11.27. Funerary formula, II-III cent.

Description:
Fragment of right side and perhaps lower right corner of a white marble ? base of a sarcophagus front (W. 0.17 × H. 0.09 × D. 0.075).
Text:
Inscribed on the face.
Letters:
Probably second to third centuries A.D.; 0.018. Star for denarius, l. 3; / before the figure.
Date:
Second to third centuries A.D. (lettering).
Findspot:
Stray find in City, Village
Original Location:
Unknown (1977)
Last recorded location:
Museum (1977)
History of discovery:
Excavated by the NYU expedition in 1964 (64.553)
Bibliography:
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Reynolds). This edition Reynolds (2007).
0 ·· ? ··]
1[·· ? ·· ?Διον]υσίου Το[·· ? ··]
2[·· ? ·· ἕτερος δ]ὲ οὐδεὶς
3[ἕξει ἐξουσίαν](e.g. [ἐνθάψαι τινα [·· ? ··] ἐπει ὁστις ἐναντίον τι ποιήση ἀπο τείσει τῷ ἱερωτά) τῷ ταμε]ίῳ (δηνάρια) ͵α ὧν
3a[τό τριτόν μέρος ἔσται τοῦ ἐκδικήσαντος ·· ? ··]
0·· ? ··]
1[ - - - ····]ΥΣΙΟΥΤΟ[ - - - ]
2[ - - - ·······]ΕΟΥΔΕΙΣ
3[············](e.g. [·······························································)······]ΙΩ denarius ΑΩΝ
3a[································· - - - ]
<ab>
<lb n="0" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="line" dim="top" />
<lb n="1" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<supplied reason="lost" cert="low" >
Διον
</supplied>
υσίου
Το
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="right" />
<lb n="2" />
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="left" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἕτερος
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
δ
</supplied>
ὲ
οὐδεὶς
<lb n="3" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἕξει
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἐξουσίαν
</supplied>
<note>
e.g.
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἐνθάψαι
τινα
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
ἐπει
ὁστις
ἐναντίον
τι
ποιήση
ἀπο
τείσει
τῷ
ἱερωτά
</supplied>
</note>
<supplied reason="lost" >
τῷ
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ταμε
</supplied>
ίῳ
<expan>
<abbr>
<orig >
<g type="denarius" />
</orig>
</abbr>
<supplied reason="abbreviation" >
δηνάρια
</supplied>
</expan>
<num value="1000" >
α
</num>
ὧν
<lb n="3a" />
<supplied reason="lost" >
τό
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
τριτόν
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
μέρος
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἔσται
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
τοῦ
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἐκδικήσαντος
</supplied>
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" dim="right" />
</ab>

Translation:

[·· ? ··] of [?Dion]ysios Το[·· ? ··] and no-one [else shall have the right to bury anyone here ·· ? ··] since whoever acts contrary to this provision [·· ? ··] shall pay to the most sacred (Roman) treasury one thousand denarii of which [a third shall go to the procurator ·· ? ··]

Commentary:

The first surviving line probably contains a name from a list of those who may be buried in the tomb; from the third we have the provision against burial of others not already specified which have been quite elaborately set out, and the punishment may have involved payment to other local bodies in addition to the Roman treasury. It is possible that Aphrodisians knew the distinction between the Treasury of the Roman People (ταμιεῖον = aerarium) and the Treasury of the Emperor (κυριακός φίσκος) but one cannot be sure of this at the likely date. The size of fine is smaller than was often the case at Aphrodisias.

Photographs:

Face (1977)
 Face (1977)

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