EpiDoc XML:
GVCyr0162
Trismegistos ID:
738910
Support: Stele of unknown stone broken away below (dimensions unknown).
Layout: Inscribed on front face in 15 lines.
Letters: Unknown height; three styles of script: a) at ll. 1-2, capitals: alpha with straight bar, four strokes non-slanting sigma, omega with developed lower part; b) at ll. 3-5, larger characters than a): alpha with dropped bar, alpha and lambda with projecting right stroke, lunate epsilon and sigma, xi with serpentine central part; c) l. 6 on: same shapes as b) (also lunate omega), smaller in size than a). Separators with various design for an often ill-placed punctuation.
Date: Probably 198/9 AD (internal date, lettering).
Findspot: First copied by J.-R. Pacho in 1825 at Cyrene ➚: presumably in one Necropolis.
Place of origin: Findspot.
Last recorded location: Copied by J.-R. Pacho in 1825 in Shahat. Neither seen by GVCyr team nor by J.M. Reynolds for IRCyr, it seems to be lost.
Text constituted from: Transcription from editor.
Pacho 1827, pp. 388-392 (Letronne), pl. LXII (also Letronne 1828, pp. 183-188) and Welcker 1828, n. 50, whence CIG, 5172; Kaibel 1878, n. 418; Peek 1955, n. 1522; GVCyr 016 ➚.
7 superscript | 8 superscript
7 superscript | 8 superscript
7 superscript | 8 superscript
1: [σ]κθ Chamoux' suggestion, see commentary: κθ Pacho 1827, Welcker 1828, CIG Letronne's reading; Κ(αταχθονίοις) θ(εοῖς) Kaibel 1878, Peek 1955
2: δ̣κ Pacho 1827, Welcker 1828 Letronne's reading: (ἐτῶν) κ CIG, Kaibel 1878, Peek 1955
10-11: πε|σοῦσα[ν] ⨯: πε|σοῦσα[ν] Pacho 1827 Pacho's copy has a small cross and no space for a letter before: either this was omitted on the stone – or in Pacho's copy
–, or it was an unclear nu followed by no punct
12: <τέ>φρην Pacho 1827, Welcker 1828 either omitted by Pacho or by the stone-cutter
[L'an 2]29, Tiberios Petrônios Kapitôn, (scil. mort) à l'âge de 24 ans.
La Fortune a mis pour toi un espace bref
entre la vie et la mort et entre le tombeau et la chambre nuptiale, Kapitôn,
elle a mis une seule nuit, mensongère et impitoyable, une nuit sans flûtes,
une nuit pour toi privée de voiles nuptiaux, une nuit dépourvue de festin ;
hélas, ta cendre tombant sur tes vêtements, sur tes couronnes
non encore parfumées, sur tes livres, mort que tu es avant l'heure !
Ah, Hyménée célébré par des thrènes ! Ah, les flambeaux
qui t'ont escorté vers cette couche ultime et vide !
[Year 2]29, Tiberios Petronios Kapiton, (scil. died) aged 24 years.
Fortune set for you a short space
between life and death and between the tomb and the bridal-room, Kapiton,
she set one night, deceptive and pitiless, a night without flutes,
a night deprived for you of wedding curtains, a night lacking banquet;
alas, your ashes falling down onto your dress, onto your wreaths
not yet flavoured, onto your books, you dead before your time!
Ah Hymenaos celebrated with laments! Ah torches
leading you to this ultimate and empty couch!
[Anno 2]29, Tiberios Petronios Kapiton, di 24 anni.
La Sorte ha posto per te un intervallo breve
tra la vita e la morte, tra la tomba, Kapiton, e la stanza nuziale,
una sola notte, menzognera e impietosa, senza flauti,
lontana per te dalle cortine del talamo, senza banchetto;
ahimé cadono sulle tue vesti, sulle tue corone
non ancora profumate, sui tuoi libri le ceneri, tu morto anzitempo!
Oh Imeneo celebrato con lamenti! Oh, torce
che ti hanno scortato verso questo letto, estremo e vuoto!
In Pacho's volume of plates, the copy of this inscription, along with IGCyr0068002, is given as from Cyrene. In the volume of text, Letronne's notes also give Cyrene as provenance, whereas the same Letronne 1828 mentioned Ptolemais, probably erroneously.
The beginning of line 1 was restored in various ways, implying no gap or a gap of only one letter. We follow here a restoration suggested by Chamoux (doctoral seminar 1980): as the copy shows a lacuna of two characters, the most plausible restoration leads to a date expressed through the siglum for 'year' followed by a number consisting of three characters, of which the first was lost: if it was a ρ the year would be 129 (of Actian era i.e. 98/9 AD), if σ it would be 229 (i.e. 198/9 AD). The latter seems preferable on behalf of the lettering, which might be compared with that of IRCyr2020 C.152.
Kapiton died one day before his wedding; the poem thus highlights all the details of a wedding celebration transformed into a mourning celebration. The poet proves to be a good artist, playing with variety inside repetition and using sometimes rare words: although clear in meaning and formation, the feminine ψεῦστις and the simple βοητός are hapax legomena. Luca Ruggeri (per litteras) points out that the phrase τὴν ἄνις αὐλῶν might be a reminiscence of Callimachus' Aitia, fragment 3.
Metrical analysis: after two lines mentioning the deceased, four regular elegiac couplets.
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All citation, reuse or distribution of this work must contain a link back to DOI: https://doi.org/10.60760/unibo/igcyrgvcyr2 and the filename (IGCyr000000 or GVCyr000), as well as the year of consultation.
