Road signpost
IGCyr030800
Trismegistos ID: 738300
Source Description
Support
Limestone block, pertaining to a (probably ancient) wall (dimensions unknown).
Layout
Inscribed on one face.
Letters
Deeply cut, height unknown.
Place of Origin
Findspot.
Date
Perhaps second century B.C. (lettering)
Findspot
Found at Cyrene pleiades; HGL : on the Road: Cyrene to Apollonia , after leaving the North Necropolis .
Present Location
Not found by IGCyr team.
Text constituted from
Transcription from editor.
Bibliography
Oliverio, 1933-1936 Oliverio, G., 1933-1936, Documenti antichi dell'Africa Italiana, II, fasc. 1-2, Bergamo - see in bibliography , pp. 110-111, n. 82, tab. XXV, fig. 38, whence SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden, then Amsterdam, 1923-1971, then 1979- - see in bibliography , 9.324. Cf. Dobias-Lalou, 2013 Dobias-Lalou, C., 2013, Espace des dieux, espace des hommes, espaces des vivants, espace des morts dans les inscriptions de Cyrénaïque, in A. Inglese, Epigrammata 2. Definire, descrivere, proteggere lo spazio, in ricordo di André Laronde. Atti del convegno di Roma, 26-27 ottobre 2012, Tivoli, 165-195 - see in bibliography , pp. 169-171; Criscuolo, 2015 Criscuolo, L., 2015, Osservazioni sulle iscrizioni viarie ellenistiche, Simblos: Scritti di storia antica6, 85-94 - see in bibliography , p. 87.
Apparatus
1 Oliverio, 1933-1936 Oliverio, G., 1933-1936, Documenti antichi dell'Africa Italiana, II, fasc. 1-2, Bergamo - see in bibliography ἱππικός
French translation
(Route autorisée), pour chevaux.
English translation
(Road allowed) for horses.
Italian translation
(Strada) per cavalli.
Arabic translation
(ربما تعني ضمنياً: شوارع مسموح بها (؟)) للخيول
Commentary
The photograph shows clearly that the inscription runs on two lines, pace Oliverio.
Oliverio gives dimensions for the letters, that seem incredible unless the wall («antichissimo») was made of really huge blocks.
Another similar mention has been registered on the road from Cyrene to Balagrae, see IGCyr107350.Since the publication of the other inscription, it has been admitted that the word δρόμος should be supplied, indicating a road allowed for horses and carriages, not a racecourse as Oliverio thought. Criscuolo now prefers a subaudible τόπος, i.e. a place where horses might stay (and Chandezon, per litteras, even suggested a grazing place). However those interesting ideas would not fit the place well. The question cannot be definitely decided.
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All citation, reuse or distribution of this work must contain a link back to DOI: http://doi.org/10.6092/UNIBO/IGCYRGVCYR and the filename (IGCyr000000 or GVCyr000), as well as the year of consultation.
