Description:
Fragments of fresco on wall plaster. The original design appears to have been a series of circular garlands of green leaves, outlined inside and outside with a sold band; The fragments come from at least three such garlands; fragment iv may well come from the same text as fragment iii.
Text:
The lettering is inscribed inside the garlands, in red on a white background.
Letters:
0.07-0.08, tall and clear; diairetic dots on Ι in iii, line 2, and, apparently, on the second Ι in line 4 of ii; three dots as a stop in ii, 1ine 3; abbreviation: ΙΝΔ with a comma hanging from delta, Ο with Υ above.
Date:
A.D. 583 or A.D. 491 - 518 (emperors).
Findspot:
Hadrianic Baths: tepidarium.
Original Location:
Findspot.
Last recorded location:
Museum.
History of discovery:
Excavated by the NYU expedition in 1962, removed in 1966-7: 67.102 and 69.473 (together, 61.i), 69.471 (61.ii), 69.470 (61.iii). 69.472 (61.iv).
Bibliography:
Published by Roueché, Aphrodisias in Late Antiquity no. 61.i-iv, whence McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 843, 844, 628 and 894.
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Roueché). This edition Roueché (2007).
i
(Two joining fragments, with garland at both sides.)
1[·· ? ··]
2 cross νι[κᾷ] ἡ τύχη
3τοῦ β[ασι]λέως·
4νικᾷ ἡ τ[ύ]χη τῆς
5δεσπο̣ί[ν]ης· τοῦ νέου
6Θεοδο̣[σί]ου πολ -
7λὰ [τὰ ἔτ]η scroll
ii
(Fragment with trace of garland at lower right edge.)
0·· ? ··]
1[·· ? ··]Λ̣Ι̣Ι̣ΟΥ π̣ο[λλὰ]
2[τὰ ἔτ]η̣· υἱὲ θεοῦ ζ[ωὴν]
3[αὐτ]ῷ stop νικᾷ ἡ πί̣σ̣[τις]
4[τῶν] Χριστιανῶν [·]
4a[·· ? ··] v.
iii
(Fragment without any trace of garland.)
0·· ? ··]
1ἐ̣π̣ὶ Ο[·]
2[·· ? ·· πα]τρός, ἰνδικτίωνος [·· ? ··]
3[·· ? ··]ΡΑΣ v.
4[·· ? ··]Ι̣Λ̣ v. scroll
4a scroll
iv
(Fragment showing upper right corner of garland.)
1[·· ? ··]Ι
2[·· ? ··]Υ
3[·· ? ··]Λ̣
3a[·· ? ··
i
(Two joining fragments, with garland at both sides.)
1[ - - - ]
2 cross ΝΙ[··]ΗΤΥΧΗ
3ΤΟΥΒ[···]ΛΕΩΣ
4ΝΙΚΑΗΤ[·]ΧΗΤΗΣ
5ΔΕΣΠ·Ι[·]ΗΣΤΟΥΝΕΟΥ
6ΘΕΟΔ·[··]ΟΥΠΟΛ
7ΛΑ[····]Η scroll
ii
(Fragment with trace of garland at lower right edge.)
0·· ? ··]
1[ - - - ]···ΟΥ·Ο[···]
2[····]·ΥΙΕΘΕΟΥΖ[···]
3[···]Ω stop ΝΙΚΑΗΠ··[···]
4[···]ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΩΝ[·]
4a[ - - - ] 
iii
(Fragment without any trace of garland.)
0·· ? ··]
1··ΙΟ[·]
2[ - - - ··]ΤΡΟΣΙΝΔΙΚΤΙΩΝΟΣ[ - - - ]
3[ - - - ]ΡΑΣ 
4[ - - - ]··  scroll
4a scroll
iv
(Fragment showing upper right corner of garland.)
1[ - - - ]Ι
2[ - - - ]Υ
3[ - - - ]·
3a[·· ? ··
<div type="textpart_section" n="i" >
<note>
Two joining fragments, with garland at both sides.
</note>
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<unclear reason="damage" >
<g type="scroll" />
</unclear>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="internal" />
<unclear reason="damage" >
<g type="scroll" />
</unclear>
<lb n="2" />
<g type="cross" />
νι
<supplied reason="lost" >
κᾷ
</supplied>
τύχη
<lb n="3" />
τοῦ
β
<supplied reason="lost" >
ασι
</supplied>
λέως
·
<lb n="4" />
νικᾷ
τ
<supplied reason="lost" >
</supplied>
χη
τῆς
<lb n="5" />
δεσπ
<unclear reason="damage" >
ο
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ν
</supplied>
ης
·
τοῦ
νέου
<lb n="6" />
Θεοδ
<unclear reason="damage" >
ο
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
σί
</supplied>
ου
πολ
<lb n="7" type="worddiv" />
λὰ
<supplied reason="lost" >
τὰ
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἔτ
</supplied>
η
<g type="scroll" />
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart_section" n="ii" >
<note>
Fragment with trace of garland at lower right edge.
</note>
<ab>
<lb n="0" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="2" unit="line" dim="top" />
<lb n="1" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<orig n="unresolved" >
<unclear reason="damage" >
λιι
</unclear>
ου
</orig>
<unclear reason="damage" >
π
</unclear>
ο
<supplied reason="lost" >
λλὰ
</supplied>
<lb n="2" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
τὰ
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἔτ
</supplied>
<unclear reason="damage" >
η
</unclear>
·
υἱὲ
θεοῦ
ζ
<supplied reason="lost" >
ωὴν
</supplied>
<lb n="3" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
αὐτ
</supplied>
<g type="stop" />
νικᾷ
π
<unclear reason="damage" >
ίσ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
τις
</supplied>
<lb n="4" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
τῶν
</supplied>
Χριστιανῶν
<gap reason="lost" extent="1" unit="character" dim="right" />
<lb n="4a" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<space extent="1" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart_section" n="iii" >
<note>
Fragment without any trace of garland.
</note>
<ab>
<lb n="0" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="2" unit="line" dim="top" />
<lb n="1" />
<unclear reason="damage" >
ἐπ
</unclear>
<orig n="unresolved" >
ο
</orig>
<gap reason="lost" extent="1" unit="character" dim="right" />
<lb n="2" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
πα
</supplied>
τρός
,
ἰνδικτίωνος
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="right" />
<lb n="3" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<orig n="unresolved" >
ρασ
</orig>
<space extent="1" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
<lb n="4" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<orig n="unresolved" >
<unclear reason="damage" >
ιλ
</unclear>
</orig>
<space extent="1" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
<g type="scroll" />
<lb n="4a" />
<g type="scroll" />
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart_section" n="iv" >
<note>
Fragment showing upper right corner of garland.
</note>
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<orig n="unresolved" >
ι
</orig>
<lb n="2" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<orig n="unresolved" >
υ
</orig>
<lb n="3" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<orig n="unresolved" >
<unclear reason="damage" >
λ
</unclear>
</orig>
<lb n="3a" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="line" dim="bottom" />
</ab>
</div>

