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E00868: Greek ownership inscription on a silver chalice, for a church of *Konon (one of the several homonymous martyrs of Anatolia). Find-spot unknown, perhaps Paonala or Paunalla (Pamphylia, southern Asia Minor). Probably 7th c.

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posted on 2015-11-20, 00:00 authored by pnowakowski

Inscription on a silver chalice:

κιμίλιον τοῦ ἁγίου Κόνωνος Παοναλω(ν)

'The treasury (of the church) of Saint Konon (of the village) of Paonala.'

Text: R. Kahsnitz in: Baumstark 1998, no. 15.

History

Evidence ID

E00868

Saint Name

Konōn, gardener martyr in Magydos of Pamphylia : S00177 Konōn, martyr in Iconium of Lycaonia (central Asia Minor) : S00429 Konōn, martyr in Isauria (Asia Minor) : S00430

Saint Name in Source

Κόνων Κόνων Κόνων

Related Saint Records

Type of Evidence

Inscriptions - Inscribed objects Images and objects - Other portable objects (metalwork, ivory, etc.)

Language

Greek

Evidence not before

600

Evidence not after

700

Activity not before

600

Activity not after

700

Place of Evidence - Region

Asia Minor Asia Minor

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Paonala Paunalla

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Paonala Nicomedia Νικομήδεια Nikomēdeia Izmit Πραίνετος Prainetos Nicomedia Paunalla Nicomedia Νικομήδεια Nikomēdeia Izmit Πραίνετος Prainetos Nicomedia

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Cult Activities - Cult Related Objects

Precious material objects Chalices, censers and other liturgical vessels

Source

A silver chalice kept in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum in Munich (acquired in 1966 on the German antiquities market). The inscription runs along the rim on a band framed by two double strokes.

Discussion

The form of the toponym Paonala is apparently neuter, plural, hence the genitive Παοναλων. The location of the 'village Paonala' remains unknown – maybe it is Paunalla near Ariassos (Pamphylia, southern Asia Minor), which is attested by an inscription published in: Robert 1937, p. 378, no. 5: τόπῳ Παυνάλλοις. However, the editors of Tabula Imperii Byzantini discuss two different places bearing this name (see TIB 8/2, pp. 779, 789), so even if the identification of Paonala with Paunalla is correct, the exact find-spot cannot be determined. There are three Anatolian saints, who bore the name Konon, and we don't know which one is referred to. *Konon, martyr of Isauria (south-eastern Asia Minor) was said to have lived in the times of the Apostles (1st/2nd c.). He enjoyed the special protection of *Michael the Archangel and led a life of holiness. He was credited with working many miracles. *Konon of Magydos (Pamphylia, southern Asia Minor) was a gardener and martyr under the emperor Decius. It is claimed that he came from Nazareth and was a relative of Christ (if this declaration is to be taken literally, and not as a metaphor for the Christian religion, creating a bond between the followers and the Saviour). *Konon, martyr of Iconium (Lycaonia, central Asia Minor) died under the emperor Aurelian (270-275). Dating is based on the style of the vessel.

Bibliography

Edition: Kahsnitz, R., in: Baumstark, R., Rom und Byzanz. Schatzkammerstücke aus bayerischen Sammlungen (Munich: Hirmer : Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, 1998), no. 15. Further reading: Destephen, S., "Martyrs locaux et cultes civiques en Asie Mineure", in: J.C. Caillet, S. Destephen, B. Dumézil, H. Inglebert, Des dieux civiques aux saints patrons (IVe-VIIe siècle) (Paris: éditions A. & J. Picard, 2015), p. 91. For the city of Paunalla, see: Robert, L., Études Anatoliennes. Recherches sur les inscriptions grecques de l'Asie-Mineure (Etudes orientales 5, Paris: E. de Boccard, 1937), 378, no. 5. Tabula Imperii Byzantini 8/2, pp. 779, 789. Reference works: Chroniques d'épigraphie byzantine, 1091. Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 57, 2061.