No 18

Location: On the sixth marble slab of the paneling, on the wall to the right of the so-called 'Lodge of the Empress', at a height of 145 cm above the floor-level.

Material: Marble surface, 6th century.

Dimensions: Six-line inscription with varying lengths of the lines (first line 4.3 cm, second 5.7 cm, third 5.8 cm, fourth 5.3 cm, fifth 5.1 cm, and sixth 1.8 cm). The height of the letters varies between 0.3 (О1) and 0.8 cm (Ꙁ).

Condition: Lightly incised, worn out but clearly legible letters.

Technique: Incised.

Language: Old Slavonic.

Scripture: Cyrillic.

Text♦:

Restored text:      

Translation: Lord, help your poor servant Georgi (George)

Attribution: Prayer inscription.

Announced: Y. A. Artamonov, A. A. Gippius. Novye istochniki o palomnichestve russkih luydey v hram Sv. Sofii v Konstantinopole-Stambule, v: Rusiy Vizantia:Mesto stran vizantiiskoga krouga vo vzaimootnosheniyah Vostoka i Zapada. Tezisy dokladov XVIII Vserosiiskoy nauchnoy sesii vizantistov, Moscow, October 20–21 2008, Москва, 2008, 12; Y. A. Artamonov, I. V. Zaitsev. Ashsche kto poidet v Konstantinopole: Russkie lyudi v hrame Sviatoy Sofii, Rodina 7, 2008, 60–61; Y. A. Artamonov, I. V. Zaitsev. Tri drevnorusskih nadpisi iz hrama Sv. Sofii v Konstantinopole - Stambule, v: Vostochnaya Evropa v drevnosti i srednovekovie. Mnimye realnosti v antichnoy i srednovekovoy istoriografii: Avtor i ego istochnik: vospriatie, otnoshenie, interpretacia. XXI Chtenia pamiati chlena-korespondenta AH SSSR Vladimira Terentevicha Pashuto. Мoskva, 14-17 aprelia 2009. Materialy konferencii, Moscow 2009, 19-21; Y. A. Artamonov, A. A. Gippius, I. V. Zaitsev. Drevnorusskie nadpisi- graffiti Konstantinopolskoy Sofii, v: 1150 let Rossiiskoy gosudarstvenosti i kultury, Moscow 2012, 287.

Publications: Y. A. Artamonov, I. V. Zaitsev. Tri drevnorusskih nadpisi iz hrama Sv. Sofii v Konstantinoppole-Stambule, Voprosy epigrafiki 3, 2009, 307-311; Tomov, Nepoznatiyat hram „Sv. Sofia”, 62-63.

Commentary: Tomov, Nepoznatiyat hram „Sv. Sofia”, 63.

Palaeography: Tomov, Nepoznatiyat hram „Sv. Sofia”, 63.

Orthography: Tomov, Nepoznatiyat hram „Sv. Sofia”, 63.

Date: Second half of the 11th – middle of the 12th century AD.