Evidence ID
E02241Saint Name
Anonymous martyrs : S00060Saint Name in Source
μάρτυρεςType of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
Archaeological and architectural - Cult buildings (churches, mausolea)Evidence not before
450Evidence not after
800Activity not before
450Activity not after
800Place of Evidence - Region
Arabia
ArabiaPlace of Evidence - City, village, etc
Bosra
Umm al-MayādīnPlace of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Bosra
Sakkaia / Maximianopolis
Σακκαια
Sakkaia
Saccaea
Eaccaea
Maximianopolis
Shaqqa
Schaqqa
Shakka
Umm al-Mayādīn
Sakkaia / Maximianopolis
Σακκαια
Sakkaia
Saccaea
Eaccaea
Maximianopolis
Shaqqa
Schaqqa
ShakkaCult activities - Places
Cult building - independent (church)Source
Stone lintel. H. 0.28 m; W. 1.84 m. Letter height 0.075-0.08 m. Decorated with a carving of a sunken circle in the middle of the inscribed face. The editors hypothesise that the circle may have framed a marble or metal cross which is now lost.
Seen and photographed by Maurice Sartre in 1982. The stone was set in situ, over the main doorway of an ancient church, to the west of the ancient village. First published by Maurice Sartre and Annie Sartre-Fauriat in 2011.Discussion
The editors suppose that the building was once a sanctuary of martyrs, whose identity is not clear. They interpret the word μαρτύρον as the genitive plural form: 'of martyrs' (that should be correctly spelt μαρτύρων). However, it is also possible that we have here a corrupted word μαρτύρ<ι>ον/'martyr shrine'.
Dating: there is no reliable way to precisely date the inscription. It probably comes from the 5th or 6th c., as do other dated texts from the region.Bibliography
Edition:
Sartre, M., Sartre-Fauriat, A. (eds.), Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, vol. 13/2: Bostra (Supplément) et la plaine de la Nuqrah (BAH 194, Beirut: Institut français du Proche-Orient, 2011), no. 9733.
