ISic003131: I.Sicily inscription 003131

I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana; Rizza 1976-77, tav. CXXXIX
I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana; Rizza 1976-77, tav. CXXXIX
ID
ISic003131
Language
Ancient Greek
Text type
Object type
statue
Status
draft
Links
View in current site

Edition

G. Rizza, «AttivitĂ  dell’Istituto di Archeologia dell’UniversitĂ  di Catania (Scavi e ricerche in Sicilia negli anni 1972-1975)», Kokalos 22–23, fasc. 2.1 (1977 1976): 636–46 Zotero
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Apparatus criticus

  • Text of Rizza

Physical description

Support

Description
A small limestone statuette of a figure with a serpent, with text on the reverse, subsequent to the original carving of the decoration on the statue
Object type
statue
Material
limestone
Object condition
complete
Dimensions
height: 19 cm, width: cm, depth: cm

Inscription

Layout
Text engraved from top to bottom and sinistrorsum on the reverse
Text condition
complete
Technique
chiselled
Pigment
No data
Lettering

Simple square characters

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

Provenance

Place of origin
Catina
Provenance found
Original discovery not recorded; seen in a private collection by Rizza in the 1970s

Current location

Place
Catania, Sicilia
Repository
Private collection
Autopsy
None

Date

Plausibly attributed to a sculptor working in Taormina in the 1860s (AD 1860 - AD 1870)
Evidence
No data

Text type

No data

commentary

Rizza publishes this piece on the basis that it is highly anomalous, and that it bears close similarity to a set of material acquired for the British Museum in 1875 by George Dennis, and which D.M. Bailey subsequently demonstrated to be the products of a forger working in Taormina between 1860 and 1870. Rizza concludes that it, and several other pieces observed in private collections like this one are likely to be 19th century creations also. Notably, SEG published a report of the text without giving any indication at all that its status was questionable and that highlighting this point was indeed Rizza's primary purpose in publishing it.

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
11/27/2025