III 197. Chersonesos. Metrical epitaph of Bassos, late II - III century C.E.

Monument

Type

Panel. 

Material

Marble. 

Dimensions (cm)

H. 38.0, W. 37.0, Th. 7.0.

Additional description

Bottom part of a funerary monument, with a relief in an inset frame, five-line inscription cut following ruled lines.  

Place of Origin

Chersonesos. 

Find place

Sevastopol (Chersonesos). 

Find context

North sector of Chersonesos, on the site of the "Basilica of 1932." 

Find circumstances

Found in 1932, excavations of G.D. Belov. 

Modern location

Sevastopol. 

Institution and inventory

National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, 35264. 

Epigraphic field

Position

On the front. 

Lettering

Elongated letters, some curved letterstrokes, cursive epsilon, sigma, omega; light serifs. 

Letterheights (cm)

2.0

Text

Category

Metrical epitaph. 

Date

Late II - III century C.E. 

Dating criteria

Palaeography. 

Editions

Shangin 1938, 77, № 8; Peek 1955, 1672. 

Edition

οἴμμοι ἐγὼ βιότοιο λαχὼν πικρὰ νήματα Μοιρῶν,
ὅν με καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντα μολεῖν ἠνάνκασεν ἄτη
λίμνης ἀμῆσαι μαρμαρέων ὑδάτων·

αὐτὸς <δ>ὲ ἠμήθην ψυχῆς ὑπὸ κύματι Βάσσος
5Πατερίωνος ἐτῶν ἐν τρισὶν ἑνδεκάσιν.

4: orig. Ὲ

Diplomatic

ΟΙΜΜΟΙΕΓΩΒΙΟΤΟΙΟΛΑΧΩΝΠΙΚΡΑΝΗΜΑΤΑ ΜΟΙΡΩΝ
ΟΝΜΕΚΑΙΟΥΚΕΘΕΛΟΝΤΑΜΟΛΕΙΝΗΝΑΝΚΑΣΕΝΑΤΗ
ΛΙΜΝΗΣΑΜΗΣΑΙΜΑΡΜΑΡΕΩΝΥΔΑΤΩΝ

ΑΥΤΟΣΕΗΜΗΘΗΝΨΥΧΗΣ ΥΠΟΚΥΜΑΤΙΒΑΣΣΟΣ
5ΠΑΤΕΡΙΩΝΟΣ ΕΤΩΝΕΝΤΡΙΣΙΝΕΝΔΕΚΑΣΙΝ

4: orig. Ὲ

EpiDoc (XML)

<div type="edition" xml:lang="grc">
   <ab>
      	<lb n="1"/><lg met="elegiac"><l met="hexameter">οἴμμοι ἐγὼ βιότοιο λαχὼν πικρὰ νήματα 
      	     Μοιρῶν,</l> 
      	<lb n="2"/><l met="hexameter">ὅν με καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντα μολεῖν ἠνάνκασεν ἄτη</l> 
      	<lb n="3"/><l met="pentameter">λίμνης ἀμῆσαι μαρμαρέων ὑδάτων·</l></lg>
      	<lb n="4"/><lg met="elegiac"><l met="hexameter">αὐτὸς <supplied reason="omitted">δ</supplied>ὲ ἠμήθην ψυχῆς 
      	     ὑπὸ κύματι Βάσσος</l>
      	<lb n="5"/><l met="pentameter">Πατερίωνος 
      	     ἐτῶν ἐν τρισὶν ἑνδεκάσιν.</l></lg>
   </ab>
   </div>

Edition in Verse


οἴμμοι ἐγὼ βιότοιο λαχὼν πικρὰ νήματα Μοιρῶν, |
ὅν με καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντα μολεῖν ἠνάνκασεν ἄτη |
   λίμνης ἀμῆσαι μαρμαρέων ὑδάτων·


αὐτὸς <δ>ὲ ἠμήθην ψυχῆς ὑπὸ κύματι Βάσσος |
   (5) Πατερίωνος ἐτῶν ἐν τρισὶν ἑνδεκάσιν.

4: orig. Ὲ

Commentaries

Bull.ép. 1936, 244; Античная скульптура Херсонеса 1976, № 312; Solomonik 1990, 105, № 105. 

 
Apparatus criticus

1: οἴμμοι ἐγὼ [κ]ότοιο λαχὼν πικρὰ<ν> ἤματα μοιρῶ[ν] ed. pr. corr. Robert in BullEp (Peek).
4: in.: <δὲ> scripsi ΑΥΤΟΣΕΗΜΗΘΗΝ lapis; αὐτόσε ... ἠμήθην ed. pr. (перевод: «там под волной скошена моя жизнь»); αὐτὸς δ’ ἠμήθην Peek

Translation

Woe to me who received from the Fates a bitter yarn of life for my lot. Ruin compelled me, even though unwilling, to go and reap of the gleaming waters of the sea. I myself, Bassos son of Paterion, was bereaved of my soul by a wave at the age of thrice eleven years.

 

Images

 

(cc) © 2017 Igor Makarov (edition), Irene Polinskaya (translation)
You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (This file should validate to the EpiDoc schema.)