11.59. Funerary inscription for Marcus Aurelius Zenon

Description:
White marble sarcophagus W. 1.95 × H. 0.81 × D. 0.78 with a central tabella ansata, supported by putti. On either side, garlands, with a bust above. See further Isik, loc. cit.
Text:
a. Inscribed around the bust to the left, b. around the bust to the right, c. on the tabella; inscription c. must have begun on the lid.
Letters:
Quite nicely designed in the second-to-fourth-century style, reasonably well cut, fairly well aligned, c. 0.02; ligatured ΗΝ (c. l.7), ΤΕ (c. l.3), ΤΗΝ (c. l.7); unconventional spelling in a, l.2.
Date:
Probably middle third century A.D. (lettering, nomenclature).
Findspot:
City, Village: ' In a house-yard' (MAMA)
Original Location:
Unknown: necropolis
Last recorded location:
Museum
History of discovery:
Copied in 1705 by Picenini (10102, 20v and, from Tisser, f. 68) whence Sherard (10101 31v -32); by K&R (KIII.39, Abklatsch 104); part recorded by Gaudin (148; photograph only); recorded by the MAMA expedition; by the NYU expedition (Sarcophagus catalogue 29)
Bibliography:
Published from Sherard's papers, A. Boeckh, CIG 2828, 2838; from Gaudin's squeeze, T. Reinach, REG 19 (1906), 269-270, no. 164 (part); from the MAMA records, J.M.R. Cormack, MAMA VIII. 575, whence McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 463; Reynolds & Isik 110.
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Reynolds); publications. This edition Reynolds (2007).
a
1 ἡ σορ bust ὸς δια
2φέρι Μάρ bust κῳ Αὐρη
3λίῳ Ζή bust νωνι
4βουλ(ευτῇ)
b
1 καὶ [Μάρ] bust κῳ Αὐρ[η]-
2 λίῳ Μεν bust ίππῳ ἀδ
3 ελφῷ αὐτοῦ
c
0 [?ἐν ᾗ σορῷ κηδευ]-
1θήσεται αὐτός τε καὶ Αὐρ(ήλιος)
2Πολυχρόνιος ὁ υἱὸς
3 αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἐπίκτη-
4τος ὁ θρεπτὸς αὐ-
5τοῦ καὶ οὓς ἂν αὐ-
6τὸς βουληθῇ εἰς
7 δὲ τὴν εἰσώστην τὴν
8 εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν φέρου-
9σαν κηδευθήσον-
10ται Δροσὶς καὶ Διονύσιος
a
1ΗΣΟΡ bust ΟΣΔΙΑ
2ΦΕΡΙΜΑΡ bust ΚΩΑΥΡΗ
3ΛΙΩΖΗ bust ΝΩΝΙ
4ΒΟΥΛ
b
1[···][···] bust ΚΩΑΥΡ[·]
2[···][···] bust ΙΠΠΩΑΔ
3[····]ΑΥΤΟΥ
c
0[············]
1ΘΗΣΕΤΑΙΑΥΤΟΣΤΕΚΑΙΑΥΡ
2ΠΟΛΥΧΡΟΝΙΟΣΟΥΙΟΣ
3ΑΥΤΟΥΚΑΙΕΠΙΚΤΗ
4ΤΟΣΟΘΡΕΠΤΟΣΑΥ
5ΤΟΥΚΑΙΟΥΣΑΝΑΥ
6ΤΟΣΒΟΥΛΗΘΗΕΙΣ
7ΔΕΤΗΝΕΙΣΩΣΤΗΝΤΗΝ
8ΕΙΣΤΗΝΟΔΟΝΦΕΡΟΥ
9ΣΑΝΚΗΔΕΥΘΗΣΟΝ
10ΤΑΙΔΡΟΣΙΣΚΑΙΔΙΟΝΥΣΙΟΣ
<div type="textpart_section" n="a" >
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
ἡ
σορ
<g type="bust" />
ὸς
δια
<lb n="2" type="worddiv" />
φέρι
Μάρ
<g type="bust" />
κῳ
Αὐρη
<lb n="3" type="worddiv" />
λίῳ
Ζή
<g type="bust" />
νωνι
<lb n="4" />
<expan>
<abbr>
βουλ
</abbr>
<supplied reason="abbreviation" >
ευτῇ
</supplied>
</expan>
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart_section" n="b" >
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<app type="previouslyread" >
<rdg resp="autopsy" >
<gap reason="lost" extent="3" unit="character" />
</rdg>
<rdg resp="previous" >
καὶ
</rdg>
</app>
<supplied reason="lost" >
Μάρ
</supplied>
<g type="bust" />
κῳ
Αὐρ
<supplied reason="lost" >
η
</supplied>
<lb n="2" type="worddiv" />
<app type="previouslyread" >
<rdg resp="autopsy" >
<gap reason="lost" extent="3" unit="character" />
</rdg>
<rdg resp="previous" >
λίῳ
</rdg>
</app>
<app type="previouslyread" >
<rdg resp="autopsy" >
<gap reason="lost" extent="3" unit="character" />
</rdg>
<rdg resp="previous" >
Μεν
</rdg>
</app>
<g type="bust" />
ίππῳ
ἀδ
<lb n="3" type="worddiv" />
<app type="previouslyread" >
<rdg resp="autopsy" >
<gap reason="lost" extent="4" unit="character" />
</rdg>
<rdg resp="previous" >
ελφῷ
</rdg>
</app>
αὐτοῦ
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart_section" n="c" >
<ab>
<lb n="0" />
<supplied reason="lost" cert="low" >
ἐν
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ᾗ
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
σορῷ
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
κηδευ
</supplied>
<lb n="1" type="worddiv" />
θήσεται
αὐτός
τε
καὶ
<expan>
<abbr>
Αὐρ
</abbr>
<supplied reason="abbreviation" >
ήλιος
</supplied>
</expan>
<lb n="2" />
Πολυχρόνιος
ὁ
υἱὸς
<lb n="3" />
αὐτοῦ
καὶ
Ἐπίκτη
<lb n="4" type="worddiv" />
τος
ὁ
θρεπτὸς
αὐ
<lb n="5" type="worddiv" />
τοῦ
καὶ
οὓς
ἂν
αὐ
<lb n="6" type="worddiv" />
τὸς
βουληθῇ
εἰς
<lb n="7" />
δὲ
τὴν
εἰσώστην
τὴν
<lb n="8" />
εἰς
τὴν
ὁδὸν
φέρου
<lb n="9" type="worddiv" />
σαν
κηδευθήσον
<lb n="10" type="worddiv" />
ται
Δροσὶς
καὶ
Διονύσιος
</ab>
</div>

Apparatus

b. highlighted letters were read by Sherard, but not subsequently

c. l.1, τε omitted by Cormack

Translation:

a. The sarcophagus belongs to Marcus Aurelius Zenon, city-councillor

b. and to Marcus Aurelius Menippos, his brother

c. [? in which sarcophagus] there shall be buried himself and Aur(elius) Polychronios his son and Epiktetos whom he fostered, and whomsoever he wishes; in the burial place which faces the road there shall be buried Drosis and Dionysios.

Commentary:

Either something is missing here or there was some carelessness in drafting since a and b name two owners and c only one. The tomb was composite (l.6), which accords with the status of a city-councillor. Drosis and Dionysios were presumably dependents, perhaps slaves.

Photographs:

Face (1973)
 Face (1973)

Representations:

Kubitschek notebook III, 39
 Kubitschek notebook III, 39

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