Help with an Uncial Inscription

[R. Mansfield]

This is slightly off-topic since it is not specific to Accordance, but maybe you can use your Accordance skills to help me. 

 

Last week, while in Istanbul, I was walking along the Byzantine-era defensive wall of Constantinople when I noticed a “Jesus Christ Conqueror” Christogram with Greek uncial lettering underneath. So far, I’ve been unable to translate the phrase under the Christogram, and neither has anyone else I’ve shown it to as of yet. So, I thought I’d post it here to see if anyone more skilled in reading uncial Greek than me might be able to help me figure out what it says. 

 

I've also included a close-up photo of the Christogram, too, for those interested. IC XC = Jesus Christ; NI KA = Conqueror/Overcomer/Victor

 

 

 

[Alistair]

I read NHKA not NIKA in the second photo, and the A seems especially wide.

[Alistair]

In the longer inscription I think V must be upsilon because I also see a N

C must be final sigma which helps with word-breaks? Only I don't any regular sigma so I doubt it

I think I can see the words …THEOPHILOU [P]ISTOU ENCHW (Is that a word?) MEGALOU…

Edited April 14, 2018 by Alistair

[R. Mansfield]

I read NHKA not NIKA in the second photo, and the A seems especially wide.

 

I wondered about that, too. I do believe the A is an A, but I wondered if NHKA was an alternate spelling for NIKA. I also somewhat assumed it might just be weathered to the point where it looks unusual. 

 

Regardless, it’s a variation of this standard:

 

[R. Mansfield]

I just happened to notice a couple of other unusual-looking bricks. Here’s a photo with enlargements on the bricks in question. 

 

 

It’s a shame I didn’t notice them when I was standing in front of them because I could have zoomed in with my camera to get better detail. This might sound crazy, but I could go back and spend a week just exploring the miles and miles of ancient wall. 

[Λύχνις Δαν]

First thing is a decent transcription.

 

I tend to agree with Alistair on the C being lunate sigma, and V being upsilon. I suspect the not quite ֗Θ is an Ε

 

Check out https://www.skypoint.com/members/waltzmn/UncialScript.html

 

My best transcription (in miniscule 'cos I can more or less read that) so far is this :

 

πυργος θεοφιλου πιστου εν χωμεγαλλου [one letter] σιαεω

 

As you can see the the second half is not really clear to me. In the first half I am also possibly wrong on some letters which are less than clear. Of course, I'm possibly wrong on all of it Fun puzzle though.

 

Thx

D

[Λύχνις Δαν]

If you want it to relate to Accordance more directly embed a request for an Uncial inscription reader in the post

[Λύχνις Δαν]

Just thought of something. I think the ενχω could be εν plus a χριστῳ as a nomen sacrum. If correct that might render this :

 

πυργος θεοφιλου πιστου εν χω μεγαλου [one letter] ασιαεω

 

If the ε assumed at the end is actually an incomplete or damaged θ that would possibly be a θω at the end, but I'm not especially convinced by that one.

 

Thx

D

Edited April 15, 2018 by דָנִיאֶל

[Graham Buck]

Here's my jab at it, rusty as I am at Greek.

 

purgos - [watch]tower

qeofilou - Theophilus

pistou - faithful 

en - in

cw - Christ [nomina sacra] P40 L2v:1 as example

mega - great

loukas - Luke

ilew - merciful

 

That last one I'm guessing hard at, but if you take the shading in the second letter as age and not an actual mark, it can be a lambda. And then there is a missing letter at the end which looks to me like it could be a lunate sigma. Thus forming ἵλεως.

 

I will not even begin to gloss that into something resembling good English.

Edited April 15, 2018 by Graham Buck