Death of Saint Clement. New Evidence concerning Tradition of the Saint’s Martyrdom

According to the tradition of late antiquity, the emperor Trajan banished Pope Clement to Crimea to work in a quarry at Tauric Chersonesos. These legends maintain that the Pope suffered a martyr’s death at the place of his exile, thrown into the sea with an anchor tied to his neck. The credibility of that testimony has often been questioned. The authors of this paper argue that some elements of the above-mentioned tradition might contain a core of truth. Stone remains collected at the Roman temple of Balaklava-Kadykovka and walls of Tauric Chersonesos may serve as evidence that the limestone quarry was in operation at Inkerman under the supervision of the Roman army. However, its earliest activity can be dated to the times of Antoninus Pius. Yet, the analysis of stone samples obtained from fortifications of Tauric Chersonesos suggests that some other quarry was in use near the city walls during the reign of Trajan, perhaps due to the Roman army’s presence. It seems that the local tradition about the Roman stone quarry at Inkerman was later mingled with earlier legends about Pope Clement’s martyrdom.