Dedication to Athena and possibly Ares
IGCyr062600
Trismegistos ID: 738330
Source Description
Repository
Apollonia Museum, inv. number unknown.
Support
Two fragments of a large limestone altar (fragment a broken off at right and back: 0.49; 0.335;0.28; fragment b broken at left and back: 0.315; 0.335;0.39); the upper side has a shallow depression, leaving on all preserved sides a margin 0.05 wide.
Layout
Inscribed just under the upper edge: the letters on fragment b run across the angle on the next side to its right; the same is possible, but not sure for fragment a.
Letters
0.1-0.11; very low bar of alpha, asymetric nu, slanting sigma, very short tail of upsilon.
Place of Origin
Findspot.
Date
Second half of fifth century B.C. (lettering)
Findspot
Found on April 22nd, 1955 by Montet's Mission in the Port of Cyrene, later Apollonia pleiades; HGL : reused in Roman Baths , in the Eastern stylobatus.
Last recorded Location
Seen by C. Dobias-Lalou in 1976 and later on at Sūsah : Apollonia Museum .
Text constituted from
Transcription from stone (CDL).
Bibliography
Chamoux, 1958 Chamoux, F., 1958, Epigramme de Cyrène en l'honneur du roi Magas, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique (BCH)82, 571-587 - see in bibliography , pp. 581-584, figs. 4-6, whence SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden, then Amsterdam, 1923-1971, then 1979- - see in bibliography , 17.816; Robert, Bulletin Épigraphique Robert, J. and L., Bulletin Épigraphique in Revue des Études Grecques (REG)1938-1984 - see in bibliography , 1960.439, whence SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden, then Amsterdam, 1923-1971, then 1979- - see in bibliography , 18.757; Reynolds, 1976 Reynolds, J.M., 1976, The Inscriptions of Apollonia, in R.G. Goodchild, J. Griffiths Pedley, D. White, J.H. Humphrey (eds.), Apollonia, the port of Cyrene: excavations by the University of Michigan, 1965-1967, Libya Antiqua (LibAnt)Suppl. 4, Tripoli, 293-333 - see in bibliography , n. 39, whence SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden, then Amsterdam, 1923-1971, then 1979- - see in bibliography , 27.1125bis.
Apparatus
b.i Chamoux, 1958 Chamoux, F., 1958, Epigramme de Cyrène en l'honneur du roi Magas, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique (BCH)82, 571-587 - see in bibliography [Ἄρ]ευς : Chamoux, 1958 Chamoux, F., 1958, Epigramme de Cyrène en l'honneur du roi Magas, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique (BCH)82, 571-587 - see in bibliography (or) [Ἡρακλ?]εῦς : Reynolds, 1976 Reynolds, J.M., 1976, The Inscriptions of Apollonia, in R.G. Goodchild, J. Griffiths Pedley, D. White, J.H. Humphrey (eds.), Apollonia, the port of Cyrene: excavations by the University of Michigan, 1965-1967, Libya Antiqua (LibAnt)Suppl. 4, Tripoli, 293-333 - see in bibliography [---] ευς
French translation
(Autel) d'Athéna.
(Autel) [d'Ar?]ès (ou) [d'Hèrakl?]ès.
English translation
(Altar) of Athena.
(Altar) [of Ar?]es (or) [of Heracl?]es.
Italian translation
(Altare) di Atena.
(Altare) [di Ar?]es (o) [di Eracl?]e.
Commentary
The arrangement of the two fragments is not clear, although on the photograph taken during the excavation they might seem to be nearly adjacent, so that one might imagine that the break occurred during the phase of re-use. Chamoux was very clear about the fact that they were not adjacent. Side i of b might thus belong either to the right of side a or to its opposite side.
At Cyrene we have another altar (IGCyr103310 and IGCyr103315) bearing the names of two deities inscribed on two different sides. However in that case, one inscription was later than the first one. On the contrary, the present altar seems to have been erected at once for both divinities.
The god whose name stood at b is not quite clear. Chamoux restored Ares' name on behalf of his being worshipped under name Enyalios in GVCyr022. The latter was found in a late building of the Eastern part of the town. However, as both stones were re-used, it is quite possible that they once stood nearer to one another, in a cultic area that would be common with Athena. On the other hand, Chamoux also mentioned the possibility that the god's name on the altar was Heracles and J. Reynolds found it a good option, so that she left the question open. In fact, Heracles was worshipped at Cyrene on an altar common with Hekate, Hygieia and Panakeia, for his curative virtues (IGCyr022300). Moreover, in the harbour (Apollonia), a votive club was found during the Montet excavations in 1954 but never published. It might attest Heracles' cult also on the spot. So we should remain cautious about Chamoux's final choice.
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