IRCyr   Inscriptions of Roman Cyrenaica

C.332. Restoration inscription

Description: Rock-cut tank; C.332 is inscribed on the internal wall, C.333, C.334 and C.335 on the floor.
Text: Inscribed on the internal wall.
Letters: First century CE: 0.07

Date: First century CE

Findspot: Cyrene: Fountain of Apollo, the tank receiving the water; found in 1929, photographed in 1930.
Original location: Unknown
Last recorded location: Fountain of Apollo

Interpretive

Μ(ᾶρκος) Ἀντώνιος Μ(άρκω) Ἀντωνίωι τῶι Φλάμμαι Γεμέλλωι υἱὸς Μ̣άξ̣[ι]μ̣ος ἱαρεὺς
( vac. ) ἐκάθαρε ἐκ τᾶν τῶ Ἀπόλλωνο[ς προσόδων]

Diplomatic

ΜΑΝΤΩΝΙΟΣΜΑΝΤΩΝΙΩΙΤΩΙΦΛΑΜΜΑΙΓΕΜΕΛΛΩΙΥΙΟΣ.Α.[.].ΟΣΙΑΡΕΥΣ
                                            ΕΚΑΘΑΡΕΕΚΤΑΝΤΩΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟ[.........]

Apparatus

1: Μ̣άξ̣[ι]μ̣ος : Pugliese-Carratelli prints [Κ]ασ̣[κελ]λιος but cf. the adjacent ?copy C.333

English translation

Translation by: Editors

M(arkos) Antonios Maximos(i.e. M(arcus) Antonius Maximus), son of M(arkos) Antonios Gemellos (i.e. M(arcus) Antonius Gemellus) (scil. son) of Phlamma (i.e. Flamma), priest, cleansed (the tank) from the resources of Apollo.

Commentary

His priesthood is not dated, but several members of this family were prominent in the later first century CE It is possible that Flamma should be identified with M.Antonius Flamma governor of Crete and Cyrene in CE 69, PIR2, A 831.

Line 2 the sense is probably 'to clean out' cf. Xenophon Oeconomicus 20.11 "to clear the weeds" (at Perseus. The tank does in fact tend to silt up; but a ritual purification may be involved as well. .

Bibliography: SECir, 1961-1962, 112 (from notebook XV, page 81, dated 30 September), whence Robert, Bulletin Épigraphique, 1964.568; see further Mohamed-Reynolds, 2002, 1656-7, note 6, whence SEG 52.1840.
Text constituted from: Transcription (Goodchild, Reynolds).

Images

   Fig. 1. Overview (Department of Antiquities, E 1372)