Unclear and composite sacred text with owners' mark
created: Transcription from Ferri's copy, with support of Menozzi's description and Marin
source date: Textpart a: probably second half of the fourth century BC; b.2: perhaps third ce
language: ar; en; fr; de; grc; grc-Latn; el; he
availability: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Deed Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 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. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)

[...], n. 19, whence [...], 9.345; [...], pp. 41-42, fig. 15; [...] 032900. Cf. [...], whence [...], 16.872; [...], pp. 64-67, fig. 8; [...], pp. 227-228, pl. XVb, whence [...], 65.2024.

Ἅδε προβώμιος Λύσιος [...] τὸ ἄντρον καὶ Ἀμμωνίω καὶ Ο[...] καὶ Αγ[...][...]

[^1] Ἅδε προβώμιος[^a1] Λύσιος[^a2] Ἀμμωνίω[^a3]

[^a1: Ἅδε προβώμιος | ἅδε προβώμιος]

[^a2: Λύσιος | [...]σιος]

[^a3: Ἀμμωνίω | Ἀμμω[...][...]]

[^1: read from Menozzi's diplomatic transcription; not seen by others]

a) .

b) [...] en avant de l'autel. A Lysis appartient cette grotte ainsi qu'à Ammônios, à O[...] et à Ag[...].

a)

b) [...] before the altar. Belonging to Lysis is this cave as well as to Ammonios, to O[...] and to Ag[...].

a)

b) [...] davanti all'altare. Appartenente a Lysis è questa grotta come pure ad Ammonios, ad O[...] e ad Ag[...].

The complex history of the different stages of this inscription is much confused. We follow Menozzi's chronology, although it is not clear whether a) was really cut at the very place where b) was inscribed later on. If so, a) was first cut and erased, then b) was overstruck. However it is clear both from Ferri's description and drawing and from Menozzi's photograph that b) was cut by at least two different hands. Line 2 probably stood by itself and was later on incorporated into a larger text.

At b.1 the third letter should be an epsilon, although it seems to be incomplete. If the reading is right the demonstrative at the feminine singular would be related to a subaudible θυσία, as we know from IGCyr016700, ll. 61 and 68, that some sacrifices should be done 'in front of the altar'.

About the three lower lines Ferri gave neither transcription nor comment. The assumption that Ammon was worshipped here (so [...], p. 100 and again Menozzi twice) seems to be a misinterpretation of part of line b.4: we consider much probable that the three personal names, each of them preceded by καί, were added under the previously inscribed name while line 1 was added above. If so, it allows to read the successive lines as a whole. Our translation relies on that assumption. Menozzi's latest analysis ([...]) would read the three καί in relation with the erased divine names, which is impossible in view of the lettering.

The present reconstruction, although provisional, would be consistent with the history of the tomb/cave as constantly proposed by Menozzi.