Two New Mosaic Inscriptions from the Martyrion of Theodoros at Hippos above the Sea of Galilee and a Summary of All Seven Inscriptions

Gregor Staab, Michael Eisenberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Martyrion of Theodoros is to date the smallest and the simplest among the five fully or partly exposed churches at Hippos. It was part of the southwestern neighborhood at Hippos, located some 190 m west of the city's forum. Its conflagration and subsequent destruction, with the debris undisturbed until modern times, has preserved its mosaics better than in any other of the Hippos churches. Based on the archaeological data from the completed church excavations, five phases can be distinguished: Phase I - Construction ca. mid-5th century AD Phase II - Renovation and lifting of floors in the late 5th/early 6th century AD Phase III (a-b) - Last major renovation which included lifting of floors and paving of the above-mentioned mosaic floors in 556 AD Phase IV - The last phase of use of the church and its destruction in the early 7th century AD. All the archaeological and historical data point towards a destruction during the Sassanid (Persian) invasion of 614 AD. It is the only church in Hippos whose use does not extend until the Early Islamic period. The large number of inscriptions in Greek in this small church - seven in total - is something special. They were all executed in the last rebuilding phase and allow for a close chronological sequence between the execution of the mosaics in the southern side areas (F) and in the entrance hall (G) of the basilica, as well as to date the end of the last phase of renovation in autumn 556 AD. With regard to the lunate forms of e.g. sigma and epsilon, the mosaics C, F and G belong together, while inscriptions A, B, E, and D have angular forms (Fig. 4). From the last group, the less elaborate inscriptions, A was obviously inserted later into the already existing floor, while for E and D the same cannot be completely ruled out, since they also do not fit harmoniously into the original picture-pattern-concept of the mosaic in the nave and differ strongly from the central medallion; the insertion could have happened even after autumn 556 AD, when the entire floor covering was presumably completed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)127-135
Number of pages9
JournalZeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik
Issue number230
StatePublished - Mar 2024

Bibliographical note

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ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Archaeology
  • Archaeology

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