorated with 'spades'. Positioned in the middle of the nave, immediately above depictions of Egyptian cities: Pharos, Alexandria, and Memphis. Recorded by the expedition of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem in 1929 and first published by Charles Welles (with restorations by A.H.M. Jones) in 1938. Reprinted by Reinhold Merkelbach and Josef Stauber in Steinepigramme aus dem griechischen Osten. In 2009 a new edition and comments were offered by Andreas Rhoby in his corpus of Byzantine mosaic inscriptions with dedicatory poems. <br><br>[ἦ μά]λα θαύματα καλὰ φέ[ρει πᾶ]ς ἱεροφάντης<br>̣ἀ̣νθρώποις οἳ τήνδε πόλιν καὶ ̣γαῖαν ἔχουσιν,<br>οὕνεκεν οἶκον ἔδειμε μαθηταῖς πρωτοστάταις<br>Πέτρῳ καὶ Παύλῳ, τοῖς γὰρ σθένος ἄνθετο Σωτήρ,<br>ἀργυρέοις κόσμοισι καὶ εὐβαφεέσσι λίθοισιν<br>κλεινὸς Ἀναστάσιος, θεομήδεα πιστὰ διδάσκων<br><br>1. φ[έρει ἐμὸ]ς Merkelbach &amp; Stauber, φέ[ρει πᾶ]ς Rhoby, Welles (after Jones)<br><br>'+ Truly [every] (?) hierophant (priest) brings beautiful wonders to the people who possess this city (polis) and land. That is why the glorious Anastasios, who teaches the faithful and divine arts, built this house (oikos), with silver decorations and colourful stones, to the principal disciples (mathetai protostatai), Peter and Paul, because upon them the Saviour laid the power (sthenos).'<br><br>Text: Rhoby 2009, no. Me6. Translation: P. Nowakowski.<br><br>Inscription 2:<br><br>Fragmentary rectangular mosaic panel, probably framed by a tabula ansata. H. 0.44 m; preserved W. 1.44 m. Letter height 0.09 m. Each line contains one hexameter verse. Positioned in the middle of the nave, to the west of the Inscription 1. Recorded by the expedition of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem in 1929 and first published by Charles Welles (with restorations suggested by Michael Rostovtzeff) in 1938. The mosaic is now in the Phelps Hall, Yale University.<br><br>[- - -]̣ΗΤΟΥ ψηφὶς πολὺ φερτέρα ΑΤ.[- - -]<br>[ὀκτω]καιδεκάπη̣χυς ΕΚ̣Λ[.]̣Ι̣ΑCΕΝ ἠχ[ήεσσα]<br>[σὺν μα]λακαῖς προχοαῖς ἔδα[φο]̣ς ̣δ' ε[ὔσχημον ἔθηκας],<br>[κύρ]̣ι' ̣Ἀναστάσιε, κρατ̣ε̣οφρ̣ο[νιμώτατος ἀνδρῶν].<br><br>1. possibly ἀτρ[είοιο] Welles || 2. ΕΚ̣Λ or ΕΚ̣Α Welles<br><br>'[- - -] O mosaic, so richly framed [- - -] eighteen cubits [- - -] sounding (?), so decent one with soft flows you spread over the ground. [O lord] Anastasios, the most prudent [of all men]!'<br><br>Text: I. Gerasa, no. 328. Translation: P. Nowakowski.<br><br>Inscription 3:<br><br>Rectangular panel at the east end of the north aisle. H. 0.31 m; W. 2.28 m. Letter height 0.08-0.09 m. Each line contains one hexameter verse. Recorded by the expedition of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem in 1929 and first published by Charles Welles (the text was actually established by A.H.M. Jones) in 1938. Reprinted by Reinhold Merkelbach and Josef Stauber in Steinepigramme aus dem griechischen Osten.<br><br>ψηφίς, τίς σ’ ἀνέθηκεν; ὁ δώματα ταῦτα τελέσσας.<br>τίς δ’ ὁ γραφεὶς ποιμήν; τίνος εἵνεκα ἔργα πιφαύσκει;<br>οὔνομ’ Ἀναστάσι̣ο̣ς, [Π]έτρα πτόλις, ̣ε[ὖ]χος ὁ Σωτήρ<br><br>3. οὔνομ’ Ἀναστάσιος, [Π]έτρα πτόλις Feissel, οὔνομ’ Ἀναστάσιος [τ]ετράπτολις Welles (after Jones)<br><br>' "O mosaic, who offered you?" "The one who completed this edifice." "Who is the shepherd depicted (there)?" "For whose sake has he proclaimed (his) deeds?" "His name is Anastasios, (native) of the city of Petra, the Saviour is his desire." '<br><br>Text: I. Gerasa, no. 330 with a completion in line 3 from Feissel 1989. Translation: P. Nowakowski.