Epitaph
created: Editor's transcription from photograph and former editor (CDL).
source date: Third century BC
language: ar; en; fr; de; grc; grc-Latn; el; he
availability: Creative Commons Attributions-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. All citation, reuse or distribution of this work must contain a link back to DOI: http://doi.org/10.6092/UNIBO/IGCYRGVCYR and the filename (IGCyr000000 or GVCyr000), as well as the year of consultation. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

Bibliography

[...], p. 47 and pl. 24, 1-3.

Λυβυστράτου

Λυβυστράτου[^a1]

[^a1: Λυβυστράτου | Λυρυστράτου]

Urne de Lybystratos.

Urn of Lybystratos.

Urna di Lybystratos.

Commentary

As suggested by the first editor, we have here the name of a deceased man, whose ashes were kept in the amphora. The third letter, read by her as a rho, produces no plausible name. However, that character differs from the regular rho in the second member of this compound name in -στρατος. Its tail is not as long as the other one and what would be the loop of rho is not really circular. Moreover, it seems on the photograph that something is protruding above the line. A tantalizing reading leads to a by-form of Λιβύστρατος, which is attested on coins from Cyrene in the Hellenistic period (for an occurrence in Egypt, see [...], p. 236-237). This name is also known as Λεβύστρατος in two inscriptions (IGCyr080300 and IGCyr097100 a.27), from the variant Λεβύα of the country-name (see at IGCyr016700, line 3). We would thus have here a third variant of this name. A new study of the inscription would perhaps help to secure the reading.

The only similar document known to us from Berenike is IGCyr075600, which shows a comparable lettering. This is in agreement with the supposed date of the vase.