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Stemma of family of Melitine (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Inscribed Stele: Funerary Inscription for Metras, hereditary priest of Zeus Drittes, and Demetrios, his son
- Date
- In the area north of the Gygaean Lake, the Sullan era (year 178 = 93/94 AD) was used as well as the Actian (year 178 = 147/48 AD); see Leschhorn, Ären, pp. 505–6. The Sullan era seems preferable., Roman
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- Uninv. M14 No.666
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Stele, Inscription
- Inscription Type
- Funerary Inscription
- Inscription language
- Greek
- Inscription Text
Ἔτους ροη´, μη(νὸς) Δείου κ´· Μελιτίνη Δημητρίου Σαρδι- ανὴ καὶ Μητρᾶς Μητροδώ- 4 ρου ὁ ὑὸς αὐτῆς κατεσκε[ύ]- ασαν τὸ μνημεῖον̣, [Με]λ̣ι- τίνη μὲν̣ Μ̣η̣τρᾷ τῷ ἑαυτῆς ἀνδρί, γεγενημένῳ ἱερεῖ 8 τοῦ Διὸς Δριττου διὰ γένους, καὶ Δημητρίῳ τῷ υἱῷ, Μητρᾶς δὲ τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ, Μενεκρατίων καὶ Ἀπφιὰς καὶ 12 Στρατονείκη τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ, Ἑρμογένης τῷ μήτρ- ως, Ἑόρτιλλα τῷ ὑκερῷ καὶ τῷ δα- έρι, Σεκοῦνδα καὶ Δημήτριος καὶ 16 Ὀνήσιμος τῷ θρέψαντι. Χαῖρε.
- Inscription Translation
- “In the year 178, on the twentieth day of the month Deios. Melitine, citizen of Sardis, daughter of Demetrios, and her son Metras, son of Metrodoros, built the tomb: Melitine, on the one hand, for Metras, her husband, who served as hereditary priest of Zeus Drittes, and for her son Demetrios; Metras, on the other hand, for his father and for his brother, (likewise) Menekration and Apphias and Stratonike (contributed to the construction) for their father and for their brother; Hermogenes for his maternal uncle, Heortilla for her father-in-law and brother-in-law, Secunda and Demetrios and Onesimos for their foster-father. Farewell!” (mostly after Malay)
- Inscription Comment
- Findspot
- Unknown provenance; the mention of Metras, priest of Zeus Drittes (= Driktes), may point to the area of Sardis, see nos.
318 (with the commentary on A) and437 . The present whereabouts are unknown.
- Description
“Marble stele in two joining pieces.…In the field between the first two lines, which is decorated with vegetation, there are two wreaths between three columns” (Malay).
- Comments
2–8 It is noteworthy that Melitine’s son (l. 4) is called “Metras, son of Metrodoros,” while his father is called in l. 6 “Metras,” i.e., with the hypocoristic form of the name Metrodoros. Malay considers the possibility that Μητρᾶς Μητροδώρου ἱερεὺς διὰ γένους Διὸς Δρικτου, etc. (see no. 318, 1–5 [soon after 136 AD]) is the present younger Metras; he would have taken over the hereditary priesthood after his father’s death (in 93/94 AD if counted according to the Sullan era) and later been active as described in no. 318; Th. Corsten (SEG) thinks of grandfather and grandson. The count according to the Actian era (147/48 AD) would put the present inscription some ten years after no. 318; in that case the older Metras (also called Metrodoros) would be identical with the priest of no. 318.
4 ὑός, the stone; υἱός, edd.
6 ἑαυτῆς: the Σ is written above ΤΗ.
8 Δριττου = Δρικτου. For interchanges between -κτ- and -ττ-, Malay refers to E. Schwyzer, Griech. Gramm. I, p. 316; see also no. 693, 5–6 comm. - γένους: the Σ is written above ΟΥ.
11 Μενεκρατίων: no. 437 (from the “year 230”: = 145/46 AD or 199/200 AD) is an altar dedicated by a certain Menekration to Zeus Driktes (= Drittes).
13–14 τῷ μήτρως (maternal uncle): indeclinable, see C. Brixhe, BE 2007, 452, pp. 731–32.
14 τῷ ὑκερῷ: instead of τῷ ἑκυρῷ (father-in-law), see EpAnat 15 (1990), pp. 56–57, no. 12 (= SEG 40, 1043), l. 4 comm.; Th. Corsten (SEG) refers also to Malay, Manisa Museum, nos. 325 and 340. - δα/έρι: the Α is written above Δ.
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Offered for sale on the internet; transcription from the photograph published there: H. Malay, EpAnat 39 (2006), pp. 93–94, no. 10 (SEG 56, 1265).
- Author
- GP