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Inscribed Fountain Base (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Inscribed Fountain Base: Building Inscription? for Snake Fountain
- Date
- 4th–6th century AD (Hanfmann and Ramage)., Roman
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- IN72.026
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Architecture, Inscription
- Inscription Type
- Building Inscription
- Inscription language
- Greek
- Inscription Text
Οἱ κρήνης ποτ᾿ ὕπερθε μέσην κατ᾿ ἄγυιαν ὁδοῖο πᾶσι παρερχομένοισιν ὁρώμενοί εἰσι δράκοντες οὗτοι χαλκείῃσιν ἐλισσόμενοι φολίδεσσι, 4 οὓς Βασίλισκος ἔθηκε δικασπόλος ἔνθα κομίσσας χρυσῷ ἐρευθομένους ὑπὸ δε‹ι›ράδα μέχρι καρήνων νέρθεν ἄνω πέμποντας ἐπὶ στόμα χεύματα πηγῆς.
- Inscription Translation
- “These are the snakes which were once seen by everyone passing by, above the fountain in the middle of the public road. Basiliskos, who held the office of judge, brought them there and set them up, wound round with brazen scales, reddened with gold from their necks to their heads, sending up the streams of the fountain from below to their mouths” (mostly after C. Foss).
- Inscription Comment
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- B
- Trench
- MC 72
- Locus
- B BE-H
- B-Grid Coordinates
- E3 / N48 *96.5
- Findspot
- Bath-Gymnasium Complex, BE-H frigidarium.
- Description
Base of marble for a fountain; the upper left and right corners are broken away. Lettering sloppy.
- Dimensions
- Max. H. 0.75, W. 0.91, Th. 0.84–0.91, H. of letters 0.025–0.027.
- Comments
3 φολίδεσσι: the stone; φολίδεσσιν edd.
- See Also
- See also: R2, No. 278.
- Bibliography
- G. M. A. Hanfmann and J. C. Waldbaum, R1, p. 173 n. 75; C. Foss, M4, pp. 114–15, no. 17 (SEG 26, 1317); Hanfmann and N. Ramage, R2, p. 179, no. 278, fig. 471; Foss in R3, p. 171, no. 7, fig. 205 (SEG 36, 1098; R. Merkelbach and J. Stauber, Steinepigramme aus dem griechischen Osten 1 [1998], p. 401, no. 04/02/03).
- Author
- GP