ISic001318: Epitaph for Peskennis

I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana
ID
ISic001318
Language
Ancient Greek
Text type
funerary
Object type
plaque
Status
draft
Links
View in current site

Edition

Loading...

Apparatus criticus

  • Text based on photographs ;
  • 3: Franz corrected the phonetic spelling in Καλάτυχος, but Korhonen thinks of a stonecutter’s error for Καλλίτυχος (attested also in Sicily: LGPN 3A: 235)
  • 4: Amico, Torremuzza, Franz: ϙ; Ferrara, Kaibel, Korhonen: ο ;
  • Amico, Torremuzza, Ferrara, Franz: δ; Kaibel, Korhonen: γ
  • 6: ΓΛΜΙΚΗΙΧΝΔΤΙ lapis; Torremuzza: γαμικὴ γιλυκυτάτη; Ferrara; Korhonen: γαμικὴ ἀνδρί; Kaibel: τ(ῷ) ἀνδρί (less probable τἀνδρί)

Physical description

Support

Description
Marble plaque, set in plaster in modern times; irregular right side, possibly damaged/broken off.
Object type
plaque
Material
marble
Object condition
complete
Dimensions
height: 19 cm, width: 19 cm, depth: 1-5 cm

Inscription

Layout
No data
Text condition
No data
Technique
chiselled
Pigment
No data
Lettering

Irregular letters with serifs: Α with broken bar, lunate Ε and Σ, rhomboid Θ, Κ with long and curved upright, short arms, Μ with five slanting lines at l. 4, Ρ with the bottom of the eye left open, extended/tall iota. Ivy leaves at ll. 1, 3, 4 and 5, vertical bar between Γαμική and ἀνδρί at l. 6.

Letter heights
Lines 1-6: 10-35mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 2: not recordedmm

Provenance

Place of origin
Catina
Provenance found
Found during the building of the house of Pietro Tedesco Baron of Villermosa “extra Stesichori portam” in 1726.

Current location

Place
Catania, Italy
Repository
Museo Civico di Catania , 274
Autopsy
Observed by Torremuzza and Kaibel in Museo dei Benedettini, later by Korhonen in magazzino del Cortile, Collezione dei Benedettini, formerly sala VI, 82.
Map

Date

2nd century CE or first half of 3rd century CE (AD 101 - AD 250)
Evidence
No data

Text type

funerary

commentary

The epitaph contains the traditional formula Θ(εοῖς) Κ(αταχθονίοις), the name of the deceased, the indication of the age (with ζάω in the aorist form) and a second sentence with the name of the dedicant and the relationship of the deceased with the dedicant in dative. The cognomen of the wife is attested in another inscription from Catania dated to the imperial age, CIL 10.7063 = ISic000347. Both the deceased and the dedicant seem to belong to the Roman gens Pescennia. The text shows multiple diversions from standard orthography, and an extensive and irregular use of hederae.

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
11/5/2025