Support: White marble base, probably belonging to a larger monument with one similar block at right (w: 0.64 × h: 0.115 × d: 0.46); the upper face has two small holes and its surface is worn away as if from water.

Layout: Inscribed in two lines on front face.

Letters: 0.02; slanting sigma.

Date: Third century BC (lettering).

Findspot: Found before 1960 at Cyrene ➚: West of Sanctuary of Apollo.

Place of origin: Findspot.

Last recorded location: Seen by G. Pugliese Carratelli in 1960 at Cyrene ➚: West of Strategeion. Seen by C. Dobias-Lalou in 1977 at the same place.

Text constituted from: Transcription from stone (CDL).

Apparatus

French translation

[---]nis fils d'Igisan a consacré (scil. la statue de) [Untel fils d'Untel] à l'occasion de la telesphoria des Artamitia.

English translation

[---]nis son of Igisan dedicated (scil. the statue) of [So-and-so son of So-and-so] while celebrating the telesphoria of the Artamitia.

Italian translation

[---]nis figlio di Igisan ha dedicato (scil. la statua) del [tale figlio del tale] in occasione della telesphoria degli Artamitia.

Commentary

At line 1, the missing part at right might have the name at the nominative of a second dedicant without mention of the object of the dedication. Line 2 was restored by Pugliese Carratelli in this hypothesis, thus a participle and a verb at the plural. Alternatively, the lost name at line 1 would be an accusative relating to the man whose statue was dedicated and the restored part at line 2 should have the singular of the verbs. Rosamilia 2023 prefers the latter restoration, which is the scheme of IGCyr016500². However, in this inscription, as on most honorific inscriptions the name of the honoured person usually precedes the name of the dedicant. Besides, we might help to get a clue from the placement of attachment holes on the upper side. Unfortunately, the small holes now perceivable and the very queer profile of that side cannot, in C. Dobias-Lalou's view, be taken with confidence as vestiges of the attachment of a statue and might be related with a re-use of the block in some hydraulic fitting.

Several names ending with -νις are attested in Cyrenaica, amongst which Κάρνις is a tantalizing guess. However, as line 2 begins with a blank it is impossible to infer from it the exact number of missing letters in the name and other possibilities exist with four, three or two letters lost. We cautiously prefer to let it undecided.

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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 igcyr099300 Dedication with telesphoria

Fig. 2. Drawing of igcyr099300 Dedication with telesphoria

Maps