ISic003500: Fragment of a Greek inscription

I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana; photo J. Prag 2018-03-15
I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana; photo J. Prag 2018-03-15
ID
ISic003500
Language
Ancient Greek
Text type
unknown
Object type
unknown
Status
edited
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text from autopsy;
  • 1: Γ also possible
  • 3: Manganaro: ΑΙ[--]; the vertical is visible, but whether it is isolated is impossible to say.
  • 4: Omitted by Manganaro; second letter could be Μ or Ν
  • 6: Manganaro: ΠΙ[--]; if not ÎĄ then Γ

Physical description

Support

Description
Fragment of the local limestone, intact on the left margin, possibly intact above, but broekn to the right and below. The rear is cut roughtly straight. could be part of a plaque or stele.
Object type
unknown
Object condition
fragment
Dimensions
height: 29 cm, width: 10 cm, depth: 6 cm

Material

Description
limestone

Inscription

Layout
Initial letters of six lines, preserving a consistent left margin, c.2 letter spaces in from the edge, but not quite perpendicular to the margin.
Text condition
incomplete
Technique
chiselled
Pigment
No data
Lettering

Simple letters without serifs. Broken bar alpha; Mu with vertical outer strokes, short inner strokes.

Letter heights
Line 1-6: 30-34mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 6: 10-15mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Syracusae
Provenance found
Original discovery not recorded.

Current location

Place
Siracusa, Sicilia
Repository
Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi
Autopsy
Prag, 2018-03-15, Magazzino B, MARPO
Map

Date

Later Hellenistic? (200 BC - 51 BC)
Evidence
lettering

Text type

unknown

commentary

Included by Manganaro in a list of fragments suggested to be lists of names, whether ephebes or others, but it is impossible to speculate on the content on the basis of initial letters alone. The size of the letters distinguishes it from other Hellenistic lists of names, where they are generally smaller. The piece has not so far been identified in the inventory, and origin is unknown (but presumably Syracusan).

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
2/18/2026