Epitaph (?)

IGCyr093600

Trismegistos ID: 738452

Source Description

Support

Rock-cut tomb facade (dimensions unknown).

Layout

Inscribed on the rocky wall.

Letters

Height unknown.

Place of Origin

Findspot.

Date

Possibly fourth century B.C. (prosopography)

Findspot

Found by the Chieti mission before 2003 at Cyrene : Ain Hofra on the Eastern bank (their point GPS E728).

Present Location

Not seen by IGCyr team.

Text constituted from

Transcription from previous editor (CDL).

Bibliography

Menozzi, 2006 , p. 68, and Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique , 2007.562, whence SEG , 56.2032, 1. Cf.  Menozzi, 2015 , p. 70.

Text

[Εὐ?]μηλί[δας?] ἱαρεύ̣[ς? ---] .

Apparatus

1 [Εὐ?]μηλί[δας?] : Menozzi, 2006  Μηλιχ[ίω]

2 Menozzi, 2006  ἱαρεύ[ς]

French translation

[Eu]mèli[das], prêtre.

English translation

[Eu]meli[das], priest.

Italian translation

[Eu]meli[das], sacerdote.

Arabic translation

.[إف]ميلي[داس] الكاهن

Commentary

The transcription and interpretation given by Menozzi, 2006 are puzzling in many ways: a priest devoted to Melichios as such is not plausible and his own name would be missing in the inscription. Furthermore there is no hint in the illustration of the chi mentioned in the diplomatic transcription.

Either we have one more mention of the divine epithet Μηλίχιος, which cannot be plausibly completed by the mention of a priest. A possibility for the second word would be ἱαρόν, which differs with the last letters transcribed at line 2.

On the other hand the segment ΜΗΛΙ at that place may belong to a personal name, such as Εὐμηλίδας. This reading is the more tantalizing that a priest of Apollo named Eumelidas is known from IGCyr020900. The name of Apollo is often omitted in mentions of the eponymous priest. As there are some tombs in the area, a funerary mention would be quite plausible.

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