ISic004390: Fragmentary early Christian funerary 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
ID
ISic004390
Language
Ancient Greek
Text type
funerary
Object type
plaque
Status
No data
Links
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Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text of Tréziny 2011;
  • fr.b.line.1: Tréziny: alternatively φλ

Physical description

Support

Description
Four fragments of a green marble plaque, re-used in a polychrome opus sectile pavement. Part of the upper margin is preserved, as well as the right margin of the text. The fourth, separate fragment, preserves part of the left margin, but its relationship to the other fragments is unclear. Most of the left and all of the lower parts of the text are lost. Dimensions record max height and width of the surviving, joining, three fragments.
Object type
plaque
Material
marble
Condition
No data
Dimensions
height: 22 cmwidth: 40 cmdepth: 2.9 cm

Inscription

Layout
Remains of three lines of Greek letters, with small space to the margin at top, and vacat to the right and a roughly consistent right margin, suggesting line ends are preserved. The letters on the fourth fragment are smaller, and preserve vacat to the left suggesting line beginning. A further line is partially preserved on the fourth fragment.
Text condition
No data
Lettering

Letter heights
Line 1: 12mm
Line 2: 12-14mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 2: 2mm
Interlineation line 2 to 3: 1-2mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Megara Hyblaea
Provenance found
Original discovery not recorded.

Current location

Place
Megara Hyblaea, Italy
Repository
Antiquarium di Megara Hyblaia
Autopsy
None
Map

Date

4th century CE (AD 301 – AD 399)
Evidence
lettering

Text type

funerary

commentary

The restorations are to some extent exempli gratia, since e.g. the Kalends is possible instead of the Ides, and October and November are also possible restorations for the month. It is not clear where the second fragment fits in (the letters are smaller, but the marble is the same). Although Tréziny suggest lambda is also possible, from the photograph alpha looks reasonably certain. As Tréziny notes, there appears to be a vacat after the second letter.

Bibliography

Digital editions
  • TM: -
  • EDR: -
  • EDH: -
  • EDCS: -
  • PHI: -
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
1/19/2021