Dedication to the Eumenides

IGCyr114000

Trismegistos ID: 738693

Source Description

Support

Rock-cut altar with two compartments and a sort of platform to the right (total dimensions not registered).

Layout

Inscribed in two lines on the rocky front wall below the platform, in a smoothened panel (0.32; 0.14;).

Letters

0.05, regular letters, slanting sigma.

Place of Origin

Findspot.

Date

Perhaps ca. 300 B.C. (lettering, context)

Findspot

Found by J.-S. Caillou (French mission) on September 5th, 2004 in the Port of Cyrene, later Apollonia : to the North and at bottom of the so-called Kallikrateia Rock .

Last recorded Location

Seen by C. Dobias-Lalou in situ at the time of discovery and again in 2010.

Text constituted from

Transcription from stone (CDL).

Bibliography

C. Dobias-Lalou in Caillou, 2010 , p. 181, fig. 10, n. 22, whence SEG , 60.1830; Dobias-Lalou, 2012 , pp. 230-231 and fig. 5..

Text

Κάλλις Εὐ(μενίδων)

Apparatus

2 Εὐ(μενίδων) : Caillou, 2010  ΕΥ

French translation

Kallis; (autel) des Euménides.

English translation

Kallis; (altar) of the Eumenides.

Italian translation

Kallis; (altare) delle Eumenidi.

Commentary

A personal name inscribed in front of a rock-cut altar is usual in Cyrenaica, showing the place where the man worships a deity. Usually, there are no father's names. In this occurrence, it might be possible that ευ would be the abbreviated form of the father's name, as many names in Eu- are common in Cyrenaica.

More convincing however is the idea of an abbreviation of the name of the Eumenides, who were also worshipped at other places in similar contexts. At Ain Hofra there is no instance of so short an abbreviation (see IGCyr030900 and followings), whereas the same one occurs at an unidentified place near Cyrene: IGCyr064600.

Alternatively, it might even be a full-word εὖ in a formula of good wish: 'Kallis, good luck', but this seems less probable because of the presence of the altars.

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