Evidence ID
E00868Saint 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) : S00430Saint Name in Source
Κόνων
Κόνων
ΚόνωνType of Evidence
Inscriptions - Inscribed objects
Images and objects - Other portable objects (metalwork, ivory, etc.)Evidence not before
600Evidence not after
700Activity not before
600Activity not after
700Place of Evidence - Region
Asia Minor
Asia MinorPlace of Evidence - City, village, etc
Paonala
PaunallaPlace of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Paonala
Nicomedia
Νικομήδεια
Nikomēdeia
Izmit
Πραίνετος
Prainetos
Nicomedia
Paunalla
Nicomedia
Νικομήδεια
Nikomēdeia
Izmit
Πραίνετος
Prainetos
NicomediaCult activities - Places
Cult building - independent (church)Cult Activities - Cult Related Objects
Precious material objects
Chalices, censers and other liturgical vesselsSource
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.
