Description: Three pieces from an altar of white marble, probably Attic, moulded above and below (together, w:
0.70 x h:
1.25 x d:
0.42).
Text: Inscribed on one face which is worn, especially at the centres of the lines.
Letters: Probably fourth century CE; latin capitals, 0.05-0.055; omicrons between Β, Λ and Ν in line 6 written small; leaves at the
ends of lines 4,7.
Date: Probably fourth century CE
Findspot:
Taucheira:
West Gate, re-used face-downward in the threshold; found in 1940.
Original location: Unknown.
Last recorded location:
now in Tocra Museum
English translation
Translation by: Charlotte Roueché
For Ammon, L[- (scil. son)] of Pamphilos [ . . . ] made from his own resources, from the foundations. He also [?built] the temple and the enclosure from the foundations.
Arabic translation
Translation by: Muna Abdelhamed
لأمون ، لــ [- (بن)] بامفيلوس [. . . ] بنى من موارده الخاصة (ماله الخاص) من الأسس. هو أيضًا [بنى] المعبد والسور الذي يحيطه من الأسس.
Commentary
Line 1: For the special position of Ammon in Cyrenaican cult, cf. Plato, Politicus 257b (available at Perseus), Pindar, Pythian IV.16 (available at Perseus), where he is assimilated to Zeus, and Pausanias X.13.5 (available at Perseus); he appears constantly on the coin types of Cyrene, as also at Barca and Euhesperides (Robinson, British Museum Catalogue, p. ccxxxiii) and strongly influenced the personal nomenclature of the province, but rarely appears in inscriptions. If the lettering here is correctly dated, the work recorded might be connected with Julian's pagan revival, but the point is very insecure. A cult-title and/or the name of the donor filled the lost area.
Lines 3/4: presumably the construction originally undertaken was described here.
Lines 5/7: the lettering is more crowded, this was perhaps an addition made when the donor undertook the further work. For the verb at the end of line 5, ἀνεστήλωσεν, though rather long, seems just possible.
Bibliography:
Text constituted from: Transcription (Reynolds).
Images
Fig. 1. Face, assembled (Joyce Reynolds, II.36.2)
Fig. 2. Face, upper left (Joyce Reynolds, II.32)
Fig. 3. Face, upper left (Joyce Reynolds, II.33)
Fig. 4. Face, lower right (Joyce Reynolds, II.31) Fig. 5. Face, lower right (Joyce Reynolds, II.34)