Support: White marble base with plain mouldings on top and below on three sides, broken off at upper left angle (w: 0.71 × h: 0.28 × d: 0.52).

Layout: Inscribed in one line on front face (w: 0.63 × h: 0.125 × d: 0.46).

Letters: 0.025; slanting sigma, rho with small loop, epsilon with short middle bar, no serifs.

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

Findspot: Found in 1935 at Cyrene ➚, inside the Hellenistic Gymnasium (later Caesareum), between the Western portico and the central temple of Roman date.

Place of origin: Cyrene ➚: probably one Necropolis (see commentary).

Last recorded location: Seen by D. Morelli in 1960 'in the neighbourhood of the entrance to Proculus' Forum' (i.e. Caesareum). Seen and drawn on August 23rd, 1969 by L. Gasperini at Cyrene ➚, outside the Hellenistic Gymnasium (later Caesareum), placed on the wall opposite the Eastern porch. Seen by C. Dobias-Lalou in 1985 and again in 2001 at the same place.

Text constituted from: Transcription form stone (CDL).

French translation

Erasis fils d'Épiklès.

English translation

Erasis son of Epikles.

Italian translation

Erasis figlio di Epikles.

Arabic translation

إيراسيس بن إبيكليس

Commentary

Gasperini supposed the base to be votive, which would not be incompatible with the Gymnasium which anteceded the Caesareum. However, the lack of footprints on the upper face and the mouldings cut only on three sides are clear clues for the type of bases that supported half-statues of funerary goddesses in Cyrenaean tombs. Moreover, there is no trace of the ephebic graffiti which were added on many monuments standing in the gymnasium. For those reasons, C. Dobias-Lalou suggests that it was brought from one near Necropolis, either Southern or Eastern.

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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 igcyr105200 Epitaph

Fig. 2. Drawing of igcyr105200 Epitaph

Maps