Aurelios Markos

Aurelios Markos was a fuller (γναφεύς) active at Nicopolis ad Istrum, in Moesia Inferior, around the end of the 2nd or beginning of the 3rd century CE. He is known from a Greek inscription on the Tauroctony stele from Nicopolis ad Istrum (TNMM 341; CIMRM 2264–2265), in which he dedicated to Helios Mithras, “the god who hears prayers”, a stele together with its painted decoration, made at his own expense as a thank-offering.

Sharankov (2013) demonstrated that Markos’ inscription belongs to a later phase of the monument. An earlier, previously unnoticed inscription records its original dedication by Galerios, son of Proteos, an assistant-fuller. The fact that both dedicants were involved in the same trade may suggest a professional or personal connection between them, although its nature remains unknown. The later modification of the stele may have included a painted panel mounted in front of the tauroctony, possibly allowing the image to be concealed and revealed during ritual use (Sharankov 2013; Bottez 2018).