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Inscriptions of Greek Cyrenaica | Greek Verse Inscriptions of Cyrenaica

List of priests, possibly of Dionysos

EpiDoc XML: IGCyr0818002
Trismegistos ID: 738386

Source description

Support: Large marble block, probably re-cut from a large pillar and twice re-used later on, upper left angle of present block broken off (present dimensions corresponding to the first use w: 0.35 × h: 0.23 × d: 0.97).

Layout: Inscribed at different periods on three different faces with IGCyr0818002, IRCyr2020 C.455 and IRCyr2020 C.456; when IGCyr0818002 was inscribed, the left hand edge was probably already damaged, so that ll. 6 and 7 had to be inset.

Letters: 0.014-0.018; each line is cut in a different hand or at least on a different occasion; sigma with parallel outer strokes, alpha with straight bar, slight serifs.

Date: First half of second century BC (prosopography).

Findspot: Found in winter 1987-1988 at Cyrene: after heavy rains in the lower levels of the Western part of the Enclosed sanctuary of Demeter and Kore.

Place of origin: Cyrene, possibly at the very findspot (see commentary).

Last recorded location: Cyrene Museum, 3480. Not seen by IGCyr team for the first edition. Seen by E. Rosamilia in 2010 at Cyrene: Cyrene Museum, epigraphic storeroom.

Text constituted from: Transcription from previous editors.

Bibliography

Mohamed – Reynolds 1994, pp. 213-214, whence SEG, 44.1537; Habicht 1996 and Dobias-Lalou, BE, 1997.706), whence SEG, 46.2201; again Reynolds 2012, pp. 197-198 n. A.28/1; IGCyr 081800 ; Rosamilia 2023, pp. 118-122 (content, date), pp. 255-256, number 11 (text). Cf. Dobias-Lalou 2016, p. 251, whence SEG, 66.2318.

Text

Interpretive

[Καρν]ήδας Αἰγλάνορος
[Ἁν]ίοχος (vac. 1) Ἀρχεδάμω
[Α]ἰγλάνωρ Βακαλος
[Π]ολιάνθης Καρτισθένευς
(vac. 2 lines)
5Κ̣αλλίμαχος Ποσειδωνίω
(vac. 2) Μνάσαρχος Εὐφράνορος
(vac. 2) Ἐτέαρχος Κλέωνος
(vac. 1 line)

Diplomatic

[....]ΗΔΑΣΑΙΓΛΑΝΟΡΟΣ
[..]ΙΟΧΟΣ  ΑΡΧΕΔΑΜΩ
[.]ΙΓΛΑΝΩΡΒΑΚΑΛΟΣ
[.]ΟΛΙΑΝΘΗΣΚΑΡΤΙΣΘΕΝΕΥΣ
     vacat
5.ΑΛΛΙΜΑΧΟΣΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝΙΩ
    ΜΝΑΣΑΡΧΟΣΕΥΦΡΑΝΟΡΟΣ
    ΕΤΕΑΡΧΟΣΚΛΕΩΝΟΣ
     vacat

Apparatus

1: [Καρν]ήδας: [Καρν?]ήδας Mohamed – Reynolds 1994

2: [Ἁν]ίοχος: [Ἁν?]ίοχος Mohamed – Reynolds 1994

French translation

[Karn]èdas fils d'Aiglanôr, [Han]iokhos fils d'Arkhedamos, [A]iglanôr fils de Bakal, [P]olianthès fils de Kartisthénès, Kallimakhos fils de Poseidônios, Mnasarkhos fils d'Euphranôr, Etearkhos fils de Kléôn.

English translation

[Karn]edas son of Aiglanor, [Han]iochos son of Archedamos, [A]iglanor son of Bakal, [P]olianthes son of Kartisthenes, Kallimachos son of Poseidonios, Mnasarchos son of Euphranor, Etearchos son of Kleon.

Italian translation

[Karn]edas figlio di Aiglanor, [Han]iochos figlio di Archedamos, [A]iglanor figlio di Bakal, [P]olianthes figlio di Kartisthenes, Kallimachos figlio di Poseidonios, Mnasarchos figlio di Euphranor, Etearchos figlio di Kleon.

Commentary

Names at ll. 1 and 2 may be restored with certainty, because they are the only ones from the onomastic record fitting the space available and are both typical Cyrenaican names.

This list of names is very similar to the bulk of lists of eponymous priests, which, although less numerous than in the Roman period, existed already in the Hellenistic era (see Dobias-Lalou 2016). Dobias-Lalou for IGCyr thought that this list was one of them, as did the first editors, who suggested that the stone had been brought from the agora to the sanctuary of Demeter on occasion of its first reuse. However, Rosamilia 2023, having shown that IGCyr0068002, found in that extra-mural sanctuary, might be a list of priests of Dionysos, thinks that the present list might be another one.

All names here are very common in high-rank families of Cyrene. Habicht 1996 has convincingly pointed out that Carnedas son of Aiglanor (line 1) is plausibly the proxenos of Sparta mentioned in IG, VI.1.5 (about 188 BC). Whereas the Callimachos son of Poseidonios (line 5) whom he thinks might be a thearodochos of Delphi mentioned in Plassart 1921, p. 21, IV, l. 21, the identification remains uncertain, as his father's name is not mentioned there and his own name is a very common one at Cyrene.

The stone having been obviously re-cut, it seemed dubious whether lines 1 and 7 were respectively the beginning or the end of the list. And for IGCyr, Dobias-Lalou thought that the photograph might show some traces of erased letters below line 7. Thanks to Rosamilia's direct examination of the stone, that idea was proven false: the blank is really a blank.

One further thought: when studying IGCyr0068002, Rosamilia was inclined to look for non-eponymous priests because of the paucity of prosopographical relations that might be established in that list, whereas it is proven that eponymous priests of Apollo were members of the high-rank families of Cyrene. It is not the case in the present list. However, Rosamilia's demonstration remains attractive on behalf of the localisation of the find and is adopted here.

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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.

Maps

Cyrene general plan

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