IRCyr: M.44. Christian liturgical list of names

Description: Part of an ivory diptych, recomposed from fragments (w: 0.11 x h: 0.299 x d: 0.005).
Text: Written in ink on both faces. On the external face (a), a letter, perhaps part of a monogram; on the internal face (b), inscribed within a border on two occasions: i) rather rough, and ii) more elegant, overlying i.
Letters: In b) lunate epsilon and sigma, superscript bars in lines 9, 10, 24.

Date: i) dated by Oliverio in the middle of the fifth century; ii) after the sixth century

Findspot: South of Berenike: Soluk, in the remains of a late building, lying on a limestone block whose upper surface had been hollowed out; found before 1923, during road-works.
Original location: Unknown.
Last recorded location: Benghazi Museum (1923).

Interpretive

[---]((monogram))

b
i

[ - - - - - - - - - - ] [---]Υ̣
5[---]ΟΥ
[---]Υ
[---]Υ
[---]Υ
[---]νου
10[--- Λ]ουκίου
[---]θίου
[---]νδου
[---]ρου
[---]ου
15[---]ϲ[.]ε[.]δωνοϲ
[Ῥ]ούφου
Θ[ε]ολόγο̣υ
Φ[αι]νηϲ[ί?]λου
Φλαβιου
20Ἰουλίου
Ἐτηάρχου
Ἰουλίου
Ϲέμν[ου]
[..]Τ[---]
25Ομυ[---]
Βοτ[---]
Π̣[---]
Φι[---]
Μι[...]ονο[---]
30[Ἰ]ουλίου
[..]βίπωνο[---]
[Εὐ]οτίου
[...]Μ[---]
Θυ[---]
35Ο[---]
Θεοδωρ[ου ---]
[Κ]ρίτωνο̣[ϲ ---]
[.. ? ..]Υ[---]
Πίϲωνο[ϲ]
40Θεοδωρ[ου]
Θε̣υ[---]
[Εὐ]φημ[ί]ο[υ]
[.. ? ..]Υ[---]
[.. ? ..]ΟϹ[---]
45[.. ? ..]νίου
[.. ? ..]θ[.. ? ..]ου
[.. ? ..]Ο[.. ? ..]ΝΤ[---]

[---]ο
[---]υ
[---]υ
[---]ίου
5[---]οϲ
[---]φη
( vac. 1 line)
[---]νίο
[---]νουτίου
10[---]νουφίδου
( vac. 1 line)
[---]η[.]είου
[--- Π]τολεμεου
( vac. 1 line)
15[---]ι[..]ου
( vac. 1 line)
[---]λ̣ογίου
[--- Κρί]ϲπου
( vac. 1 line)
20[---]ου
( vac. 1 line)
[---]όνου

Diplomatic

[---] monogram

b
i

[ - - - - - - - - - - ] [---].
5[---]ΟΥ
[---]Υ
[---]Υ
[---]Υ
[---]ΝΟΥ
10[---.]ΟΥΚΙΟΥ
[---]ΘΙΟΥ
[---]ΝΔΟΥ
[---]ΡΟΥ
[---]ΟΥ
15[---]Ϲ[·]Ε[·]ΔΩΝΟϹ
[.]ΟΥΦΟΥ
Θ[.]ΟΛΟΓ.Υ
Φ[..]ΝΗϹ[.]ΛΟΥ
ΦΛΑΒΙΟΥ
20ΙΟΥΛΙΟΥ
ΕΤΗΑΡΧΟΥ
ΙΟΥΛΙΟΥ
ϹΕΜΝ[..]
[··]Τ[---]
25ΟΜΥ[---]
ΒΟΤ[---]
.[---]
ΦΙ[---]
ΜΙ[···]ΟΝΟ[---]
30[.]ΟΥΛΙΟΥ
[··]ΒΙΠΩΝΟ[---]
[..]ΟΤΙΟΥ
[···]Μ[---]
ΘΥ[---]
35Ο[---]
ΘΕΟΔΩΡ[..---]
[.]ΡΙΤΩΝ.[.---]
[.. ? ..]Υ[---]
ΠΙϹΩΝΟ[.]
40ΘΕΟΔΩΡ[..]
Θ.Υ[---]
[..]ΦΗΜ[.]Ο[.]
[.. ? ..]Υ[---]
[.. ? ..]ΟϹ[---]
45[.. ? ..]ΝΙΟΥ
[.. ? ..]Θ[.. ? ..]ΟΥ
[.. ? ..]Ο[.. ? ..]ΝΤ[---]

[---]Ο
[---]Υ
[---]Υ
[---]ΙΟΥ
5[---]ΟϹ
[---]ΦΗ
     vacat
[---]ΝΙΟ
[---]ΝΟΥΤΙΟΥ
10[---]ΝΟΥΦΙΔΟΥ
     vacat
[---]Η[·]ΕΙΟΥ
[---.]ΤΟΛΕΜΕΟΥ
     vacat
15[---]Ι[··]ΟΥ
     vacat
[---].ΟΓΙΟΥ
[---...]ϹΠΟΥ
     vacat
20[---]ΟΥ
     vacat
[---]ΟΝΟΥ

English translation

Translation by: Editors

(Alist of names, not usefully translatable)

Commentary

The superscript bars in i (above lines 9, 10, 24), to judge from Oliverio's drawings, may be in the form commonly used to mark abbreviations in Byzantine texts.

Soluq must always have been a place of some importance because of its wells, but surprisingly few antiquities have been reported there. Findspot and contents suggest that the object may be a liturgical diptych containing the names of persons to be remembered during the Mass; cf. Cabrol-Leclerq, sv. Diptyques. The readings are far from satisfactory. It is all but impossible to check those of b.i from the photograph so that we have simply reproduced Oliverio's text as modified by Pugliese-Caratelli; in b.ii we have offered some variants of our own, but are not always able to distinguish the two hands with any certainty and may have included some letters attributed by Oliverio to i.

Bibliography: Fantoli, 1923, 71, ; Pugliese-Carratelli, 1961, 28, p.48f., whence Robert, Bulletin Épigraphique, 1962.371, SEG 20.778, PHI 324528; Reynolds-Ward-Perkins-Goodchild, 2003, 431.
Text constituted from: From previous publications (Reynolds).

Images

Fig. 1. Face a (Department of Antiquities, E. 185)

Fig. 2. Face b (Department of Antiquities, E. 184)

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IRCyr Inscriptions of Roman Cyrenaica

M.44. Christian liturgical list of names

English translation

Commentary

Images