ISic001390: Greek funerary(?) inscription of Nikaios

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
ISic001390
Language
Ancient Greek
Text type
funerary
Object type
unknown
Status
edited
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text from Gualtherus 1624

Physical description

Support

Description
The stone is one of three described as 'petra nigra' by Gualtherus (1624: 50), but neither state of conservation nor dimensions are recorded.
Object type
unknown
Material
volcanic
Object condition
No data
Dimensions
height: cm, width: cm, depth: cm

Inscription

Layout
The text is presented as split over three lines
Text condition
No data
Technique
chiselled
Pigment
No data
Lettering

Plain transcription in standard capitals makes it impossible to assess the letter-forms.

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

Provenance

Place of origin
Adranon
Provenance found
Described by Gualtherus (1624) as coming from the ruins popularly identified with the shrine of the god Hadranus (not identified). All later editions derive from Gualtherus.

Current location

Lost.

Date

A date in the period 4th — 1st century BCE seems most likely, but it is impossible to be certain in the absence of further information (400 BC - 1 BC)
Evidence
No data

Text type

funerary

commentary

The stone is presented in the edition of Gualtherus (1624, p.50 nr. 338) under the same heading as no.4 above, and so the same report appears to apply, namely ‘petra nigra’, state of conservation and dimensions not recorded; it is said to have come from the ruins popularly equated with the site of the temple of the local divinity Adranos. The text was not included in Torremuzza 1769 or 1784. It is not clear why Kaibel (IG XIV, 571) says ‘admodum recens reperta’, i.e. only recently recovered.

The name Νίκαιος is common, although not in Sicily, where there is only one other attested example, probably from Syracuse.

It is impossible to date this text, in the absence of further information, although it is most likely to belong to the Hellenistic period.

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
2/17/2022