Support: Limestone altar with two compartments (w: 0.555 × h: 0.105 × d: 0.35).

Layout: Inscribed on front face.

Letters: 0.01 to 0.017.

Date: End of sixth or beginning of fifth century BC (lettering).

Findspot: Found in 1929 or 1930 at Cyrene ➚: West of the Strategeion, in the so-called Agora of the Gods.

Place of origin: Findspot.

Last recorded location: Seen by D. Morelli in 1960 at findspot, in the Sanctuary of Apollo. Not found by IGCyr team.

Text constituted from: Transcription from previous editor.

Apparatus

French translation

Hécate.

English translation

Hekate.

Italian translation

Ecate.

Commentary

Morelli gave neither image nor precision about the characters. He only expressed some surprise at the first letter being an eta.

On the one hand, if the lettering allowed to place this inscription at the end of the sixth or the beginning of the fifth century, eta would stand for [he] in a period when its new value of [e:] was not yet quite customary. On the other hand, most altars with compartments seem to belong rather to the Hellenistic period; eta would then be erroneous for epsilon. We choose nevertheless the former reading which seems more sensible.

Another queer point is the use of the nominative, for most other altars have the genitive, which mentions the god (or goddess) as owner of the altar. See however a possible instance at IGCyr103000².

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