DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45245#0050
34
KNIDOS.
DCCCXXXII.
On a fragment of white marble, 9I in. by 8} in. by 2| in.
ΤΤΥΡΙΝΔΟΥ Πνρίνίον
S T O α]ύτο
Pyrindos must be the name of the Karian town mentioned in Steph. Byzant. 5. v.; it does not occur
elsewhere, and its position is unknown.
TOMBSTONES.
The following inscriptions were for the most part found in the Eastern Necropolis at a distance of about half an hour from Knidos. On
this site the foundations of an early Christian church were discovered, the pavement of which was in great measure composed of
sepulchral slabs, evidently taken from the numerous plundered tombs in the midst of which the church is situated (Discov. p. 474).
Newton was probably right in suggesting that most of the inscriptions belong to the second and third centuries a. d. The follow-
ing are not published by him ; No. dccclii is given by Le Bas.
I have classed the Knidian epitaphs into two groups beginning with those which contain the preamble <5 δαμο?. (Three similar examples
are given in Le Bas, Nos. 1575-157 7.) With regard to this group, and the force of the epithet (φω?, it may be well to offer some
introductory remarks, as no satisfactory explanation has yet been proposed.
The words ό δήμος, usually placed at the head, but sometimes at the end, of the inscriptions, are met with in the epitaphs of several places
from Thrace to Karia, e. g. Maronea (Bull, de Corr. Hell, v, p. 90, Nos. 3 and 4); Madytos (Μουσεΐον και βιβλιοθήκη, iii, Smyrna, 1878,
p. 16, No. aif); Nisi, the principal island of the Moschonisia (Μουσεϊον, ibid. No. σι??'); Lesbos (C. I. Gr. ii, Nos. 2197 foil., see add.;
Conze, Reise auf der Insel Lesbos, pl. iv, 5, v, 5); JEgiale Amorgi (C. I. Gr. ii, p. 1033, No. 2264); Erythrae (Waddington-Le
Bas, No. 50 ; Μουσεϊον, iv, 1880, p. 149, No. τιγ'); Klazomenae (Μουσεϊον, i, 1875, p. 127, No. //); and especially Smyrna (C. I. Gr.
Nos. 3216 foil.; Waddington-Le Bas, Nos. 13-17 ; Μουσείου passim, e. g. iii, Nos. σκε' and σ£α foil., iv, No. 180). This preamble
has generally been regarded as an abbreviation of ό δήμος στέφανοί, and this explanation would apply very well in those instances where
the words are followed by the accusative of the name of the deceased. Instances of this occur at Maronea, Nisi, JEgiale, Klazomenae,
occasionally at Lesbos; it seems to be the rule at Smyrna. Moreover in this town, as well as in the other places just mentioned,
the words ό δάμος are often enclosed within a wreath; the meaning is expressly stated by Cicero, who quotes (pro Flacco, cap. xxxi,
§ 75) a decree issued by the Smyrnaeans in honour of a certain Castricius ut imponereiur aurea corona mortuo. Moreover, the
crowning of the dead as a mark of honour, was a custom which was widespread in the Greek world; see, for instance, C. I. Gr.
Nos. 2380 (Paros), 2426 (Melos), 2486 (Astypalaea), 2347 1, p. 1061 (Syros), 2059, 2061 (Olbia), 3524 (Kyme), LeBas, 1599, 1604
(Aphrodisias); in several of these is found the full formula ό δήμος στέφανοί. On the other hand, the proposed explanation does not
apply in all cases, for in Karia itself, e. g. at Alabanda (Bull, de Corr. Hell, v, p. 180), and at Stratonikeia (C. I. Gr. Nos. 2724-2726)
inscriptions are found in which the expression occurs, ό δήμος εθαψεν. Thus it may be that where the wreath is not engraved upon
the tombstone, the preamble may have reference to a public funeral; for instances of this compare ante, Nos. dcclxxxvii and
dccxcii./ It is clear that where ό δάμος is followed by the dative, as at Lesbos (C. I. Gr. ii, add. No. 2197 b, d, e, f, g; Conze, Lesbos,
pl. iv, 5), neither στέφανοί nor ε'θαφεν can be supplied. Judging from the fact that all these inscriptions have been written on a kind
of sepulchral altar, and from the prominent position of the preamble <5 δήμος on the upper cornice of the stone published by Conze, it
seems safe to assume that a verb like άνεθηκε or άνεστησε is to be supplied. In the cases where ό δήμος is followed or preceded by
the vocative of the name of the deceased, as at Erythrae and Teos, or by the nominative, as exceptionally at Smyrna, no connecting
verb can be imagined. We must rather assume that ό δαμος (scil. στέφανοί) is simply subjoined to the regular form of sepulchral
inscriptions used in those towns; and in fact at Teos, as well as at Erythrae, the name of the deceased usually stands in the vocative.
