9. Funerary inscription of Alexandros, son of Dilaes

Description

• Monument: altar, moulded on top and base; marble
• Dimensions: 1.55 × 0.57 × 0.50
• Text: on the front
• Letters: 0.02 – 0.025
• Date: second half of second – first half of third century AD
• Found: Cabyle, later re-used in the modern village of Kabile
• Now: Cabyle, Archaeological museum
• Text Category: private, funerary

Publication

• Bibliography: G. Mihailov, Inscriptiones Graecae in Bulgaria repertae, vol. III, 2, Serdicae, 1964, no. 1776; В. Велков, Надписи от Кабиле – In: Кабиле, том 2, София, 1991, p. 30, no. 39, fig. 36.
• Editorial: The text was encoded following the edition of Mihailov without any additional corrections.
• Publisher: Text by N. Sharankov.

Text

Θ(εοῖς) v Καταχθονίοις. Ἀλέξανδρος Διλαηους · ἰητρός, v folium v ἔτη ο’ ζήσας v περιὼν τὸν τύμβον v · v καὶ τὸν 5 βωμὸν μνημοσύνης v χάριν. vacat Χαῖρε vac παροδεῖτα.

Translation

To the Gods of the Underworld. Alexandros, son of Dilaes, physician, having lived 70 years and still being alive, [made] the tomb and the altar in memory. Farewell, passer-by.

На подземните богове. Александър, син на Дилаес, лекар, живял 70 години и още жив, [съоръжи] гроба и олтара в памет. Сбогом, пътниче!

Apparatus

The abbreviation Θ(εοῖς) in l. 1 and the numeral ο’ in l. 3 are marked with lines above the letters; the numeral ο’ is surrounded by points; points are used as separation marks at the end of l. 2 and in l. 5. One should note the careful arrangement of the text.

Photographs

Commentary

The dedication Θ(εοῖς) Καταχθονίοις corresponds to the Latin Dis Manibus. The patronymic Διλαης, gen. Διλαηους, is Thracian, possibly from Asia Minor (Bithynia). The form ἰητρός is Ionic (instead of Attic ἰατρός), because Ionic Greek was considered the dialect of medicine. We should note the use of περιών, which is attested mostly in Asia Minor, instead of the usual for Thrace ζῶν: this could be indicative of Alexandros’ origin.

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