ISic001360: Epitaph for Kekilianos

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
ISic001360
Language
Ancient Greek
Text type
funerary
Object type
plaque
Status
No data
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text based on photographs;
  • line.1: Amico, Torremuzza, Ferrara, Wessel: Δ ((chi-rho)) Σ (i.e. δ(οῦλο)ς Χ(ριστοῦ)); Kaibel: Α ((chi-rho)) Ω; Korhonen: A ((chi-rho)) Σ
  • line.5: ΝΙΙ lapis
  • line.7: Amico, Torremuzza, Ferrara, Wessel, Korhonen: Α ((chi-rho)) Σ; Kaibel: Α ((chi-rho)) Ω

Physical description

Support

Description
Three joining fragments of marble plaque: the two fragments on the right were set in plaster in modern times.,Overall dimensions:
Object type
plaque
Material
marble
Condition
fragments, contiguous
Dimensions
height: 20 cm, width: 21.5 cm, depth: 2.5 cm

Inscription

Layout
No data
Text condition
No data
Lettering

Letter heights
Lines 1-8: 15-19mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 2: not recordedmm

Provenance

Place of origin
Catina
Provenance found
Found in 1740 “in via qua ad suburbium itur' (Amico)

Current location

Place
Catania, Italy
Repository
Museo Civico di Catania , 246
Autopsy
No data
Map

Date

4th century CE or first half of 5th century CE (AD 301 – AD 450)
Evidence
No data

Text type

funerary

commentary

This Christian epitaph presents the traditional formula with ἔνθαδε κεῖται (here in the phonetic spelling κῖτε) and the name of the deceased with the indication of his age through the participle ζήσας. It follows a wish for peace that is very often found in the inscriptions of Sicily and Catania in particular (see Ferrua 1938: 68): for other examples from Catania see IG 14.540 = ISic001359 and IG 14.543a = ISic003701. The name Κεκιλιανὸς (Καικιλιανός) seems to be attested only in this inscription in Sicily (more frequent is Καικιλίος), but the female form Καικιλία is attested in its phonetic spelling in another inscription of the 3rd-4th cent. CE from Catania (IG 14.2406 = ISic001361). The reading of the Christograms is debated: Kaibel read the apocalyptic signs Α ((chi-rho)) Ω, Amico, Torremuzza, Ferrara and Wessel interpreted the first Christogram as Δ ((chi-rho)) Σ (i.e. δ(οῦλο)ς Χ(ριστοῦ)), but a careful reading of the stone reveals that the correct interpretation is Α ((chi-rho)) Σ. Manganaro (1964: 295) misinterpreted the dove’s tail in fr.B as a 'planta pedis' (i.e. a footprint), in the absence of fr. A.

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions
Discussion

Citation and editorial status

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