Dedication of a horoskopion by the ephoroi

IGCyr063800

Trismegistos ID: 6106

Source Description

Repository

Cyrene Museum, 9.

Support

Left part of a white marble panel broken at right (0.205; 0.25;0.04).

Layout

Inscribed on the face.

Letters

0.011-0.015; sigma with parallel outer strokes, phi with flattened loop, widening upsilon.

Place of Origin

Findspot.

Date

Ca. 150 B.C. (lettering)

Findspot

Found before 1956 at Cyrene : exact findspot unrecorded.

Last recorded Location

Seen by C. Dobias-Lalou in 1979 in Shahat : Cyrene Museum .

Text constituted from

Transcription from stone (CDL).

Bibliography

Fraser, 1958 , pp. 108-111, n. 3, pl. XII, 3, whence SEG , 18.739; Gasperini, 1967 , p. 171, n. 23; Chevrollier, 2010 , whence Tybout in SEG , 60.1827. Cf. Ottone, 2000 , whence SEG , 50.1629.

Text

Ἔφοροι οἱ ἐ̣[πὶ ---]  Φιλοξην [c. 1 - 2] [---]  Τελεσικρά[της ---]  Δαμάνθης̣ [---]  5Φιλόξηνος [---]  Σῶσις Πο[---]  Φιλύτας [---]  Ἁγησίστρατο[ς ---]  τὸ ὡροσκόπιο[ν ἀνέθηκαν?].

Apparatus

1 ἐ̣[πὶ ---]  : Fraser, 1958  ἐ̣[φ' ἱαρεῦς ---]  : Gasperini, 1967  ἐ̣[φ' ἱαρεῦς](vac.) : Chevrollier, 2010  ἐ[φ' ἱαρεῦς τῶ Ἀπόλλωνος?]

2 Fraser, 1958  Φιλόξην[ος ---]  : Gasperini, 1967 , Chevrollier, 2010  Φιλοξήν[ω ---] 

French translation

Les éphores sous  [---]  Philoxènos  [---] , Télésikratès [fils d'Untel], Damanthès [fils d'Untel], Philoxènos [fils d'Untel], Sôsis fils de Po [---] , Philytas [fils d'un tel], Hagèsistratos [fils d'un tel], [ont consacré ] le cadran solaire.

English translation

The ephori under  [---]  Philoxenos  [---] , Telesikrates [son of So-and-so], Damanthes [son of So-and-so], Philoxenos [son of So-and-so], Sosis son of Po [---] , Philytas [son of So-and-so], Hagesistratos [son of So-and-so], [dedicated] the sun-dial.

Italian translation

Gli efori sotto  [---]  Philoxenos  [---] , Telesikrates [figlio del tale], Damanthes [figlio del tale], Philoxenos [figlio del tale], Sosis figlio di Po [---] , Philytas [figlio del tale], Hagesistratos [figlio del tale], [dedicarono] la meridiana.

Commentary

The inventory number shows that the stone was already part of the epigraphic collection at the time of the reorganization of the Cyrenaean antiquities after World War II care of Goodchild (from 1956 on) and before Fraser observed it. It may well have been found already during the last years of the Italian period.

Given the lacunae, it is impossible to decide definitely what was the layout of ll. 1 and 2, hence to determine the exact formula in use in the head of the dedication. Four restorations are possible, which might be translated as follows: 1) The ephori under [the priest] Philoxenos [son of So-and-so] (followed by a list of 6 ephori: Gasperini's opinion); 2) The ephori under [the priest of Apollo] Philoxenos [son of So-and-so] (also with 6 ephori: Chevrollier's alternative suggestion); 3) The ephori under [priest So-and-so], namely Philoxenos [son of So-and-so] (hence 7 ephori: Fraser's opinion); 4) The ephori under [So-and-so], namely Philoxenos [So-and-so] (also with 7 ephori, a variant that would leave more space for the name of the priest). Whatever the solution, there were more ephori at the time than had been provided in Ptolemy's diagramma in 320 B.C. (IGCyr010800, line 33).

According to Ottone and Chevrollier, the dedication of a sun-dial might imply that the ephori practiced astroscopy, a fact that is strongly denied by Tybout in SEG.

Creative Commons Attributions-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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.

Images