ISic001520: Epitaph for Alexander and Rhodope

I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana; photo Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi
I.Sicily with the permission of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana - Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana; photo Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi
ID
ISic001520
Language
Ancient Greek
Status
draft
Text type
funerary
Object type

Edition

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Apparatus criticus

  • Text of Agnello

Physical description

Support

Description
A square marble plaque, broken in half vertically, and reconnected.
Object type
No data
Object condition
complete, broken
Dimensions
height: 20 cmwidth: 20 cmdepth: cm

Material

Description
Fine-grained marble, likely Lunense, Docimian, Pentelic. Digital microscopy: heteroblastic to homeoblastic fabric (identification based on pXRF, digital microscopy)
Type > subtype
stone.marble > Lunense,Docimian,Pentelic

Inscription

Layout
Seven lines of crudely incised Greek letters, filling the face.
Text condition
complete
Technique
chiselled
Pigment
No data
Lettering

Very crudely scratched letters, lunate epsilon and sigma, uncial omega

Letter heights
Line 1: mm
Interlinear heights
Interlineation line 1 to 2: mm

Provenance

Place of origin
Syracusae
Provenance found
The left fragment (inv.14469) was found in the Catacomb of S.Giovanni in 1895, in the first northern gallery, III corsia est; the right fragment (inv.191) was already in the museum collection before 1888 and recorded so by Orsi in his Taccuini. Now on display, sector F, Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi

Current location

Place
Siracusa, Sicilia
Repository
Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi
Autopsy
None
Map

Date

Orsi speculated on an identification with a hypothetical bishop of the early 7th century, but this remains highly speculative. (AD 451 - AD 650)
Evidence
No data

Text type

funerary

commentary

Bibliography

Digital editions
Printed editions

Citation and editorial status

Editor
Jonathan Prag
Principal contributor
Jonathan Prag
Contributors
Last revision
5/11/2026