Support: White marble block chiseled on all sides except on front face; either recut at right or forming originally a built monument with another block to the right; probably also recut on top, unless another block was laid over this one (w: 1.27 × h: 0.285 × d: 0.615).

Layout: Inscribed on front face in five groups of letters: column a to the left, column b to the right, a lost column c further right; column d was added between a and b at a higher level, so that only its line 2 is now preserved; for the re-use, the second lines of a and b have been erased; so was also another mention (e) placed under b.

Letters: a and b 0.033; d 0.018; xi with central vertical stroke, moderately slanting sigma, no serifs.

Date: First half of third century BC (lettering).

Findspot: Found in 1925 by G. Oliverio at Cyrene ➚: Sanctuary of Apollo (see commentary).

Place of origin: Findspot.

Last recorded location: Seen by Pugliese Carratelli in 1960 at Cyrene ➚: Sanctuary of Apollo, 'in the temple of Demeter' (see commentary). Seen by C. Dobias-Lalou in 1983 and again 2001 at Cyrene ➚: on the North wall of the so-called temple of Dioscuri.

Text constituted from: Transcription from stone (CDL).

French translation

a) Bakal fils d'Aiglanôr, ⟦[---]⟧.

b) Anaxéas (scil. fils d'Untel), ⟦[---]⟧.

c) [Untel fils d'Untel].

d) [Untel] fils de Kartisthénès.

e) ⟦[---]⟧[].

English translation

a) Bakal son of Aiglanor, ⟦[---]⟧.

b) Anaxeas (scil. son of So-and-so), ⟦[---]⟧.

c) [So-and-so son of So-and-so].

d) [So-and-so] son of Kartisthenes.

e) ⟦[---]⟧[].

Italian translation

a) Bakal figlio di Aiglanor, ⟦[---]⟧.

b) Anaxeas (scil. figlio del tale), ⟦[---]⟧.

c) [Il tale figlio del tale].

d) [Il tale] figlio di Kartisthenes.

e) ⟦[---]⟧[].

Commentary

In Oliverio's papers, no findspot was given. Pugliese-Carratelli, who saw the stone, erroneously wrote in SECir that it was inside a 'Temple of Demeter' which is unknown in the Sanctuary of Apollo. In fact, its location in the so-called Temple of Dioscuri, checked again in 2001, is probably where Pugliese-Carratelli saw it in 1960. Although the stone was re-used, it probably already stood in the sanctuary of Apollo in its initial use.

We infer the date of the find from the number of Oliverio's sketchbook mentioned in SECir.

Given the lettering and the name, rare at Cyrene, although related to numerous names in Ἀναξι-, the man mentioned at b.1 was probably the father of the priestess of Artemis mentioned at IGCyr092000².

This block was clearly part of a monument bearing statues. The lines a.2 and b.2 might have borne either the names of other dedicants or of persons honoured, mentioned at the accusative, whose statues would have stood on top. If so, the smaller lettering of d) might correspond to a child. The placement and smaller dimensions of the erased line e) is an attractive clue for an artist's signature (so also Rosamilia 2014, n. 3).

Rosamilia 2023 suggests a relation of the supposed child at d) with another obscure person mentioned at IGCyr097850², a wholly hypothetical suggestion.

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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.

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