Support: Fragment of the bottom of an Attic black-glazed ware open vase (w: 0.042 × h: 0.03).

Layout: Scratched on the inside of the bottom, to be read from the rim.

Letters: 0.003-0.006.

Date: Probably fourth quarter of the fifth century BC (context, lettering).

Findspot: Found in 1994 by A. Santucci at Cyrene ➚: agora, West of the Temple of Demeter and Kore.

Place of origin: Findspot.

Last recorded location: Cyrene Museum, Storeroom of the Italian missions, A94 L4 87. Observed by R. Leone between 1997 and 2005 in Shahat: Storeroom of the Italian missions. Not seen by IGCyr team.

Text constituted from: Editor's transcription from photograph.

French translation

Portion (i.e. tirée au sort) (ou)Légumes verts.

English translation

(i.e. Allotted) portion (or) Vegetables.

Italian translation

Parte (i.e. avuta dalla sorte) (o) Erbe.

Commentary

The rare word λάχος is ambiguous, because there are two homonyms. The best known word, related to the verb λαγχάνω, means 'allotted portion' and was commented by Marengo with reference to Xenophon's Anab. V, 3,9: τῶν θυομένων ἀπὸ τῆς ἱερᾶς νομῆς λάχος, the context showing that it referred to an 'allotted portion' of the sacrificial meat. There is no clear hint for bloody sacrifices on the agora, but the meaning 'portion' does not necessarily imply 'of meat'.

As an alternative, the existence of another λάχος meaning 'vegetables' like the derived form λάχανον is now known from an inscription in Larisa (see Tziafalias – Helly 2013, p. 132, l. 51). Such an offering would perhaps fit Demeter's function as goddess of agriculture. A. Santucci (private communication to C. Dobias-Lalou) informs that in spite of the vicinity the sherd was not related to the sanctuary of the Anax. However it is neither clear that it was related to the sanctuary of Demeter and Kore because such sherds were re-used as filling under the pavement of the agora.

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Fig. 1. Face of igcyr112900 Dedication

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