Support
White marble base with moulding on top, broken into two adjacent pieces (2.15; 0.19;1.04).
Layout
Inscribed on front face under the moulding.
Letters
0.025 to 0.03.
Place of Origin
Date
Perhaps second century B.C.
Findspot
Found by G. Oliverio in 1917 at Cyrene pleiades; HGL : reused in phase 2 of East Church as altar-base, with seven sockets in the upper face for colonnettes sustaining the holy table.
Later recorded Location
Seen in 1960 by Pugliese Carratelli at the same place.
Last recorded Location
Briefly seen in 1985 by C. Dobias-Lalou at the same place, photographs and measures impossible; not found again in 2004.
Text constituted from
Transcription from stone (CDL).
SECir Oliverio, G., Pugliese-Carratelli, G., Morelli, D., 1961-1962, Supplemento Epigrafico Cirenaico, Annuario della Scuola Archeologica di Atene e delle Missioni Italiane in Oriente (ASAA)39-40 (= n.s. 23-24), 219-375 - see in bibliography , 122 (no image); Ward-Perkins-Goodchild-Reynolds, 2003 Ward-Perkins, J.B., Goodchild, R.G., (edited by Reynolds, J.M.), 2003, Christian monuments of Cyrenaica, Society for Libyan Studies monograph4, London - see in bibliography , p. 155 (no image).
Hagémona fille de Philothalès, étant prêtresse a consacré (ce monument).
Hagemona daughter of Philothales, while being priestess dedicated (this monument).
Hagemona figlia di Philothales, quando era sacerdotessa ha dedicato (questo monumento).
The inscription was published without illustration by Pugliese Carratelli at SECir Oliverio, G., Pugliese-Carratelli, G., Morelli, D., 1961-1962, Supplemento Epigrafico Cirenaico, Annuario della Scuola Archeologica di Atene e delle Missioni Italiane in Oriente (ASAA)39-40 (= n.s. 23-24), 219-375 - see in bibliography . At Ward-Perkins-Goodchild-Reynolds, 2003 Ward-Perkins, J.B., Goodchild, R.G., (edited by Reynolds, J.M.), 2003, Christian monuments of Cyrenaica, Society for Libyan Studies monograph4, London - see in bibliography , p. 155 Reynolds said that she had not seen the inscription. When C. Dobias-Lalou saw the stone in 1985 no photograph could be made and she was not able to find again the inscription on later visits, probably by lack of convenient light.
The main priestess at Cyrene is that of Artemis. She held a yearly office like the eponymous priest of Apollo, as attested by mentions of women συνιαριτεύοισα 'being priestess at the same time as' a priest. It is thus highly plausible that Hagemona, here simply said 'priestess' was that of Artemis. Like many stones, this one was re-used in the East Church and plausibly moved from the sanctuary of Apollo.
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