13.201. Funerary inscription for Marcus Aurelius Epinikos and Aurelia Zenonis and family

Description:
White marble garland sarcophagus with lid; for full description see Isik 118.
Text:
i. a. inscribed on the lid, (length 2.09); i. b on the tabella, impinging on the moulding (W. 0.29 x H. 0.41), l. 1 on upper moulding, ll. 17-18 on lower moulding; i. c on the projections. On one of the vertical projections an earlier text has been erased and ii has been added..]
Letters:
i. a fair version of the second-to-fourth-century style, a: 0.020; b: 0.015; c: 0.025; ii. roughly cut and aligned, with cursive forms, 0.015-0.02. Unconventional spellings in i a, l.1, ii, ll.1, 3.
Date:
For i. perhaps the first half of the third century (lettering, nomenclature); ii. presumably relates to a secondary use at a later date.
Findspot:
Necropolis, North-east, Ata Eymir: in a tomb
Original Location:
Findspot
Last recorded location:
Museum (1994)
History of discovery:
Excavated by the Aphrodisias Museum in 1992 (Museum inventory 92/2; Sarcophagus 309)
Bibliography:
Published by Mahir Atici, IV. Müze Kurtama Kazilari Semineri Marmaris, 1993, (Department of Antiquities, Ankara, 1993), 101-108, whence mentioned SEG 1995.1506, BullEp 1995.513; by Reynolds and Isik, no. 118
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Reynolds) This edition Reynolds (2007).
i
a
1 ἡ σορός ἐστιν καὶ αἱ ὑποκειμεναι ἐν τῷ βαθρικῷ ἰσῶσται Μάρ(κου) Αὐρ(ηλίου) Ἐπινείκου β´ τοῦ [Μου]-
2σαίου ἐν ᾗ σορῷ vv. κηδευθήσονται ὅ τε Ἐπίνεικος καὶ Αὐρηλία Ζηνωνις
3 Ἀδράστο̣υ̣ τοῦ vv. Ἀπολλωνίου τ̣ο̣ῦ̣ [Δ]ημητρίου ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ
4Ἐπί[νεικ]ος γ´ τοῦ Μουσαίου [?ὁ υἰὸς] αὐτῶν καὶ Αὐρ(ήλιος) Κλ<α>ύδιος Ἐπί-
5ν̣ε̣ι̣κ̣[ος] ὁ υἱὸς ΤΕΓ[·· c. 4 ··]ΘΕΟΣ ὁ ἐγγον[ος] Μάρ(κου) ΑΗΡ̣Λ̣Α̣Γ̣ΚΙΑ v. ΝΟΥυἱὸς ?vac.
b
1Η̣ΙΑ[·· c. 46 ··]
2ἕ̣τ̣[ερος] δὲ̣ οὐδεὶς
3ἕ[ξ]ει ἐξουσιαν
4ἐ[ν]θάψαι τινὰ
5 ἐν [τ]ῇ σορῷ οὐ-
6δὲ [ἐ]κθάψαι
7 σωμ̣άτειον ἐ-
8πε[ὶ] ὁ̣ ἐπιχει-
9ρήσας ὑπε-
10ναντίον τι
11 ποιῆσαι τῶν
12προγεγραμ-
13μένων ἔστω<ι>
14 ἀσεβὴς καὶ
15 ἐπάρατος καὶ
16 τυμβωρύχος
17 καὶ ἀπ[οτείσατω]
17a[···]
c
(On the projections:)
1[Ζῶ]|σιν
ii
(On the left projection the text has been erased and a new one added:)
1 κὲ αὕτὴ ἡ
2 σορὸς Ἀντ-
3ωνείνου κὲ
3a[·· ? ··
i
a
1ΗΣΟΡΟΣΕΣΤΙΝΚΑΙΑΙΥΠΟΚΕΙΜΕΝΑΙΕΝΤΩΒΑΘΡΙΚΩΙΣΩΣΤΑΙΜΑΡΑΥΡΕΠΙΝΕΙΚΟΥΒΤΟΥ[···]
2ΣΑΙΟΥΕΝΗΣΟΡΩ  ΚΗΔΕΥΘΗΣΟΝΤΑΙΟΤΕΕΠΙΝΕΙΚΟΣΚΑΙΑΥΡΗΛΙΑΖΗΝΩΝΙΣ
3ΑΔΡΑΣΤ··ΤΟΥ  ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΟΥ···[·]ΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥΗΓΥΝΗΑΥΤΟΥΚΑΙ
4ΕΠΙ[····]ΟΣΓΤΟΥΜΟΥΣΑΙΟΥ[······]ΑΥΤΩΝΚΑΙΑΥΡΚΛΥΔΙΟΣΕΠΙ
5····[··]ΟΥΙΟΣΤΕΓ[····]ΘΕΟΣΟΕΓΓΟΝ[··]ΜΑΡΑΗ····ΚΙΑ ΝΟΥΥΙΟΣ     
b
1·ΙΑ[··············································]
2··[····]Δ·ΟΥΔΕΙΣ
3Ε[·]ΕΙΕΞΟΥΣΙΑΝ
4Ε[·]ΘΑΨΑΙΤΙΝΑ
5ΕΝ[·]ΗΣΟΡΩΟΥ
6ΔΕ[·]ΚΘΑΨΑΙ
7ΣΩ·ΑΤΕΙΟΝΕ
8ΠΕ[·]·ΕΠΙΧΕΙ
9ΡΗΣΑΣΥΠΕ
10ΝΑΝΤΙΟΝΤΙ
11ΠΟΙΗΣΑΙΤΩΝ
12ΠΡΟΓΕΓΡΑΜ
13ΜΕΝΩΝΕΣΤΩ
14ΑΣΕΒΗΣΚΑΙ
15ΕΠΑΡΑΤΟΣΚΑΙ
16ΤΥΜΒΩΡΥΧΟΣ
17ΚΑΙΑΠ[········]
17a[···]
c
(On the projections:)
1[··]ΣΙΝ
ii
(On the left projection the text has been erased and a new one added:)
1ΚΕΑΥΤΗΗ
2ΣΟΡΟΣΑΝΤ
3ΩΝΕΙΝΟΥΚΕ
3a[·· ? ··
<div type="textpart_section" n="i" >
<div type="textpart_fragment" n="a" >
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
ἡ
σορός
ἐστιν
καὶ
αἱ
ὑποκειμεναι
ἐν
τῷ
βαθρικῷ
ἰσῶσται
<expan>
<abbr>
Μάρ
</abbr>
<supplied reason="abbreviation" >
κου
</supplied>
</expan>
<expan>
<abbr>
Αὐρ
</abbr>
<supplied reason="abbreviation" >
ηλίου
</supplied>
