Aphrodisias in Late Antiquity 2004

163. Epitaph of Athanasius

Description

Monument: Four joining fragments of a white marble panel (0.40 x 0.42 x 0.09)
Text: Inscribed on both sides within a raised and moulded edge. On face a the moulding is slightly more elaborate, and the lettering, which is more regular than on face b, is surrounded by an incised margin; the last letter of 1.4 interrupts the margin, which seems to have been cut after the letters.
Letters: Clear and not overly irregular, with square epsilon and sigma, but lunate omega. Face a: 0.01-0.015. ll. 13-15 0.02; abbreviations in 1. 15: ΙΣ. ΧΡΣ. ΠΑ.. Face b: 0.15-0.02. On both sides there are diaeretic dots on some initial vowels.
Date: Fourth - sixth century or later (lettering, content)

Text

a
	ἐγὼ Ἀθανάσιος ὁ πάντα λιτουρ-
	γήσας ἐν τῇδε τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ πα-
	τρίδι καὶ πολλὰ ἔτη ἀποδημή-
	σας καὶ πολ̣[λὰ] ἔ̣θνη εἱστορήσας
5	καὶ πλε[ύσας π]ᾶσαν θάλασ-
	σαν ἕω[ς Ὠκε]ανοῦ καὶ ἰδὼν
	πᾶν γέν̣[ος ἀ]νθρώπων καὶ σω-
	θεὶς ηὐ̣[ξάμη]ν τῷ θεῷ stop ἐλ-
	θεῖ̣ν [?ἐν τῇ π]ατρίδι μου καὶ
10	ταφῆνα̣[ι παρὰ] τὰ ἴχνη τῶ[ν]
	ἁγείων [?μαρτύρ]ων ἵν[?α τοῦ]
	παρακλ[?ήτου ... ἐν ἡ]-
	μέρᾳ κρε[ίσεως ...]
	τῷ ἀνα[...]
15	Ἰ(ησοῦ)ς Χρ(ιστὸ)ς Πα(τὴρ) [...]
	τὴν ψυχ[ὴν ...]
b
	ἐνθάδε κεῖμαι ἐγὼ Ἀθανάσιος
	ὁ πολλὰ ἔτη ἀποδημήσας καὶ
	πολλὰ ἔθνη ἱσ[τορήσας] καὶ πᾶ-
	σαν θάλασσαν π̣[λεύσ]ας ἕ-
5	ως Ὠκεανοῦ κα[ὶ ἰδὼ]ν πᾶν
	γένος ἀνθρώπ[?ων stop κ]αὶ σω-
	[θ]ε̣ὶς ἠυξάμην τ̣[ῷ] Θ]ε̣ῷ ἐλ-
	[θεῖν] ἐ̣ν π̣[ατρίδι μ]ου καὶ τα-
	[φῆναι παρὰ τὰ ἴχνη] τῶν ἁγί-
10	[ων ?μαρτύρων ?ἵνα] τ̣οῦ παρα-
	[?κλήτου ... ἐν] ἡ̣μέρᾳ κρί-
	[σεως ...] vac.

Translation

a. I, Athanasius, who performed every civic duty in this, my own country, and lived abroad for many years, and visited many peoples, and sailed every sea as far as Ocean, and saw every race of men, and was kept safe, I prayed to God to reach my country and to be buried by the traces of the holy [?martyrs], ?so that [?I should have an advocate in] the day of judgement [...] Jesus Christ, Father, [... receive my] soul [...]

b. Here I lie, Athanasius, who lived abroad for many years, and visited many peoples. and sailed every sea as far as Ocean, and saw every race of men, and was kept safe, I prayed to God to [?reach my country] and [?to be buried by the traces] of the holy [?martyrs ?so that I should have an advocate in] the day of judgement [...].

Photographs

a: Face (1977)	b: Face (1977)

Commentary

See discussion at IX.27.

Locations

Found: Theatre (two fragments); North-east Nymphaeum (one fragment); stray (one fragment).
Original: Unknown.
Last Recorded: Museum.

History

Recording: Recorded by the NYU in 1968, 1969 and 1977 (68. 354, 69. 30, 69.31, and an unnumbered fragment).
Bibliography: Published by Roueché, Aphrodisias 163a whence PHI 744, 745.
Text constituted from: Transcription (Roueché).

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