VORSCHLAG FÜR EINE NEUE LESUNG DER INSCHRIFT OMHARVG AUF DEM RING NR. 3 AUS DEM GRAB NR. 1 VON APAHIDA (KLAUSENBURG/CLUJ; RUMÄNIEN)
A NEW POSSIBILITY FOR INTERPRETING THE INSCRIPTION ON THE RING NR. 3, PART OF THE TREASURE FROM APAHIDA (CLUJ)

Summary/Abstract: A new possibility for interpreting the inscription on the ring nr. 3, part of the treasure from Apahida (Cluj). In the year 1889 a Gepid grave was accidentally discovered at Apahida (a village near Cluj-Napoca), containing an important ritual grave furnishing of gold items. (Abb 4–9)1. Ancient texts and archaeological discoveries reveal that after the battle from 454 the Gepidae partially or wholly retreated from the Tisa plain to Transilvania (the ancient Dacia). (Abb 1–3). From the time of its first publication2 the text from the ring nr. 3 has been known as OMHARVS, being interpreted as a name given to a king or a prince or to a high ranked personality in the Gepid society. But neither history nor archaeology or German lingvistic has so far confirmed the existence of such a personality, or the German character of the name, respectively. The contradictory opinions concerning the text as well as the lack of resolved analogies (Abb 10–11) determined the author (N. Gudea) to tackle the text from another point of view. Based on the hypothesis that the treasure to which the ring belongs constituted a betrothal or a marriage gift coming from the Byzantine Empire, the author asserts that the ring nr. 3 might be a marriage ring. For demonstrations the author (N. Gudea) analysed a series of Byzantine marriage rings, marriage belts/chains with medallions (Abb 12–17) bearing Christian symbols or images, connected with marriage as well as marriage congratulatory expressions typical for the respective times. In this way he accomplieshed a typology of the rings having marriage representations and Christian symbols accompanying these representations and inscriptions (Abb 18). In the author’s oppinion these early Byzantine marriage congratulatory expressions on rings and medallions could be grouped this way: - simple congratulatory expressions: omonoia/omonua (understanding), haris (good luck), ygia (health), evxi (fidelity); - compound wishes/congratulatory expressions: ex theou omonoia (understanding given by God), ex theou haris (good luck received from God); - complex congratulatory expressions: ex theou omonoia, haris, ygia (from God understanding, good luck and health). Perhaps the Byzantine manufacturer who produced the ring, had to concentrate/ abbreviate this complex formula in order to find room for it on the bezel of the ring. The author proposes the reading of the inscription in this belief and this way: a. the cross is the symbol of Jesus Christ, who unites the pair (bride and bridgegroom); b. the text was divided in three parts, each being completed in the way of marriage congratulatory expressions. So, the lecture/reading of the inscription is: + (ex theou) OM(oni)A HAR(is) VG(ia) (from God (come) the understanding, the luck and the health) Unfortunately neither the ring itself, nor the inscription and abbreviation type has analogies in the arc

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