13.155. Funerary inscription for M. Aurelius Papias
- Description:
- White marble sarcophagus (W. 2.14 × H. 0.90 × D. 0.90) and lid; for further description see Isik 106.
- Text:
- Inscribed in the moulded central tabella.
- Letters:
- Quite well-designed, but only moderately well-aligned, not easy to date but perhaps of the first half of the third century, 0.025-0.03; for sigma, Ω for omega; unconventional spelling in ll.1, 3.
- Date:
- Middle to late third century A.D. (lettering and nomenclature), but this inscription is probably secondary, since the sarcophagus was certainly intended for a husband and wife.
- Findspot:
- Necropolis, North-east: 'Bagharassi, extra muros' (Gaudin); 'In a field 10 min east of the Heraclean gate' (MAMA)
- Original Location:
- Unknown
- Last recorded location:
- Museum
- History of discovery:
- Recorded by Gaudin (169); by the MAMA expedition; by the NYU expedition (Sarcophagus catalogue 45).
- Bibliography:
- Published by Reinach, from Gaudin's squeeze, REG 19, 1906, 277, no. 171; by Cormack, from the MAMA records, MAMA 8, no. 556c, whence McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 459 ; by Reynolds and Isik 106.
- Text constituted from:
- Transcription (Reynolds); publications. This edition Reynolds (2007).
- 1 ἡ σορός ἐσστιν
- 2 καὶ ὁ τόπος
- 3 ἐν ᾧ ἐπίκειτε
- 4 Μάρ(κου) Αὐ(ρηλίου) Παπίου
- 5 τοῦ καὶ Μελί-
- 6τωνος
- 1ΗΣΟΡΟΣΕΣΣΤΙΝ
- 2ΚΑΙΟΤΟΠΟΣ
- 3ΕΝΩΕΠΙΚΕΙΤΕ
- 4ΜΑΡΑΥΠΑΠΙΟΥ
- 5ΤΟΥΚΑΙΜΕΛΙ
- 6ΤΩΝΟΣ
<ab>
<lb
n="1"
/>
ἡ
σορός
ἐσστιν
<lb
n="2"
/>
καὶ
ὁ
τόπος
<lb
n="3"
/>
ἐν
ᾧ
ἐπίκειτε
<lb
n="4"
/>
<expan>
<abbr>
Μάρ
</abbr>
<supplied
reason="abbreviation"
>
</expan>
κου
</supplied>
<expan>
<abbr>
Αὐ
</abbr>
<supplied
reason="abbreviation"
>
</expan>
ρηλίου
</supplied>
Παπίου
<lb
n="5"
/>
τοῦ
καὶ
Μελί
<lb
n="6"
type="worddiv"
/>
τωνος
</ab>
Translation:
The sarcophagus and the plot on which it stands belong to Marcus Aurelius Papias, also called Meliton.
Commentary:
The owner is otherwise unknown. The unusual abbreviation of his nomen, like the shortness of the text, could suggest a later date.
Photographs:
You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (You may need the EpiDoc DTD v. 5 to validate this file.)