An epitaph of a Gepid king at Vefa kilise camii in Istanbul

Abstract

An epitaph of a Gepid king, namely Thrasarich, was found in the garden of the former Byzantine church today known as Vefa kilise camii in Istanbul. When Thrasarich’s father Thraustila was killed by Theodoric in 488, Thrasarich was crowned king of the Gepids and lived in Sirmium. The city was later conquered by the Goths under Theodoric in 504. No occurrence of the name of Thrasarich was known after this date. The epitaph proves that Thrasarich was given the title of comes domesticorum by the Byzantine administration and died at Constantinople while possibly serving the Empire.