IRCyr   Inscriptions of Roman Cyrenaica

M.120. Christian invocation

Description: Block of brown limestone (w: 0.54 x h: 0.50 x d: 0.24) damaged below and at the right edge and cracked vertically down the centre.
Text: Inscribed on one face; above inscription, to the right, a compass-traced cross.
Letters: Perhaps fourth century CE; uneven and badly aligned: 0.03-0.035; lunate epsilon, sigma, omega; cross with forked terminals.

Date: Perhaps fourth century CE

Findspot: Gebel Akhdar: West of Cyrene: Barke; recorded in 1926.
Original location: Unknown.
Last recorded location: Cyrene Museum.

Interpretive

((crux)) ὑπὲρ εὐχῆϲ κὲ
ϲωτηρίαϲ Ἰούϲτ[ου]
καὶ Μηνᾶ ἀναγ[ν]ω̣-
ϲτῶ̣ν̣ κὐκο̣δώμ̣ο̣ν̣
5 ἀμὴν Χριϲ[τέ]

Diplomatic

ΥΠΕΡΕΥΧΗϹΚΕ
ϹΩΤΗΡΙΑϹΙΟΥϹΤ[..]
ΚΑΙΜΗΝΑΑΝΑΓ[.].
ϹΤ..ΚΥΚ.ΔΩ...
5ΑΜΗΝΧΡΙϹ[..]

3: ω om. Reynolds, 1960
4: ΚΥΚΙΔΩΜΕΝ[ . . . Pugliese-Carratelli suggested κυρίο]υ κιδωμέν[ων] = κηδομένων Pugliese-Carratelli, 1961; κυκοωμέν[ων] (? for κεκοιμένων) Reynolds, 1960; ΚΥΚΟΔΩΜΟΝ[ . . ] Reynolds-Ward-Perkins-Goodchild, 2003; κὐκοκοδόμον for κὲ οἰκοδόμων Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique

English translation

Translation by: Editors

For the prayer and the salvation of Justus and Menas, readers and builders. Amen, Christ.

English translation

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

For the prayer and the salvation of Justus and Menas, readers [ . . . ] Amen, Christ.

Commentary

Line 1: The letter χ has the same form as in the chi-rho monogram of C.568.

Line 2: It is difficult to see how space could have been found for the letters ου unless they were ligatured.

Line 3: The ω at the end of line 3 is cut above the line.

Line 4: For κὲ οἰκοδομων. Suggested cautiously by Reynolds, supported, from a study of the squeeze, by Dobias-Lalou.

Bibliography: Reynolds, 1960, 20, whence Robert, Bulletin Épigraphique, 1961.835; Pugliese-Carratelli, 1961, 22, p. 43, fig. 37, whence Robert, Bulletin Épigraphique, 1962.369, SEG 18.767 PHI 324464; mentioned SEG 20.764; Reynolds-Ward-Perkins-Goodchild, 2003, 262.26, whence Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique, 2004.438. An image available at the BSR, wplib-G24-051d
Text constituted from: Transcription (Reynolds).

Images

   Fig. 1. Face (C. Dobias-Lalou, 2001: MFA 01/IV/10)