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(©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Inscribed Stele Fragment: Votive Dedication to Meter Motyllene, by Tation, daughter of Hermogenes
- Date
- 183 Sullan era = 98/99 AD., Roman
- Museum
- Manisa, Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, 8822
- Museum Inventory No.
- 8822
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- IN00.001
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Stele, Inscription
- Inscription Type
- Religious Inscription
- Inscription language
- Greek
- Inscription Text
Ἔτους ρπγ´, μη(νὸς) [Πα]- νήμου ιβ´· Τάτιο[ν Ἑρ]- μογένους Μητρ[ὶ Μο]- 4 τυλληνῇ εὐχήν.
- Inscription Translation
- “In the year 183, on the twelfth of month Panemos, Tation, daughter of Hermogenes, (set this up) to Meter Motyllene as an ex-voto.”
- Inscription Comment
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- PA
- Trench
- PA 00.2
- Locus
- PA 00.2 Locus 11
- B-Grid Coordinates
- ca E125.5 / N53.74 ca *95.58
- Findspot
- Bath-Gymnasium Complex, East Road, drain fill.
- Description
Upper part of a stele of marble; broken on the right and lower sides. At the top is a simple molding (it is damaged also on the left corner).
- Dimensions
- H. 0.25, W. 0.29, Th. 0.07, H. of letters 0.018–0.02.
- Comments
1–2 June 4, 99 AD: the ciphers (each numeral under a horizontal stroke) are put between horizontal strokes.
2–3 In TAM V 1, 56, 4–5 (63/64 AD) a mother, Tation, and her son Hermogenes are mentioned; both names occur frequently.
3–4 The name of Meter Motyllene is completely preserved on the stele no. 450, 1 dedicated to her. In his commentary on the latter inscription Malay refers to the well-known cult of Men Motyl(l)ites; he stresses that Men’s symbol, the crescent, occurs in the pediment of no. 450 and wonders if it is “an indication that the dedicant prayed both to the Mother Goddess (Motyllene) and Men (Motyllites?), the principal deities of Motyla.” He assumes that both epithets, Motyllene and Motyllites, were derived from a name such as Motyl(l)a of a village or katoikia. The settlement was probably located somewhere near Kollyda-Gölde (now İncesu) as most inscriptions mentioning Men Motyllites originate from that area.
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Unpublished.
- Author
- GP