Apparatus

i.1: λ̣[·· ? ··]δ̣ ala2004: but see commentary below.

Translation:

i. [·· ? ··] The fortune of the emperor triumphs! The fortune of the empress triumphs! Many years for the new Theodosius!

ii. [·· ? ··] Many years [·· ? ··]! Son of God, grant him life! The faith of the Christians triumphs!

iii. [·· ? ·· ?this work was done] under O[·· ? ··], pater, in the [·· ? ··] indiction [·· ? ··]

Commentary:

See discussion at ala2004 V.26, ala2004 VI.47.

I agree with the suggestion by Benet Salway that i.line 1 did not include letters (as shown in my previous editions), but the traces of decoration, probably the 'bow' at teh top of the wreath; see C. Roueché, ‘From Aphrodisias to Stauropolis’, in J. Drinkwater and R. Salway edd., Wolf Liebeschuetz Reflected (London, 2007), 183-192, p. 184, and note 9.

Photographs:

i: Left part (1977)
 i: Left part (1977)
i: Right part (1977)
 i: Right part (1977)
i: Together (1977)
 i: Together (1977)
i: Left part, on excavation (1967)
 i: Left part, on excavation (1967)
ii: Face (1977)
 ii: Face (1977)
ii: Face (1977)
 ii: Face (1977)
iii: Face (1977)
 iii: Face (1977)
iv: Face (1977)
 iv: Face (1977)

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