ISic001325: Epitaph for Sosia Elate

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
ISic001325
Language
Ancient Greek
Text type
funerary
Object type
urn
Status
No data
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text based on photographs;
  • 1-2: Korhonen observes that the name of the deceased could be in the nominative form, but the presence of the attribute suggests that it is dative.

Physical description

Support

Description
Marble cinerary urn without lid (lost after discovery), on sides simple palmettes and ram protomi.
Object type
urn
Material
marble
Condition
complete, broken
Dimensions
height: 21.5 cm, width: 36.5 cm, depth: 27 cm

Inscription

Layout
No data
Text condition
No data
Lettering

Letter heights
Lines 1-4: 17-25mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 2: not recordedmm

Provenance

Place of origin
Catina
Provenance found
Found c. 1624 in “vinea la Mura”, a vineyard close to the city wall.

Current location

Place
Catania, Italy
Repository
Museo Civico di Catania , 845
Autopsy
Observed by Walther “in Foro Merceri seu Mercati-Lunae, apud Vinc. Maioranam”, in the wall of the Loggia by Carrera, in Museo Biscari by Torremuzza and Kaibel, later by Korhonen in magazzino superiore, Collezione Biscari, formerly sala IX 24.
Map

Date

Second half of 1st century — first half of 2nd century CE (AD 50 – AD 150)
Evidence
No data

Text type

funerary

commentary

The epitaph presents a less common structure, with the name of the deceased probably in dative and the name of the dedicant in nominative followed by an attribute that qualifies his relationship with the deceased (see Korhonen 2004: 87). To be excluded is the interpretation of the epitaph as two nominatives, the first of the name of the deceased, the latter of the name of the dedicant because of the attribute γλυκυτάτη. The indication of the age of the deceased and the dedication verb is omitted. The gentilicium Sosia testifies that the deceased belonged the gens Sosia; her cognomen Ἐλάτη is also attested in an inscription of imperial age from Dikaiarchia-Puteoli (CIL 10.2209). The name of the husband, Ἀφροδείσιος, is well attested in several inscriptions of South Italy (LGPN 3A: 86).

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
10/31/2022