It is only in some such way that we can explain the curious genitive, which in most of our Knidian epitaphs is preceded by <5 δάμος;
and here we may recall the observation of E. Loch, that it is precisely in the South Western parts of Asia Minor, in Karia, Lykia, and
the Dorian islands of Rhodes, Kos, Kasos, and Karpathos, that the names of the dead, from as early as the fourth century b. c.,
are inscribed in the genitive. (De titulis Graecis sepulcralibus Dissert. Kcenigsberg, 1890, p. 61.) As to the epithet ήρως, it would
appear that on this point also the Knidian epitaphs are an exception to the general rule. In the analogous inscriptions it seems to
be a universal rule that when the formula commences with ό δάμος, the deceased person is called a ήρως, although this latter may
occur without a preceding ό δόμος, see Nos. ucccxlix and dcccliii. As far as I am aware it has been usual to assert that in
later sepulchral inscriptions the word ήρως means nothing more than ό μακαρίτης. With this I cannot entirely agree ; but as this is not
the place to dwell on the general worship of the dead as heroes, I will only refer the reader to the evidence on this subject recently
collected and arranged by F. Deneken j. v. Heros, in Roscher’s Lexicon, i, p. 2516 foil. Where inscriptions of this kind occur
on altars, Deneken allows that the epithet ήρως cannot have entirely lost its original meaning. One object at any rate in the addition
to the inscription of this sacred epithet was the better protection of the tomb against violation. This I am led to believe by a
passage in an inscription from Aphrodisias, which runs as follows :—με θ' Sv, i. e. ‘ when the last who has a right to it is interred’—
άφηρωϊσθήσεται ή σορδς κα'ι ανενόχλητος τον α[παντα χρόνον έστω (C. I. Gr. No. 2845); Compare C. I. Gr. No. 2834 — Waddington-
Le Bas, No. 1632 : άλλα μετά τδ ταφήναι τους [προγεγραμμενους πάν]τα2 άφηρωΐσθαι τδ μνημεϊον, and nobody else shall be interred.
Perhaps the frequent use of the word ήρωον in Asiatic epitaphs as well as the άφηρωΐζειν of the Theraean inscriptions (see C. I. Gr.
Nos. 2467 foil.) was at least originally intended to serve the same purpose. It it is well-known that the severest measures were
sometimes insufficient to prevent the appropriation of tombs by those not entitled to them; several instances in confirmation of this
will be found in the following inscriptions.
In conclusion, we may note the continuance of the Doric form ό δάμος down to the period to which the Knidian epitaphs belong.
KNIDOS.
DCCCXXXII.
On a fragment of white marble, 9I in. by 8} in. by 2| in.
ΤΤΥΡΙΝΔΟΥ Πνρίνίον
S T O α]ύτο
Pyrindos must be the name of the Karian town mentioned in Steph. Byzant. 5. v.; it does not occur
elsewhere, and its position is unknown.
TOMBSTONES.
The following inscriptions were for the most part found in the Eastern Necropolis at a distance of about half an hour from Knidos. On
this site the foundations of an early Christian church were discovered, the pavement of which was in great measure composed of
sepulchral slabs, evidently taken from the numerous plundered tombs in the midst of which the church is situated (Discov. p. 474).
Newton was probably right in suggesting that most of the inscriptions belong to the second and third centuries a. d. The follow-
ing are not published by him ; No. dccclii is given by Le Bas.
I have classed the Knidian epitaphs into two groups beginning with those which contain the preamble <5 δαμο?. (Three similar examples
are given in Le Bas, Nos. 1575-157 7.) With regard to this group, and the force of the epithet (φω?, it may be well to offer some
introductory remarks, as no satisfactory explanation has yet been proposed.
The words ό δήμος, usually placed at the head, but sometimes at the end, of the inscriptions, are met with in the epitaphs of several places
from Thrace to Karia, e. g. Maronea (Bull, de Corr. Hell, v, p. 90, Nos. 3 and 4); Madytos (Μουσεΐον και βιβλιοθήκη, iii, Smyrna, 1878,
p. 16, No. aif); Nisi, the principal island of the Moschonisia (Μουσεϊον, ibid. No. σι??'); Lesbos (C. I. Gr. ii, Nos. 2197 foil., see add.;
Conze, Reise auf der Insel Lesbos, pl. iv, 5, v, 5); JEgiale Amorgi (C. I. Gr. ii, p. 1033, No. 2264); Erythrae (Waddington-Le
Bas, No. 50 ; Μουσεϊον, iv, 1880, p. 149, No. τιγ'); Klazomenae (Μουσεϊον, i, 1875, p. 127, No. //); and especially Smyrna (C. I. Gr.
