Support: Two adjacent fragments of a marble block (w: 0.603 × h: 0.289 × d: 0.17 at left to 0.22 at right); this block was part of a monumental base consisting of another block at left and three at right. Another not-inscribed fragment shows that the monument was made of two rows of similar blocks in depth.

Layout: Inscribed on front face in 4 lines; varying space between letters for an axial layout.

Letters: 0.032 (estimated from photograph); careful script with serifs; non slanting sigma.

Date: Perhaps 116/5 or 108/7 BC (reign).

Findspot: Found between 1958 and 1961 at Cyrene ➚: agora, reused in the fence of the Audience Hall that replaced the Augusteum.

Place of origin: Findspot.

Last recorded location: Observed by L. Gasperini in 1961 in Shahat: in the Storeroom of the Italian missions. Not seen by IGCyr team.

Text constituted from: Transcription from editor.

Apparatus

French translation

(scil. La statue) du roi Ptolémée et de la reine [Cléopatre sa soeur, Dieux Sôtères, nés du roi] Ptolémée, Dieu [Evergète et de la reine Cléopatre, Déesse,] en raison de [leur valeur] et de [leur générosité envers eux] (scil. a été consacrée), par les C[yrénéens?].

English translation

(scil. The statue) of king Ptolemy and of queen [Cleopatra his sister, Gods Soteres, born from king] Ptolemy, God [Euergetes and from queen Cleopatra, Goddess,] on behalf of [their virtue] and well-doing [towards themselves] (scil. was dedicated) by the C[yrenaeans?].

Italian translation

(scil. La statua) del re Tolemeo e della regina [Cleopatra sua sorella, Dèi Soteri, nati dal re] Tolemeo, Dio [Evergete e dalla regina Cleopatra, Dea,] in considerazione del [valore] e della generosità [nei loro confronti] (scil. è stata dedicata) dai C[irenei?].

Commentary

Dedication of statues of Ptolemy IX Soter II and Cleopatra IV or Cleopatra Selene according to Gasperini, of Ptolemy IX Soter II and Cleopatra Selene according to Laronde. Whence date: 116/15 or 108/7 BC. It was clear for both that a Ptolemy and a Cleopatra mentioned together and being chidren of another Ptolemy could only offer those two possibilities. We do not choose between them. C. Dobias-Lalou offers here new restorations based on the layout of the different lines and on the titulatures of the kings.

Gasperini gave clues for a restoration, supposing that one block was lost at left and one at right. His restoration for line 1 of the block lost at left are perfectly convincing with an amount of 13 letters like on the preserved block. However we cannot follow him about line 4: the block is blank before the preserved kappa and the space between letters on this line was at least 0.066. The next block might thus host only ΥΡΑΝΑΙ and OI should be cut on one more block. Symmetrically with the beginning of the line, a large space would cover the end of this block and one more. The whole monument should thus consist of five blocks.

The words restored by Gasperini at the beginning of line 4 should be kept at the end of line 3. The whole causal syntagm stood on that line, which fits perfectly the spacement of letters. Lines 1 and 2 were filled with the titulature: king and queen at line 1, their parents at line 2. For line 1 we have a model in IGCyr011100², a.31-32. With 31 characters at line 1 and 34 at line 2, where they are cut more closely to one another, the totals fit well the three blocks lost at right.

The preserved part of line 2 shows that the dedication was written in the local dialect, which is usual when the dedication is made by the Cyrenaenans. We thus inserted the dialectel features into the restored parts.

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Images

Fig. 1. Face of igcyr107160 Public honours for Ptolemy and Cleopatra

Maps