ISic003006: Christian (?) epitaph
- ID
- ISic003006
- Language
- Ancient Greek
- Text type
- funerary
- Object type
- plaque
- Status
- No data
- Links
- View in current site
Edition
Apparatus criticus
Text based on photographs; line.1: Manganaro: [ἐνθάδε κεῖνται]; Manganaro cautiously suggests the following integrations: [Εὐδαί]μων, Θεό[δουλος] or Θεό[κτιστος]
lines.1-2: Ferrua: Θεο|[δοσίου Αὐγ. τὸ β´] κὲ Μαξιμου λα[μπρ. ἀνδρὸς τὸ β´]
Physical description
Support
- Description
- Two joining fragments of marble, the second probably intact on the right.
- Object type
- plaque
- Material
- marble
- Condition
- No data
- Dimensions
- height: 37 cm, width: 19 cm, depth: 13 cm
Inscription
- Layout
- No data
- Text condition
- No data
- Lettering
-
- Letter heights
- Lines 1-2: 35-40mm
- Interlinear heights
- Interlineation line 1 to 2: not recordedmm
Provenance
- Place of origin
- Catina
- Provenance found
- Discovered in the necropolis of via Dottor Consoli
Current location
- Place
- Catania, Italy
- Repository
- Museo Civico di Catania
- Autopsy
- Observed by Manganaro in the courtyard of Castello Ursino
- Map
Date
5th century (Manganaro; Ferrua restores with consular date of 388 CE) (AD 401 – AD 500)- Evidence
- No data
Text type
commentary
This is probably a Christian epitaph, whose only complete name, Μαξιμοῦλα, is nevertheless problematic: it could be a variant of the most frequent name Μαξιμίλλα (e.g. IG 14, no. 872) or the Greek translation of the Latin Maximula, attested CIL 8, no. 993 l. 1 (see Kajanto 1965: 276). Manganaro suggests an integration for the first name at l. 1 [Εὐδαί]μων, for the second at ll. 1-2 Θεό[δουλος] or Θεό[κτιστος]. Especially Θεόδουλος is frequently attested in the onomastics of the ancient Christians of Catania (see Korhonen 2004: 80): for Θεόδουλος see IMusCatania 183 l. 4 = ISic001361, IG 14, no. 538 l. 3 = ISic001357.
Ferrua interprets the inscription differently and suggests the following integration at ll. 1-2 Θεο|[δοσίου Αὐγ. τὸ β´] κὲ Μαξιμου λα[μπρ. ἀνδρὸς τὸ β´]. The inscription would mention the consuls for the year 388 CE, Theodosius, the Eastern Roman emperor, and not Flavius Merobaudes, the other consul in that year, but Maximus, who usurped the Western throne. According to Ferrua (1982-1983: 8), he was mentioned in the inscription "in una specie di compromesso" as a private man (λαμπρὸς ἀνήρ and not Αὔγουστος). The dating would therefore be the first part of the year (January/February?) of 388 CE since Maximus died in August of that year. Nevertheless, Ferrua’s integration seems arbitrary, since the fragment seems intact on the right.
Bibliography
- Digital editions
- TM: 645355
- EDR: -
- EDH: -
- EDCS: -
- PHI: 331398
- Printed editions
- Association pour l’encouragement des études greques, « Bulletin épigraphique », Revue des études grecques, 1888, http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/797735566, at 1962.0389
- ‘Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum’, Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, 1923, http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1607583, at 36.0839
- Giacomo Manganaro, «Ricerche di epigrafia siceliota. I. Per la storia del culto delle divinita orientali in Sicilia», Siculorum Gymnasium 14 (1961): 175–98, at 196 fig. 21
- Antonio Ferrua, «Le iscrizioni datate della Sicilia paleocristiana», Kokalos 28–29 (1983 1982): 3–29, at 7 no. 15
- Discussion
Citation and editorial status
- Editor
- Jonathan Prag
- Principal contributor
- Jonathan Prag
- Contributors
- Jonathan Prag
- James Cummings
- James Chartrand
- Valeria Vitale
- Michael Metcalfe
- Simona Stoyanova
- system
- Marta Fogagnolo
- Last revision
- 9/21/2021