Nos. 3216 foil.; Waddington-Le Bas, Nos. 13-17 ; Μουσείου passim, e. g. iii, Nos. σκε' and σ£α foil., iv, No. 180). This preamble
has generally been regarded as an abbreviation of ό δήμος στέφανοί, and this explanation would apply very well in those instances where
the words are followed by the accusative of the name of the deceased. Instances of this occur at Maronea, Nisi, JEgiale, Klazomenae,
occasionally at Lesbos; it seems to be the rule at Smyrna. Moreover in this town, as well as in the other places just mentioned,
the words ό δάμος are often enclosed within a wreath; the meaning is expressly stated by Cicero, who quotes (pro Flacco, cap. xxxi,
§ 75) a decree issued by the Smyrnaeans in honour of a certain Castricius ut imponereiur aurea corona mortuo. Moreover, the
crowning of the dead as a mark of honour, was a custom which was widespread in the Greek world; see, for instance, C. I. Gr.
Nos. 2380 (Paros), 2426 (Melos), 2486 (Astypalaea), 2347 1, p. 1061 (Syros), 2059, 2061 (Olbia), 3524 (Kyme), LeBas, 1599, 1604
(Aphrodisias); in several of these is found the full formula ό δήμος στέφανοί. On the other hand, the proposed explanation does not
apply in all cases, for in Karia itself, e. g. at Alabanda (Bull, de Corr. Hell, v, p. 180), and at Stratonikeia (C. I. Gr. Nos. 2724-2726)
inscriptions are found in which the expression occurs, ό δήμος εθαψεν. Thus it may be that where the wreath is not engraved upon
the tombstone, the preamble may have reference to a public funeral; for instances of this compare ante, Nos. dcclxxxvii and
dccxcii./ It is clear that where ό δάμος is followed by the dative, as at Lesbos (C. I. Gr. ii, add. No. 2197 b, d, e, f, g; Conze, Lesbos,
pl. iv, 5), neither στέφανοί nor ε'θαφεν can be supplied. Judging from the fact that all these inscriptions have been written on a kind
of sepulchral altar, and from the prominent position of the preamble <5 δήμος on the upper cornice of the stone published by Conze, it
seems safe to assume that a verb like άνεθηκε or άνεστησε is to be supplied. In the cases where ό δήμος is followed or preceded by
the vocative of the name of the deceased, as at Erythrae and Teos, or by the nominative, as exceptionally at Smyrna, no connecting
verb can be imagined. We must rather assume that ό δαμος (scil. στέφανοί) is simply subjoined to the regular form of sepulchral
inscriptions used in those towns; and in fact at Teos, as well as at Erythrae, the name of the deceased usually stands in the vocative.
It is only in some such way that we can explain the curious genitive, which in most of our Knidian epitaphs is preceded by <5 δάμος;
and here we may recall the observation of E. Loch, that it is precisely in the South Western parts of Asia Minor, in Karia, Lykia, and
the Dorian islands of Rhodes, Kos, Kasos, and Karpathos, that the names of the dead, from as early as the fourth century b. c.,
are inscribed in the genitive. (De titulis Graecis sepulcralibus Dissert. Kcenigsberg, 1890, p. 61.) As to the epithet ήρως, it would
appear that on this point also the Knidian epitaphs are an exception to the general rule. In the analogous inscriptions it seems to
be a universal rule that when the formula commences with ό δάμος, the deceased person is called a ήρως, although this latter may
occur without a preceding ό δόμος, see Nos. ucccxlix and dcccliii. As far as I am aware it has been usual to assert that in
later sepulchral inscriptions the word ήρως means nothing more than ό μακαρίτης. With this I cannot entirely agree ; but as this is not
the place to dwell on the general worship of the dead as heroes, I will only refer the reader to the evidence on this subject recently
collected and arranged by F. Deneken j. v. Heros, in Roscher’s Lexicon, i, p. 2516 foil. Where inscriptions of this kind occur
on altars, Deneken allows that the epithet ήρως cannot have entirely lost its original meaning. One object at any rate in the addition
to the inscription of this sacred epithet was the better protection of the tomb against violation. This I am led to believe by a
passage in an inscription from Aphrodisias, which runs as follows :—με θ' Sv, i. e. ‘ when the last who has a right to it is interred’—
άφηρωϊσθήσεται ή σορδς κα'ι ανενόχλητος τον α[παντα χρόνον έστω (C. I. Gr. No. 2845); Compare C. I. Gr. No. 2834 — Waddington-
Le Bas, No. 1632 : άλλα μετά τδ ταφήναι τους [προγεγραμμενους πάν]τα2 άφηρωΐσθαι τδ μνημεϊον, and nobody else shall be interred.
Perhaps the frequent use of the word ήρωον in Asiatic epitaphs as well as the άφηρωΐζειν of the Theraean inscriptions (see C. I. Gr.
Nos. 2467 foil.) was at least originally intended to serve the same purpose. It it is well-known that the severest measures were
sometimes insufficient to prevent the appropriation of tombs by those not entitled to them; several instances in confirmation of this
will be found in the following inscriptions.
In conclusion, we may note the continuance of the Doric form ό δάμος down to the period to which the Knidian epitaphs belong.