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Inscribed Architrave Blocks (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Inscribed Architrave Blocks: Building Renovation Inscription for the Aleipteria under Severus Simplikos, prefect of Lydia
- Date
- 400 AD (SEG 41)., Roman
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- IN66.020
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Architecture, Inscription
- Inscription Type
- Building Inscription
- Inscription language
- Greek
- Inscription Text
1 Ἐπὶ Σεου(ή)ρ(ου) Σιμπλικίου τοῦ λαμπ[ροτ(άτου)] κόμ(ητος) πρώτ(ου) βαθμ(οῦ) διέπ(οντος) τὴν ἔπαρχ(ον) 2 ἐξουσίαν καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον τῆς ἀ[λει]πτηρίας ἀνενεώθη. leaf
- Inscription Translation
- “When the clarissimus count of the first rank Severus Simplikios was administering the office of prefect of the province (of Lydia) this building of the aleipteria too was renovated.”
- Inscription Comment
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- B
- Trench
- BE-H 66
- Locus
- B BE-H
- B-Grid Coordinates
- E2 - E4 / N57 - N59
- Findspot
- Bath-Gymnasium Complex, originally over west and east passages into BE-H frigidarium.
- Description
“Two joining blocks of an engaged wall architrave of the first story; traces of red paint in many letters” (SEG 36).
- Dimensions
- H. 0.30, W. twice 2.32, H. of letters l. 1, 0.09–0.10, l. 2, 0.065–0.07.
- Comments
1 Severus Simplikios: Foss “identifies him as vicar of Asia and points to three late fourth century AD officials carrying the same name; cf. SEG 27, 903” (SEG 36). See Th. Drew-Bear, Nouvelles inscriptions de Phrygie (1978), p. 28: “La formule διέπειν (διοικεῖν) τὴν ἔπαρχον ἐξουσίαν était la façon normale de désigner la fonction de vicaire d’un diocèse, qui exerçait l’autorité d’un ἔπαρχος τῶν ἱερῶν πρετορίων, un préfet du prétoire,” referring to the present inscription (“vicaire du diocèse Asiana”); D. Feissel, art. cit.; and no. 426.
2 ἡ ἀλειπτηρία: “perh. = ἀλειπτήριον I” (LSJ Suppl., s.v., with this inscription as only reference); cf. no. 419, 10 comm.
ἀνενεώθη: see no. 540 comm.
- See Also
- Bibliography
- G. M. A. Hanfmann, BASOR 187 (1967), p. 54 (AE 1968, p. 491); C. Foss, M4, p. 113, no. 15 (SEG 26, 1315); Foss in R3, p. 171, no. 6, figs. 120–21 (SEG 36, 1097; SEG 41, 1031 comm.; D. Feissel, Antiquité Tardive 6 [1998], p. 97, no. 3).
- Author
- GP