Support: White marble base, badly worn out, with mouldings of eggs and darts on top and below, with right edge chipped off and back broken off; one hole for attachment on the upper side; two holes for attachment on the under side, maybe for later re-use (w: 0.42 × h: 0.23 × d: 0.28).

Layout: Inscribed on the face between the mouldings (w: 0.395 × h: 0.14 × d: 0.26).

Letters: 0.023.

Date: About 350 BC (prosopography).

Findspot: Found before 1931 at Cyrene ➚: Sanctuary of Apollo, placed before the Exedra of Apollo Karneios (called 'Fountain of the Gorgoneion' by G. Oliverio).

Place of origin: Findspot.

Last recorded location: Cyrene Museum, 380. Seen by C. Dobias-Lalou in 2001 in Shahat: Cyrene Museum.

Text constituted from: Transcription from stone (CDL).

French translation

Sous (scil. la prêtrise d')Eumélidas, avec les revenus des chiots et des oiseaux.

English translation

Being (scil. priest) Eumelidas, thanks to the revenues from puppies and birds.

Italian translation

Sotto (scil. il sacerdozio di) Eumelidas, grazie ai proventi dei cuccioli di cane e degli uccelli.

Arabic translation

فترة (الكاهن) إفميليديس ، شكر لأجل العائدات الناتجة عن بيع الجراء والطيور.

Commentary

This inscription is very similar to IGCyr020800², except for the lack of a preposition (for which see Dobias-Lalou 2000, p. 166). Such a formulation mentions simply the origin of the expense made for the monument. The syntax and meaning were correctly interpreted by Oliverio 1932-1933, who rejected the interpretation of IGCyr020800² by its first editor, Ferri.

In the absence of any mention of a deity for whom the offering was intended, Oliverio guesssed that it was both Hekate (because of the puppies) and Demeter (because of the birds, which he thought were poultry), but neither the formula nor the finding-place match this hypothesis. Later on, Stucchi 1981, p. 107 supposed that birds were clues for divination, which is acceptable neither for syntax nor for meaning.

At IGCyr, we were able to relate the two inscription to the new IGCyr125600²), which has the same formula, but mentions as recipient Apollo, in whose sanctuary both afore mentioned bases were found. The dossier is now enriched by Rosamilia 2023, who offers a new interpretation of IGCyr127500². He shows that the revenues came probably from small taxes collected on occasion of sacrifices of puppies and birds to deities whose cult was organised in Apollo's sanctuary and within the framework of his cash box.

For a possible mention of this priest, see IGCyr093600². His priesthood is placed by Rosamilia 2023 between ca. 370 and 335 BC.

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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.

Images

Fig. 1. Face of igcyr020900 Dedication

Fig. 2. Squeeze of igcyr020900 Dedication

Maps