</expan>
Ἐπινείκου
<num value="2" >
β
</num>
τοῦ
<supplied reason="lost" >
Μου
</supplied>
<lb n="2" type="worddiv" />
σαίου
ἐν
ᾗ
σορῷ
<space extent="2" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
κηδευθήσονται
ὅ
τε
Ἐπίνεικος
καὶ
Αὐρηλία
Ζηνωνις
<lb n="3" />
Ἀδράστ
<unclear reason="damage" >
ου
</unclear>
τοῦ
<space extent="2" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
Ἀπολλωνίου
<unclear reason="damage" >
τοῦ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
Δ
</supplied>
ημητρίου
ἡ
γυνὴ
αὐτοῦ
καὶ
<lb n="4" />
Ἐπί
<supplied reason="lost" >
νεικ
</supplied>
ος
<num value="3" >
γ
</num>
τοῦ
Μουσαίου
<supplied reason="lost" cert="low" >
ὁ
υἰὸς
</supplied>
αὐτῶν
καὶ
<expan>
<abbr>
Αὐρ
</abbr>
<supplied reason="abbreviation" >
ήλιος
</supplied>
</expan>
Κλ
<supplied reason="omitted" >
α
</supplied>
ύδιος
Ἐπί
<lb n="5" type="worddiv" />
<unclear reason="damage" >
νεικ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ος
</supplied>
ὁ
υἱὸς
<orig n="unresolved" >
τεγ
</orig>
<gap reason="lost" extent="4" unit="character" />
<orig n="unresolved" >
θεοσ
</orig>
ὁ
ἐγγον
<supplied reason="lost" >
ος
</supplied>
<expan>
<abbr>
Μάρ
</abbr>
<supplied reason="abbreviation" >
κου
</supplied>
</expan>
<orig n="unresolved" >
αη
<unclear reason="damage" >
ρλαγ
</unclear>
κια
</orig>
<space extent="1" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
<orig n="unresolved" >
νου
</orig>
υἱὸς
<space extent="5" unit="character" id="space3" dim="horizontal" />
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart_fragment" n="b" >
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<orig n="unresolved" >
<unclear reason="damage" >
η
</unclear>
ια
</orig>
<gap reason="lost" extent="46" unit="character" extentmax="47" />
<lb n="2" />
<unclear reason="damage" >
ἕτ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ερος
</supplied>
δ
<unclear reason="damage" >
ὲ
</unclear>
οὐδεὶς
<lb n="3" />
ἕ
<supplied reason="lost" >
ξ
</supplied>
ει
ἐξουσιαν
<lb n="4" />
ἐ
<supplied reason="lost" >
ν
</supplied>
θάψαι
τινὰ
<lb n="5" />
ἐν
<supplied reason="lost" >
τ
</supplied>
ῇ
σορῷ
οὐ
<lb n="6" type="worddiv" />
δὲ
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἐ
</supplied>
κθάψαι
<lb n="7" />
σω
<unclear reason="damage" >
μ
</unclear>
άτειον
ἐ
<lb n="8" type="worddiv" />
πε
<supplied reason="lost" >
ὶ
</supplied>
<unclear reason="damage" >
ὁ
</unclear>
ἐπιχει
<lb n="9" type="worddiv" />
ρήσας
ὑπε
<lb n="10" type="worddiv" />
ναντίον
τι
<lb n="11" />
ποιῆσαι
τῶν
<lb n="12" />
προγεγραμ
<lb n="13" type="worddiv" />
μένων
ἔστω
<supplied reason="omitted" >
ι
</supplied>
<lb n="14" />
ἀσεβὴς
καὶ
<lb n="15" />
ἐπάρατος
καὶ
<lb n="16" />
τυμβωρύχος
<lb n="17" />
καὶ
ἀπ
<supplied reason="lost" >
οτείσατω
</supplied>
<lb n="17a" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="3" unit="character" />
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart_fragment" n="c" >
<note>
On the projections:
</note>
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
Ζῶ
</supplied>
<milestone unit="block" />
σιν
</ab>
</div>
</div>
<div type="textpart_section" n="ii" >
<note>
On the left projection the text has been erased and a new one added:
</note>
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
κὲ
αὕτὴ
ἡ
<lb n="2" />
σορὸς
Ἀντ
<lb n="3" type="worddiv" />
ωνείνου
κὲ
<lb n="3a" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="line" dim="bottom" />
</ab>
</div>

