Caption

IGCyr111300

Trismegistos ID: 738644

Source Description

Repository

Benghazi Museum (Sidi Khrebish excavations), H410.

Support

Stone ball from a series of twenty-three, some of limestone, others of sandstone; chipped (weight 3.05 kg; diameter 0.15).

Layout

Inscribed with one letter and perhaps another one, not contiguous.

Letters

0.035.

Place of Origin

Findspot.

Date

Between 246 and end of second century B.C. (context)

Findspot

Found during the excavations (1973-1975) conducted by J. Lloyd at Berenike : in the area of Hellenistic city walls .

Present Location

Not seen by IGCyr team.

Text constituted from

Transcription from editors.

Bibliography

Reynolds, 2010 , pp. 226-228, whence SEG , 60.1832. Cf. Lloyd-Kenrick, 2014 , p. 138; Reynolds-Kenrick, 2015 , pp. 76-81.

Text

a
α´
b
ι´

Apparatus

b.1 (Perhaps no letter, but a stroke cut in the course of shaping the ball)

French translation

a) Un. b) Dix (?).

English translation

a) One. b) Ten (?).

Italian translation

a) Uno. b) Dieci (?).

Commentary

Known through a much delated publication, the balls are not easily individuated. However, J.M. Reynolds was able to show that the letters are not related to the weight of the balls and might indicate "a numbered military position of machine" from which it was projected. In any case, it cannot be the initial of a personal name, for IGCyr111330 bears a digamma, proving that the letters have a numeral value.

The date for all the balls should be between the foundation of Berenike (246 B.C.) and phase 2 of the Hellenistic city-wall (end of second century B.C.).

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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.

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