Inscribed Stele (reused roof-shaped lid of cinerarium): Funerary Inscription for Andreas, son of Andreas, and his foster-children Phainos Apt[o?]tos and Prima
- Date
- 2nd–3rd century AD (letter shape)., Roman
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- Uninv. M14 No.672
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Cinerarium Lid, Inscription
- Inscription Type
- Funerary Inscription
- Inscription language
- Greek
- Inscription Text
Ἀνδρέας β´ Τ[ . . . . . ]- νος ζῶν κατεσ[κεύασ]- εν τὸν τάφον· ἐνσ̣[ό]- 4 ριον τοῖς θρέμμασ[ιν]· Φαίνῳ ἐτῶν ιδ´, ΑΠΤ̣[ ] ΤΩ, Πρείμᾳ ἐτῶν ιθ´ πα[ρ]- θένῳ. εἰς ὃ ἐνσόριον 8 ἐνορκίζομαι τοὺς κατ- αχθονίους θεοὺς μηδέ- να ἕτερον τεθῆναι. ἐὰν παρὰ ταῦτά τις τολμή- 12 σῃ, ἔνοχος ἔστω τυμ- βωρυχίᾳ. leaf
- Inscription Translation
- “Andreas, (son of Andreas,) T[- -]nos(?), has built the tomb during his lifetime. The funerary niche for his foster-children: for Phainos Apt[o]tos(?), (who died) aged fourteen years, for the maiden(?) Prima, (who died) aged nineteen years. I adjure the gods of the netherworld that nobody else be buried in this funerary niche. If anybody dares to contravene this he shall be liable to grave robbing.”
- Inscription Comment
- Site
- Sardis
- Findspot
- Formerly in the Valparaiso University archives (Indiana, USA), where it came in 1899; after its publication the stone was returned to Turkey.
- Description
Roof-shaped lid of a cinerary chest bearing the inscription no. 631 (see the lemma there for more details). The lid was turned over 90 degrees for reuse and its bottom transformed into a funerary stele showing a pediment with a rosette in relief. The first line of the later inscription was written on the lower molding of the pediment, the following lines below it.
- Dimensions
- H. of letters 0.019.
- Comments
Summary of the commentary in ZPE:
1–2 Τ[ . . . . . ]νος: an ethnic, a second name or the grandfather’s name (Ἀνδρέας (Ἀνδρέου) τ[οῦ - -]/νος)?
2 Dot: ΖΩΝ·ΚΑΤ
3 ἐνσόριον: see no. 675, 3 comm.
5 ·ΙΔ·, with a horizontal stroke above the ciphers.
5–6 ΑΠΤ̣[ ]: hardly ΑΠΠ̣[ ]. After Τ̣ a lower apex is visible, which might belong to an Ω: Ἀπτ̣[ώ]/-τῳ (“never thrown, faultless,” LSJ) probably has to be attached, as a nickname or second name, to Φαίνῳ (Ἀπτ̣[ο(ι)ή]/τῳ [“undaunted,” LSJ] is palaeographically less fitting; cf. SEG 43, 713 D 8–9 [fifth–fourth century BC]). Does it point to the fact that the young man was an outstanding wrestler? Its position after the age, comparable with that of πα[ρ]/θένῳ (or Πα[ρ]/θένῳ, ll. 6–7) after ·ΙΘ·, is noteworthy.
6 Πρείμᾳ: the transliterated Latin name Prima often does not follow the first declension of nouns with “alpha impurum,” although sometimes it does; cf. no. 587, 5 comm.
6–7 πα[ρ]/θένῳ is either to be understood as an attribute of Prima (see the translation) or as Prima’s second name, Πα[ρ]/θένῳ.
The interpretation, that the ἐνσόριον was built for four foster-children—Phainos (who died aged fourteen years), Apt[o]tos (still alive), Prima (who died aged nineteen years), and Parthenos (still alive)—is perhaps not to be excluded.
8–10: ἐνορκίζομαι, etc.: The middle voice has the same meaning as the active; cf., e.g., Strubbe, ΑΡΑΙ, no. 347 (Ikonion): …ἐνορκίσζω τοὺς καταχθονίους…ἄλλον μὴ εἰσενεχθῆναι.
10 Ligature ΤΕΘΗΝΑΙ.
11 Ligature ΤΟΛΜΗ.
- See Also
- Bibliography
- P. Keen and G. Petzl, ZPE 191 (2014), pp. 190–92, no. 2b, with photograph (SEG 64, 1192b).
- Author
- GP