ISic000636: Fragment of a monumental Greek inscription

Fragment a: I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana; photo J. Prag 2011-04-20
ID
ISic000636
Language
Ancient Greek
Text type
building
Object type
plaque
Status
No data
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text from autopsy

Physical description

Support

Description
Three non-joining fragments of a thick plaque of the local off-white limestone. Fragment (a) is 5.8-6.5 cm thick (thinner towards the right edge); (b) 6.5-7cm thick (thinner towards the upper right); (c) 8cm thick and more heavily weathered, although finish of the rear is similar to the other two fragments. Letters on fragment (a) are 70mm tall in line 2, and 59mm tall in line 3.
Object type
plaque
Material
limestone
Condition
No data
Dimensions
height: cm, width: cm, depth: cm

Inscription

Layout
Guidlines are preserved clearly on fragment (a), faintly on fragment (b) and not on fragment (c). Line 3 of Fragment (a) shows compression of the final letters prior to the raised margin on the right.
Text condition
No data
Lettering

Letter heights
Line 1: mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 2: mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Syracusae
Provenance found
Suggested to be from the area of the Euryelos fortification, because first noted by Manganaro in the Euryelos depository, from where subsequently moved to the Museo archeologico regionale Paolo Orsi, Siracusa, now in magazzino B

Current location

Place
Siracusa, Italy
Repository
Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi , 104860
Autopsy
Prag, 2011-04-20, magazzino B
Map

Date

late first century BCE? (50 BC – 1 BC)
Evidence
No data

Text type

building

commentary

On the basis of the reference to Achradina, and the letter forms, Manganaro hypothesised a highly ambitious and speculative restoration which makes this a record of Augustus / Octavian rebuilding the bridge between Achradina and Ortygia; this was dated prior to 21 BCE by Manganaro on the basis of the use of Greek, although this is clearly not actually a necessary terminus ante quem. It is unclear whether the fragments were found at Euryelos, or only moved to storage there. Close study of the fragments makes some elements of Manganaro's reading of the visible text unsustainable (in particular, the fact that traces of a margin can be observed on the right edge of fragment (a), meaning that e.g. Achradina appears in the nominative (or dative, with the N preceding perhaps being [ἐ]ν), and the speculative restoration should be abandoned, even if the general suggestion both that [---]ρτον might be part of a magistrate/imperial title and that the reference to Achradina implies a building record, retain very considerable plausibility.

Manganaro's restoration ran as follows: [Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ θεοῦ Ἰουλίου υἱὸς] / [ὕπατος τὸ τ]ρ̣ί[τον, καθεσταμένος τὸ τέτα]ρτον vacat / [— — κατε]σκεύα[σεν — τὰν γέφ]υραν̣ [συνάπτουσαν πρὸς τὰ]ν Ἀχραδίνα̣[ν] / [καὶ — — ἀνέστασεν(?) — —] τ̣ὰς Νί[κας(?) — — — ἐν τᾶι] ἐξ[έδραι — — καὶ — — — τὰ ἀγάλμ]α̣τα̣ [— —].

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
9/9/2024