Funerary inscription, Tomb N.213
created: Transcription (Reynolds).
source date: Second to third centuries.
language: ar; en; fr; de; grc; grc-Latn; el; he
availability: Creative Commons licence Attribution UK 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/uk/) All reuse or distribution of this work must contain somewhere a link back to the URL http://inslib.kcl.ac.uk/

Bibliography

For the tomb see [...], 213, [...], 85

Ἐπαφροδείτου τοῦ Λουκίου τόποϲ ἀρχεφήβου ὁ καλούμενοϲ Μυρόπνουϲ

Translation

The place of Epaphrodeitus son of Lucius, the Archephebe, which is called myrrh-breathing.

Place of Epaphrodeitos son of Loukios Lucius, chief ephebe, he who was called Myropnous fragrant.

Commentary

Line 1: Cf. the Epaphrodeitos in C.582, presumably a relation

line 1: ἀρχεφήβου The term has not been found elsewhere in Cyrenaica, but occurs occasionally in communities on the Peloponnese: Argos, IG IV, 589, available at PHI PH28108; Korone, IG V,i 1398, available at PHI PH31836, Tegea: IG V,2 50, available at PHI PH32057, and (2 archephebes) IG V,2 52 2, available at PHI PH32059. It is often equated with the official called ἐφήβαρχος, whose role is much discussed: see N.Kennell, The Status of the Ephebarch (2002). Kennell shows that there are examples in the Roman period of the post being held by very young people. This certainly seems likely here, since the man's nickname in line 2 suggests a youth; cf. a dead child described as μελίπνους, IG XII.2.489 (available at PHI PH75168)