Support: Fragmentary relief with a heroised rider, probably of Parian marble, broken off at left and on top; the preserved part shows two figures facing each other: a young figure wearing a short chiton, with the right arm lifted and holding presumably the bridle of the lost horse, and the left arm folded up against a standing oval shield; a female figure wearing a chiton and a mantle dragging on the ground, that she holds up on her waist with her right arm (w: 0.31 × h: 0.28 × d: 0.08).

Layout: Inscribed on the plinth beneath the figures.

Letters: Dimensions not registered; only omega is complete.

Date: Perhaps last quarter of second or some date in the first century BC (context, lettering).

Findspot: Found by M. Luni between 2001 and 2006 at Cyrene ➚: amongst the depot of sculptures in the so-called Temple of Cybele.

Place of origin: Cyrene ➚.

Last recorded location: Cyrene Museum, Storeroom of the Italian missions, inv. number unknown. Seen by E. Rosamilia in 2010 in Shahat: in the Storeroom of the Italian missions, part of the Cyrene Museum.

Text constituted from: Transcription from stone (ER).

Apparatus

French translation

[Untel] héros.

English translation

[So-and-so] hero.

Italian translation

[Il tale] eroe.

Arabic translation

[فلان] البطل

Commentary

The inscription is known from a first mention in a study about sculpture by Giovannini, who got help from Rosamilia by way of a transfer of the inscribed letters on tracing paper. She then presented a drawing and reading that seems to differ too much from the usual mentions on such reliefs. From the photograph, Dobias-Lalou (Dobias-Lalou, BE, 2015.741) suggested the above reading, with which Rosamilia (per litteras, June 2015) now agrees.

For other inscribed mentions of heroized deads see commentary at IGCyr010001².

Giovannini mentions for this piece an inventory number 21 which should refer provisionnally to the group of sculptures found in the temple of Cybele during the excavations of 2001-2006.

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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 igcyr118600 Dedication

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