-
Fragment of astragal molding with Lydian inscription from a column of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College) -
Fragment of astragal molding from a column of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College) -
Fragment of astragal molding from a column of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis. Back side (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College) -
Fragment of astragal molding from a column of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis. Side. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College) -
Fragment of astragal molding from a column of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College) -
Fragment of astragal molding from a column of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Fragment of Inscribed Astragal Molding, from a Column of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis
The Lydians and their World
(2010)
Cat. 37
- Date
- Third century BC, Hellenistic
- Museum
- Manisa, Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, 5779
- Museum Inventory No.
- 5779
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- NoEx78.015
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Architecture, Inscription
- Inscription Type
- Building Inscription
- Inscription language
- Lydian
- Inscription Text
srkastulis śf[ardẽt
- Inscription Translation
- ‘so-and-so, son of Srkastus, the Sardian ….” or “so-and-so, son of Srkastus, to the patroness of Sardis…”
- Inscription Comment
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- AT
- Trench
- AT
- Locus
- AT Precinct
- B-Grid Coordinates
- ca. W213 / S1167.5
- Description
- Marble astragal molding from the bottom of an Ionic column shaft, inscribed. The text preserves one complete word, “srkastulis,” and the beginning of a second, “sf[….”
- Dimensions
- Preserved length 0.153 m, height 0.068 m.
- Comments
- The fragment was recovered in 1978, resting on the modern ground surface, ca. 60 m north of the Temple of Artemis. Measurements of its lateral curvature suggest that the fragment belonged to one of the smaller columns of the temple, perhaps one of the two mounted on pedestals at the west end. One of their two counterparts at the east end is inscribed on the apophyge of the lower shaft with a text in Lydian, recording dedication by an individual to Artemis (“Manes, son of Bakivas, grandson (?) of Manes to Artemis” Gusmani 1964, 259 no. 21; Gusmani 1980-1981, 22). Gusmani proposed that the text on No. 37 records a similar dedication; he identified the complete word as an adjectival patronymic, from the name Srkastus, restored a missing initial name in the nominative, and identified the fragmentary word as an ethnic from Sardis, modifying either dedicant or dedicand, i.e., either “so-and-so, son of Srkastus, the Sardian ….” or “so-and-so, son of Srkastus, to the patroness of Sardis…” (Gusmani 1980-1981, 21-25). Both inscriptions evidently record dedication of the columns by individuals; like those dedicated by Croesus in the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Herodotus 1.92; cf. Hogarth et al 1908, 294; Gusmani 1964, 266 no. 48), by one Partaras in the Temple of Athena at Pergamon (a bilingual in Greek and Lydian, Gusmani 1964, 264 no. 40), and others.
- See Also
- Melchert, “Lydian Language”; Yegül, “Temple of Artemis”.
- Bibliography
- Greenewalt, Sterud, and Belknap 1982, 24-25, 27 fig. 26; Gusmani 1980-1981; Gusmani 1986, 158 no. 103; Dedeoğlu 2003, 83, fig.
- Author
- CHG