ISic001391: Greek inscription recording enjoyment of a spring

Apparatus criticus

Text based upon autopsy

Physical description

Support

Description: The inscription is engraved on the vertical face of the natural rock, part of a low cliff immediately above a natural spring, on a terrace above the river Simeto. The text is preserved complete. The height of the inscribed area is 0.29-0.34m; the width of the inscribed area 1.25m.
Object type: rock face
Material: stone
Condition: No data
Dimensions: height: 29-34 cm, width: 125 cm, depth: NA cm

Inscription

Layout

The text maintains a clear left margin, laid out over three lines. The extended spacing in lines 1 and 2 has sometimes suggested to editors that the text divides into columns; however this is probably to compensate for the fact that lines 2 and 3 are shortened by the insertion of a large engraved palm leaf (20 cm high) on the right margin.

Text condition

No data

Lettering

Letter heights

Line 1-3: 70-90mm

Interlinear heights

Interlineation line 1 to 2: mm

Provenance

Place of origin: Adranon
Provenance found: In situ on the natural rock at Fonte delle Favare, contrada Polichello, 3.5 km NW of the centre of Adrano
Map

Current location

Place: Adrano, Italy
Repository
Autopsy: On private property, but generally accessible; one must climb into the spring, however, to read it.

Date

3rd century CE or early 4th century CE (Manganaro) (AD 201 – AD 350)

Evidence: No data

Text type

touristic text

commentary

The inscription was first recorded by Gualtherus (1624, p. 50 nr. 333) and has been repeated many times since. The text was improved almost completely (by conjecture) by Franz in CIG III, 5741, but the edition by Kaibel in IG XIV, 572 was a retrograde step. The text was improved, through autopsy on 2 April 1898, by Paolo Orsi (1900, p. 44 nr. 3, cf. P. Orsi and P. Pelagatti, Adrano e la città sicula del Mendolito 1898-1909, in Archivio Storico Siracusano, 13 14, 1967 1968p. 151), but the first wholly accurate text, albeit with an artificial division into two columns, was that of Manganaro (1961, p. 132; better edition in Manganaro 1992, p. 497-500 nr. 8; cf. Ferrua 1989, nr. 472 who followed the unsatisfactory edition of Soraci 1958, p. 257). A number of writers and scholars, beginning with Pirro 1733 [1644] have in the past taken the text to be non-Greek, due to the difficulty of transcribing and reconciling the ligatures and the non-standard forms of some of the names (definitive rejection by Schmoll 1958, p. 39 nr. 40). The final verb, εὐφραινω, was correctly transcribed and translated by Orsi (guessed already in CIG III, 5741). As Manganaro observed, it is a common word in the context of banquets, and should be understood to reflect the enjoyment of the spring (Manganaro 1992, p. 500 n. 87 after Robert (Hellenica X, 1955, p. 199 n. 7); see more recently, e.g., BE 1992.154 and 1997.127-128 for examples of ancient glassware); the innuendo suggested by Libertini 1932, p. 13-14 is unnecessary.

It is difficult to date any inscription on the basis of its letter forms alone, and especially a rupestral one of this sort. The inscription undoubtedly belongs to the second century AD or later (Manganaro 1961, p. 133 suggested the third or early fourth century, in part on the style of the palm; he revised this (1992, p. 497) to the second century, apparently on the basis of the letter forms; others have simply suggested the Christian era). The use of single names, three of Greek type and three Roman could reflect servile status (Manganaro 1992, p. 500), but need not do so given the informal context.

Bibliography

Digital editions

Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor

Jonathan Prag

Principal contributor