Support: Limestone block, pertaining to a (probably ancient) wall (dimensions unknown).

Layout: Inscribed on one face.

Letters: Deeply cut, height unknown.

Date: Perhaps second century BC (lettering).

Findspot: Found at Cyrene ➚: on the Road: Cyrene to Apollonia, after leaving the North Necropolis.

Place of origin: Findspot.

Last recorded location: Not found by IGCyr team.

Text constituted from: Transcription from editor.

Apparatus

French translation

(scil. Route autorisée?), pour chevaux.

English translation

(scil. Road allowed?) for horses.

Italian translation

(scil. Strada?) per cavalli.

Arabic translation

(ربما تعني ضمنياً: شوارع مسموح بها (؟)) للخيول

Commentary

The photograph shows clearly that the inscription runs on two lines, pace Oliverio.

Oliverio gives dimensions for the letters, that seem incredible unless the wall («antichissimo») was made of really huge blocks.

Another similar mention has been registered on the road from Cyrene to Balagrae, see IGCyr107350². Since the publication of the other inscription, it has been admitted that the word δρόμος should be supplied, indicating a road allowed for horses and carriages, not a racecourse as Oliverio thought. Criscuolo now prefers a subaudible τόπος, i.e. a place where horses might stay (and Chandezon, per litteras, even suggested a grazing place). However those interesting ideas would not fit the place well.

Additional note 2023: After the first edition of this corpus, where we proposed only the road interpretation, we discovered an occurrence of Ἱππικός as a personal name at Taucheira: new reading of IRCyr2020 T.680, probably in the first century CE. It is thus not impossible that we have also a man's name here and at IGCyr107350².

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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. View of igcyr030800 Road signpost

Maps