Translation:

i.a: The sarcophagus and the burial places below it in the base of the monument belong to Marcus Aurelius Epinikos son of Epinikos the son of Mousaios. In this sarcophagus Epinikos and Aurelia Zenonis, daughter of Adrastos the son of Apollonios the son of Demetrius, his wife, will be buried and Epinikos third of the name after Musaios, their son, and Aurelius Claudius Epinikos the son and [·· ? ··]theus their grandson.

b: No one else will have the right to bury anyone in the sarcophagus nor to remove a body from it; for anyone who undertakes anything contrary to what is written above is to be (considered) sacrilegious and accursed and a tomb-breaker and [?is to pay (etc.) ·· ? ··]]

c: They are alive

ii: This sarcophagus also belongs to Antoninos and [·· ? ··]

Commentary:

The owner and his wife are both Aurelii and both have genealogies with names cited in the Greek manner. So the date must be after A.D. 212, but perhaps not very long after. They provide a burial place in the future for their son Epinikos 3 (his genealogy justifies the supplement in l. 4) and for an Aurelius Cl(a)udius Epinikos (Claudius is a probable correction of the text), but the damage to l. 5 obscures the latter's family connection. The simplest solution is that he was the grandson mentioned there, son of the owners' daughter whose name, in the genitive case, underlies the partly (and surely wrongly) read letters after υἱός and of the man Marcus Aurelius ?Lankianos named towards the end of the line. Since the presumed grandson has two nomina, Cl(a)udius as well as Aurelius, his father should have done so too and should , perhaps, be interpreted as M. Aur(elius) Cl(audius) [ .. ]ianos. They appear to be quite a prosperous group, but although Claudii must be related to a family of the old Aphrodisian élite these are probably from a dependent branch. That accords well with a decision to adopt the names M. Aurelius alongside Cl(a)udius.

Photographs:

Sarcophagus (1994)
 Sarcophagus (1994)
Sarcophagus (1994)
 Sarcophagus (1994)
Sarcophagus (1994)
 Sarcophagus (1994)

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