The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Adelphia
d. fourth century · Clarissima femina of Syracuse · Syracuse, Sicily
The Nicene Age
Who Adelphia was
A Roman noblewoman of Syracuse whose sarcophagus, found in the catacomb of San Giovanni, carries her name, her rank and a double portrait of her with her husband in a shell medallion on the lid. The inscription names her as the wife of Count Valerius. She exists in no text; the object is the whole record, and it is contemporary.
Named once, on a contemporary inscription, fresco or object. No text of any period mentions her.
Also listed in women.
Common questions
When did Adelphia die?
Adelphia is dated d. fourth century in the archive, which places Adelphia in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Adelphia?
Adelphia is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Epigraphic. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Adelphia from?
The archive associates Adelphia with Syracuse, Sicily. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Adelphia’s contemporaries?
The archive links Adelphia to 1 other figure, including Comes Valerius. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
The inscription on the lid of the Adelphia sarcophagus, catacomb of San Giovanni, Syracuse
c. AD 360ADELFIA C F CONPAR VALERI COMITIS — ‘Adelphia, most illustrious woman, consort of Count Valerius.’Epigraphic · Syracuse, Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi
A fourth-century Christian sarcophagus from the catacomb of San Giovanni at Syracuse, now in the Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi. Published in the Sicilian corpora of early Christian inscriptions.
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Adelphia, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.