IRCyr   Inscriptions of Roman Cyrenaica

M.171. Christian inscription

Description: Small limestone column, made in one piece with its capital.
Text: Inscribed on two faces, both badly damaged
Letters: The letters are roughly cut and irregularly spaced, with lunate epsilon, sigma, and omega.

Date: Sixth century CE

Findspot: Gebel Akhdar: West of Cyrene, c. 5 km. south of Beida Gasr Bandes, in a ?church.
Original location: Findspot.
Last recorded location: Findspot

Interpretive

a
[Κ(ύρι)ε] β̣ω̣ήθη ( vac. ) Κ̣Ε̣[---]
[---] Π̣α̣ύ̣λω [---]
[---]Ω̣ΡΧ̣ΑΤΩ[---]
[---]Κ̣Ι̣Ι̣Π̣Ω̣Κ[---]
5[---]Κ̣ΟΝΤ̣Ι̣Α̣[---]
[---] θ̣ε̣ῶ̣ καὶ [---]
[---]Ϲ̣ΟΡ̣Ι̣ [.] Α̣Α̣[---]
[---]Η̣ΤΟ̣[---]
b
[---]Ṃ[...] Ι̣Ο̣ΑϹ̣
[---]Α[c. 4]ο̣κ̣λ̣εϲ

Diplomatic

a
[..]..ΗΘΗ      ..[---]
[---]...ΛΩ[---]
[---].Ρ.ΑΤΩ[---]
[---].....Κ[---]
5[---].ΟΝ...[---]
[---]...ΚΑΙ[---]
[---].Ο..[·]..[---]
[---].Τ.[---]
b
[---].[···]..Α.
[---]Α[····]...ΕϹ

a.1: presumably for [Κύριε] Βοήθει but the words may have appeared in the reverse order, the survivng ΚΕ being for Κύριε, not καί.

English translation

Translation source: Reynolds-Ward-Perkins-Goodchild, 2003

a: Lord, Help ? Paul . . . God . . .

Commentary

The presence of a possible personal name, Paulοs (a.2) and traces of another, -okles, as observed by Dobias-Lalou (loc.cit.) in b.2, perhaps indicates that help was sought for a list of persons.

Bibliography: Mohamed-Reynolds, 2000, 4.a, 1492, whence SEG 50.1632; a substantially revised text, Reynolds-Ward-Perkins-Goodchild, 2003, 395.2, whence Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique, 2004.455.
Text constituted from: Transcription (Reynolds).

Images

None available (2020).


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