Evidence ID
E01926Saint Name
Mary, Mother of Christ : S00033
Kosmas and Damianos, brothers, physician martyrs in Syria, ob. 285/287 : S00385Saint Name in Source
Θεοτόκος
Κοσμᾶς καὶ ΔαμιανόςType of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)Evidence not before
500Evidence not after
600Activity not before
500Activity not after
600Place of Evidence - Region
Syria with PhoeniciaPlace of Evidence - City, village, etc
ḤamāhPlace of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Ḥamāh
Thabbora
ThabboraCult activities - Places
Cult building - independent (church)Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs
Seeking asylum at church/shrineSource
Stone stele, broken and lost at top and bottom, reused in a wall in the east section of the city. H. 1.38 m; W. 0.315 m; Th. 0.12 m. Letter height 0.07-0.08 m.Discussion
The inscription marked the boundaries of the asylum of a church, or churches, of Mary and of the physician martyrs Kosmas and Damianos. The editors suggest that only one church is meant here and that it was dedicated to all three saints, but two churches is more likely.
Dated boundary stones are usually authorised by 6th c. emperors. Our inscription is likely to be of the same date.Bibliography
Edition:
Jalabert, L., Mouterde, R., Mondésert, C., Les inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, vol. 5: Émésène (BAH 66, Paris: P. Guethner, 1959), no. 2002.
Prentice, W.K. (ed.), Greek and Latin Inscriptions (Publications of an American archaeological expedition to Syria in 1899-1900 3, New York: Century 1908), 276, no. 350.
Uspensky, F., “”, Izvestiya russkago arkheologicheskago institutα v Konstantinopole 7 (1902), 148.
Further reading:
Cosentino, S., "Boundary marks and space organization in early Byzantine epigraphy", in: Ch. Stavrakos (ed.), Inscriptions in the Byzantine and post-Byzantine history and history of art : proceedings of the international symposium "Inscriptions: Their Contribution to the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine History and History of Art" (Ioannina, June 26-27, 2015) (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag in Kommission, 2016), 100, note 16.
Devreesse, R., Le Patriarcat d'Antioche depuis la paix de l'Église jusqu'a la conquête arabe (Paris: J. Gabalda et cie, 1945), 182, note 9.
Halkin, F., "Inscriptions grecques relatives à l'hagiographie, II, Les deux Phénicies et et les deux Syries", Analecta Bollandiana 67 (1949), 102, note 2.
Jalabert, L., Mouterde, R., Mondésert, C., Les inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, vol. 5: Émésène (BAH 66, Paris: P. Guethner, 1959), 317 (addendum).
Leclercq, H., "Droit d'asile", DACL, vol. coll. 1556-1557.
Wenger, L., “Ὅροι ἀσυλίας”, Philologus 86 (1931), 431.
