Repository
Cyrene Museum, Storeroom of the Italian missions, inv. number unknown.
Support
Fragmentary relief with a heroised rider, probably of Parian marble, broken off at left and on top; the preserved part shows two figures facing each other: a young figure wearing a short chiton, with the right arm lifted and holding presumably the bridle of the lost horse, and the left arm folded up against a standing oval shield; a female figure wearing a chiton and a mantle dragging on the ground, that she holds up on her waist with her right arm (0.31; 0.28;0.08).
Layout
Inscribed on the plinth beneath the figures.
Letters
Dimensions not registered; only omega is complete.
Place of Origin
Date
Perhaps last quarter of second or some date in the first century B.C. (context, lettering)
Findspot
Found by M. Luni between 2001 and 2006 at Cyrene pleiades; HGL : amongst the depot of sculptures in the so-called Temple of Cybele .
Last recorded Location
Seen by E. Rosamilia in 2010 in Shahat : in the Storeroom of the Italian missions , part of the Cyrene Museum.
Text constituted from
Transcription from stone (ER).
Giovannini, 2014 Giovannini, V., 2014, Le sculture dal 'tempio di Cibele' nel santuario dei Dioscuri, in Luni, M., Cirene greca e romana, Monografie di archeologia libica, 36, Cirene Atene d'Africa: attività delle missioni archeologiche internazionali a Cirene e in Cirenaica, 7, Roma, 67-88 - see in bibliography , p. 71 and Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique Dobias-Lalou, C.Bulletin Épigraphique in Études Grecques (REG)1987- - see in bibliography , 2015.741; Dobias-Lalou, 2016 Dobias-Lalou, C., 2016, D'un prétendu héros Dioscure aux défunts héroïsés, Libya Antiqua (LibAnt)n.s. 9, 163-176 - see in bibliography , p. 174.
1 ἥ̣ρ̣ως̣ : Giovannini, 2014 Giovannini, V., 2014, Le sculture dal 'tempio di Cibele' nel santuario dei Dioscuri, in Luni, M., Cirene greca e romana, Monografie di archeologia libica, 36, Cirene Atene d'Africa: attività delle missioni archeologiche internazionali a Cirene e in Cirenaica, 7, Roma, 67-88 - see in bibliography [ὁ δεῖνα τοῦ δεῖνα ἱαριτε]ύ̣ων
[Untel] héros.
[So-and-so] hero.
[Il tale] eroe.
[فلان] البطل
The inscription is known from a first mention in a study about sculpture by Giovannini, who got help from Rosamilia by way of a transfer of the inscribed letters on tracing paper. She then presented a drawing and reading that seems to differ too much from the usual mentions on such reliefs. From the photograph, Dobias-Lalou ( Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique Dobias-Lalou, C.Bulletin Épigraphique in Études Grecques (REG)1987- - see in bibliography , 2015.741) suggested the above reading, with which Rosamilia (per litteras, June 2015) now agrees.
For other inscribed mentions of heroized deads see commentary at IGCyr010001.
Giovannini mentions for this piece an inventory number 21 which should refer provisionnally to the group of sculptures found in the temple of Cybele during the excavations of 2001-2006.
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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.