Support: Rock-cut sarcophagus forming part of an enclosure of 4 x 2 sarcophagi (dimensions unrecorded).

Layout: Inscribed on the lid slope.

Letters: Height unknown; slightly dissymmetrical mu, slanting sigma.

Date: Fourth or perhaps early third century BC (Reynolds) (lettering).

Findspot: Found and photographed by J. Cassels in 1954 at Cyrene ➚: North Necropolis, above and behind tomb N200.

Place of origin: Findspot.

Last recorded location: Seen in situ in 1998 by J. Thorn and J.M. Reynolds, who ascertained the place in the North Necropolis. Not seen by IGCyr team.

Text constituted from: Transcription from previous mentions (CDL).

French translation

Aponikas.

English translation

Aponikas.

Italian translation

Aponikas.

Commentary

This inscription was not mentioned by Cassels, who nevertheless gave a photograph on which it is clearly readable. The photograph was aimed at showing a typical enclosure of sarcophagi. Unfortunately, the caption to the plate refers to the South Necropolis. We now know its exact place thanks to the Thorns who reprint Cassels' photograph and comment: «This isolated clutch of sarcophagi was found in 1998 to be buried in modern refuse and Cassels' claim that it was in the Southern Necropolis is incorrect». They add some comments from J.M. Reynolds about reading and dating.

J.M. Reynolds commented that she could not decide whether the third letter was an omega or an omicron. However the latter gives a well-formed name and should be preferred. She also wondered whether this was the nominative of a man's name or the genitive of a woman's name. However, only the masculine is morphologically acceptable and we have in fact another occurrence of this rare name at IGCyr000500², which might also have been written at Thera.

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Images

Fig. 1. View of igcyr122400 Epitaph

Maps