Apollonia; Sozousa; Reshef; Arsuf - Basilica

Church/Monastery name: 
Apollonia; Sozousa; Reshef; Arsuf - Basilica
Inscription number: 
1
Epigraphical corpora: 

SEG 40 (1990): 1441

CIIP II (2011): 1122 (ph.)

Inscription type: 
building
Location: 

Findspot: In the mosaic pavement in the western portion of the nave.

Pres. loc.: Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem, IAA inv. no. 1963-2671/13-15.

Physical description : 

Mosaic, decorated with rhombs, round medallions, geometric patterns and birds. The inscription is set in a tabula ansata, red-brown lines separating the rows of letters, the tabula framed by two rows of tesserae. On the lower side of the tabula, a running dog pattern. The inscription is to be read facing east. The letters are black on a white ground, with some ochre cubes interspersed.

Meas.: length of inscription 2.5 m; letters 6.3-9.5 cm.

Text: 

☩ Ἀμβροσίης τελέθω καὶ ν[έκταρος οἶκο]ς ἀρείων

καί με Μαρῖνος ἔτευξε θεὸ[ν κλυτομ]ήτιν ἀ[..]ων

[μυσ]τικὸν ἀχράαντον ἀεὶ νόον ἡνιοχεύων. ☩

Translation: 

I am a church better than ambrosia and nectar; Marinus erected me too, (exalting, or: singing praise of) God, who plans famous (things), (Marinus,) always guiding the pure and mystic spirit. (CIIP)

Apparatus: 

Supplements are by Birnbaum–Ovadiah, with the exception of l.2;  l.1 [ἄρτο]ς BirnbaumOvadiah; the lacuna is perhaps a bit short for their printed supplement, if one goes by the letters in the other lines; but from Ν[  to  ]Σ one needs at least four, possibly five syllables, which makes a lacuna of e.g. eight letters look very short;  l.2 ἀ[ίρ]ων BirnbaumOvadiah; ἀ[είδ]ων Merkelbach, which is considered too long by Birnbaum–Ovadiah (ἀ[είρ]ων P. Herrmann apud SEG is not much shorter);  l.3 the tips of the mu and upsilon are still to be seen.  (CIIP)

Commentary: 

The inscription is in hexameters.

Summary: 

Damaged three-line mosaic building inscription of Marinus written in hexameters, in the western portion of the nave.

Contents
Actions: 
built, erected/was built, was erected
Definitions of building/part of building: 
oikos
Personal names: 
Marinus