The Archaeological Exploration of Sardis

Relief fragment with reclining and standing figures, overview. Inscription on reverse. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Relief fragment with inscription. Reclining and standing figures on obverse. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

Relief Fragment with Reclining and Standing Figures. Inscription on Reverse

Report 2: Sculpture from Sardis: The Finds through 1975 (1978) Cat. 145

Date

2nd C. AD?, Roman

Sardis or Museum Inv. No.

NoEx70.013

Material

Marble, Stone

Object Type

Sculpture

Sculpture Type

Funerary Relief, Draped Man, Human Figure

Inscription Text

ο . . . οӾ ζ του δε̣ναρτoν·υημιμηηκωση

read by G. Petzl:

		]Θ̣Ε̣Ν̣Τ̣Ο̣Σ̣[
		]Σ̣ 𐆖 ζ· τοῦ δὲ [
		]Ν ἄρτον Ε̣[
	4	]Υ ἡμιμη[νιαι-
		]ΗΚΩΣΗ[
		] vacat

Inscription Translation

“[- - -] seven denarii; the [- - -] bread [- - -] half-monthly [- - -].”

Inscription Comment

Text and translation of G. Petzl

Site

Sardis

Findspot

Found in field ca. 200-250 S of Izmir-Salihli highway.

Description

The two fragmentary figures are separated by a vertical band, W. 0.03. Figure at l. is a youthful male with chlamys over both shoulders and a sleeved tunic. Three horizontal swinging folds are on his chest. His head is broken off at the neck. He reclines on a couch with l. arm bent and resting on two cushions. His hand rests on l. cushion; an indistinct round object is on r. cushion. Upper r. edge of couch is preserved in outline but the surface is broken off. Figure at r. is a draped male (?) in three-quarter profile, head and front broken off. A sleeved undergarment falls over his bent r. arm. Chiton behind r. shoulder to belt height, where two horizontal bunched folds intersect it. R. knee turned toward viewer, thus indicating three-quarter view of figure.

Inscription of five lines on reverse (H. of letters 0.04-0.05)

Letters, with serifs and broken alpha, indicate 2nd C. A.D. L. Robert (letter Jan. 5, 1976) writes that the rather enigmatic inscription seems to pertain to settlements or accounts. In the second line he identifies the symbol for δηνάρια and the number seven; in the third line the word ἄρτον in the accusative.

Condition

Large-grained marble.

Broken on all sides.

Dimensions

H. 0.47; W. 0.40; Th. 0.145 without relief, 0.18 with relief.

Comments

See Also

Related Artifacts