STGRH/2

Corpus Refs:	Davies/etal/2000:M10
Site:	STGRH
Discovery:	in/on structure, 1863 Rosenzweig, L.
History:	Davies et al/2000, 254: `This sarcophagus, one of several from within the abbey of Saint-Gildas, was noted by Arbgall in Le Grand, late 19th-century commentators, and by Guigon [Guigon/1994: 81--82]. The site was visited by members of the CISP team in May and June 1999'.
Geology:	Davies et al/2000, 254: `granite'.
Dimensions:	1.98 x 0.7 x 0.44 (Davies/etal/2000)
Setting:	in ground
Location:	earliest Davies et al/2000, 254: `The granite cover of a sarcophagus lies in the north transept of the abbey, adjacent to the west end of that of Abbot Felix [STGRH/1]'.
Form:	sarcophagus Davies et al/2000, 254: `The granite cover of a sarcophagus...It is coped, like M9 [STGRH/1], but has a less steep pitch than the latter and is of trapezoidal plan. It is 198cm long and 70cm wide at the head end, 44cm wide at the foot. The sarcophagus itself is not visible, since it is set lower in the ground than M9'.
Condition:	complete , good
Folklore:	Davies et al/2000, 257: `This sarcophagus was locally believed to hold the bones of the early Breton saint Rioc'.
Crosses:	none
Decorations:	Davies et al/2000, 254: `There are ridges in the form of a diagonal cross at the head end'.

References

Davies/etal/2000 254--57 photo,drawing substantial discussion
Guigon/1994 81--82 concise discussion

Inscriptions

STGRH/2/1

Readings

Rosenzweig, L. (1863):	RIOCUS ABBA Expansion: RIOCUS ABBA Rosenzweig/1863 col. 218 reading only
Guigon, P. (1994):	RIOCUS ABBA Expansion: RIOCUS ABBA Guigon/1994 81--82 reading only
Davies, W. et al. (1999):	RIOCVSA/BBA Expansion: RIOCUS ABBA Translation: Abbot Riocus(PN). Davies/etal/2000 255 reading only

Notes

Orientation:	other
Position:	n/a ; broad ; n/a ; undecorated Davies et al/2000, 254: `There is an inscription in one line on the right side of the upper part of the cover'.
Incision:	inc
Date:	1000 - 1099 (Davies/etal/2000) Davies et al/2000, 257: `Palaeographic and circumstantial evidence suggest that the inscription was most probably carved in the 11th century'.
Language:	Latin (rcaps)
Ling. Notes:	none
Palaeography:	Davies et al/2000, 256: `This short epitaph is in capitals of uneven quality. Several letters, such as the I and S as well as the A/B ligature, lean to the left, while the final A leans to the right. The letters are also of uneven height, with the two adjacent Bs being the most notable examples. The first letter of the inscription, R, is extremely open, and although different from that found on M9 [STGRH/1], it is certainly comparable. There are two forms of A in the inscription: the final A has a rounded top, while the first has the two diagonals meeting at a point. It is the latter form that is paralleled on M9 [STGRH/1], and indeed this letter is also ligatured to the following B. Like the Bs of the first line of M9, the bows here do not join the ascender. There is little that can be said of the V, C, and S, although the last of these is different from those found on M9 [STGRH/1]. The O is neither quite circular, nor oval-shaped; it is, however, probably an attempt to produce an oval-shaped O. The similarities with M9, as well as the round-topped A, and the possible oval O, indicate a probable 11th-century date for this inscription'.
Legibility:	good The lettering is clear.
Lines:	1
Carving errors:	0
Doubtful:	no

Names

Riocus (Language: Brittonic; Gender: male)
Davies et al/2000, 256--57: `RIOCVS is a Brittonic masculine name, inflected as a Latin second-declension noun in the nominative singular. The Old Celtic preform was *rigakos, an adjective meaning 'kingly'. Though perfectly well formed, as a name or common adjective, the form is rare to unattested in the other Celtic languages. In Breton, it is likely that rioc `kingly' was replaced by roueel `royal'. ... In Brittonic, the loss of -g- in this stem can occur early, e.g. the Romano-British divine name Riocalat[ and Riouassum from the Bath inscriptions. Therefore, there is no reason to suppose that the spelling Riocus could not have been established as early as the 5th century. The second vowel proves that the name is Brittonic and not Gallo-Latin; in the latter *Ri(g)acus would be expected. The same OB name appears in CR, in unLatinized form, as Rioch (no. 281). For the form Riocus, see also the metrical Life of St Winwaloe and the 11th-century charters in the Cartulary of Landévennec. By the 11th century, we might look for the Breton spelling to have progressed to Riuc or even Riec, but the Latinized Riocus is likely to have remained conservatively stereotyped, rather than moving with current pronunciation'.

References

Davies/etal/2000 254--57 photo,drawing substantial discussion
Guigon/1994 81--82 concise discussion
Rosenzweig/1863 col. 217--218 concise discussion