V 299. Pantikapaion.Epitaph of Platon, IVth century C.E.
Monument
Type
Panel.
Material
Soft limestone.
Dimensions (cm)
H.37.0, W.33.0, Th.13.5.
Additional description
On the front - relief Greek cross. The bottom left corner is missing.
Place of Origin
Pantikapaion.
Find place
Kerch (?).
Find context
Unknown.
Find circumstances
Before August 1894.
Modern location
Kerch, Crimea.
Institution and inventory
Historical and Archeological Museum of Kerch State Historical and Cultural Preserve, КЛ–3172.
Autopsy
May 1999, September 2004, September 2008.
Epigraphic field
Position
In upper corners between the arms of the cross and on the crossbar.
Lettering
Lapidary. Alpha with broken crossbar and shortened hastae, pi with extended horizontal, rounded omega.
Letterheights (cm)
4.0–5.0.
Text
Category
Epitaph.
Date
IVth century C.E.
Dating criteria
Palaeography.
Editions
L1. Latyshev1895, 62, № 68; 1.1. Latyshev1896, 92, № 92; 1.1.1. Diatroptov, Yemets1995, №26.
<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
<ab>
<lb n="1"/>Πλά<lb n="2" break="no"/>των.
</ab>
</div>Translation
Platon.
Commentary
The inscription was bought for the Kerch Museum in August 1894 from the antiques dealer E. Zaporozhsky in Kerch. We can therefore be reasonably certain that the monument is of Bosporan origin.
1-2. The name Platon is attested in Christian epigraphy thrice, and all three times in Ankyra (RECAM II 237; Anderson 1899, 98; Mitchell 1977, 99). Additionally, we know a martyr of this name, likewise from Ankyra (see Delehaye 1902, 233). We can therefore hypothesize that the Platon of our inscription also came from Ankyra.
Diatropov and Yemets do not provide an explanation for their date of the IVth century (see Introduction IV.2.A.b).
Images
© 2015 Andrey
Vinogradov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
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