DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.619#0069
60
NAUKRATIS.
75. With class XVIII. the case is otherwise ; it
can at a glance be identified as belonging to the
Melian group by its use of the complete circle
for to, of the semicircle for o. None of the other
forms are in themselves remarkable except the 17,
■which is, I believe, quite new. It is obviously
derived from the old closed form by the omission of
the central bar instead of the two end ones ; the
nearest analogy to it is found in the two-bar form
of the Ehegine inscription discovered at Olympia
(Roehl, 532; it does not, of course, there repre-
sent 7)). This 17 could most easily be explained in
very early inscriptions, but such these Melian ones
cannot be, for their s and ft at once assign them
to Prof. Kirchhoff s third period. Since, how-
ever, a closed 17 is found even in his fourth period,
this difficulty is not insuperable. The form of p
is also new in Melian writing, and may be due to
foreign influence. But though the relative ages
of the Melian periods are fixed, their dates must
now be reconsidered, as will be obvious to a
reader of Prof. Kirchhoff s arguments (p. 61).
If the third period belongs to the beginning of
the fifth century, then these Melian inscriptions
are later than almost all others found in the
temenos of Apollo; while there is good reason
for believing all to be earlier than the Persian
invasion of Egypt. This difficulty may be got
over, but perhaps there is no need to do so. It
can hardly now be maintained that the Melians
must have borrowed the symbols <f>, ^, £ and t/»
from the Ionians before the latter had invented
the co, for we have seen the a> in use from
the very earliest times, and certainly before the
Abu Simbel inscriptions. But since the Ionic
alphabet is now seen to have been complete at a
much earlier date than was hitherto supposed,
the borrowing may have taken place at any time,
and therefore the fluted column that bears the
earliest Melian inscription may well be assigned to
the end of the seventh century, and the other Melian
periods thrown back in proportion. Nor do we
thus approach too near to the Thersean inscrip-
tions, which, if, as seems probable, earlier than
the earliest found at Naukratis, must reach back
to the first half of the seventh century. Unfor-
tunately no evidence as to age can be gathered
from the fabric or style of the pottery on which
the Melian inscriptions are found; for, though
peculiar to them, it does not seem to have any
such characteristics as might indicate its date.
Similar bowls must be assigned from their level, to
the earlier part of the sixth century; but it is
hard to believe these inscriptions go back to such
a date.
76. Class XIX. contains the ordinary forms of
the Korinthian alphabet: it differs from all the
other inscriptions here considered, as it merely
consists of names applying to the figures painted
on a vase. One of these names is painted before
baking, the other subsequently scratched in, like
most of the other Naukratis inscriptions.
The inscriptions found on pottery outside the
temenos of Apollo do not require a separate dis-
cussion, as all fall easily enough into their places
in the classes already distinguished. This sketch
of what appear to be the most important epi-
graphical results of last year's discoveries must
therefore be now ended. If any of the conclusions
reached seem hasty or ill-founded, they must
await their rejection or confirmation from next
season's work.
77. A cursive transcription is here added of all
the inscriptions represented in the plates, so far
as they are intelligible.
Plate XXXII.
1. U6\e/j.apx6<s [/J.e aveO-qKe rjanroXavi ical rrjv t[p]6x-
ow kcu to inro\jcpT}Tri\piov.
This dedication is very similar to that recorded
in the well-known Sigeian inscription in the
British Museum.
la. A.tt6Wwv6$ elfit.
lb. 'A7r~\6X\a> oo<s eifu. Cf. 3, 4, &c
2. 'O Belva dve\9i}ice t<£ 'ArroXKwt tio [M]ikrjo-i[to.
The t of 'Att6X\o>vi is doubled by mistake. A
good specimen of ^ovcnpo^-qhov.
3-4. 'fl7ro'\\w aov el/u, or 'A7r6\Xai crov eluu
This form of dedication occurs also in 305.
NAUKRATIS.
75. With class XVIII. the case is otherwise ; it
can at a glance be identified as belonging to the
Melian group by its use of the complete circle
for to, of the semicircle for o. None of the other
forms are in themselves remarkable except the 17,
■which is, I believe, quite new. It is obviously
derived from the old closed form by the omission of
the central bar instead of the two end ones ; the
nearest analogy to it is found in the two-bar form
of the Ehegine inscription discovered at Olympia
(Roehl, 532; it does not, of course, there repre-
sent 7)). This 17 could most easily be explained in
very early inscriptions, but such these Melian ones
cannot be, for their s and ft at once assign them
to Prof. Kirchhoff s third period. Since, how-
ever, a closed 17 is found even in his fourth period,
this difficulty is not insuperable. The form of p
is also new in Melian writing, and may be due to
foreign influence. But though the relative ages
of the Melian periods are fixed, their dates must
now be reconsidered, as will be obvious to a
reader of Prof. Kirchhoff s arguments (p. 61).
If the third period belongs to the beginning of
the fifth century, then these Melian inscriptions
are later than almost all others found in the
temenos of Apollo; while there is good reason
for believing all to be earlier than the Persian
invasion of Egypt. This difficulty may be got
over, but perhaps there is no need to do so. It
can hardly now be maintained that the Melians
must have borrowed the symbols <f>, ^, £ and t/»
from the Ionians before the latter had invented
the co, for we have seen the a> in use from
the very earliest times, and certainly before the
Abu Simbel inscriptions. But since the Ionic
alphabet is now seen to have been complete at a
much earlier date than was hitherto supposed,
the borrowing may have taken place at any time,
and therefore the fluted column that bears the
earliest Melian inscription may well be assigned to
the end of the seventh century, and the other Melian
periods thrown back in proportion. Nor do we
thus approach too near to the Thersean inscrip-
tions, which, if, as seems probable, earlier than
the earliest found at Naukratis, must reach back
to the first half of the seventh century. Unfor-
tunately no evidence as to age can be gathered
from the fabric or style of the pottery on which
the Melian inscriptions are found; for, though
peculiar to them, it does not seem to have any
such characteristics as might indicate its date.
Similar bowls must be assigned from their level, to
the earlier part of the sixth century; but it is
hard to believe these inscriptions go back to such
a date.
76. Class XIX. contains the ordinary forms of
the Korinthian alphabet: it differs from all the
other inscriptions here considered, as it merely
consists of names applying to the figures painted
on a vase. One of these names is painted before
baking, the other subsequently scratched in, like
most of the other Naukratis inscriptions.
The inscriptions found on pottery outside the
temenos of Apollo do not require a separate dis-
cussion, as all fall easily enough into their places
in the classes already distinguished. This sketch
of what appear to be the most important epi-
graphical results of last year's discoveries must
therefore be now ended. If any of the conclusions
reached seem hasty or ill-founded, they must
await their rejection or confirmation from next
season's work.
77. A cursive transcription is here added of all
the inscriptions represented in the plates, so far
as they are intelligible.
Plate XXXII.
1. U6\e/j.apx6<s [/J.e aveO-qKe rjanroXavi ical rrjv t[p]6x-
ow kcu to inro\jcpT}Tri\piov.
This dedication is very similar to that recorded
in the well-known Sigeian inscription in the
British Museum.
la. A.tt6Wwv6$ elfit.
lb. 'A7r~\6X\a> oo<s eifu. Cf. 3, 4, &c
2. 'O Belva dve\9i}ice t<£ 'ArroXKwt tio [M]ikrjo-i[to.
The t of 'Att6X\o>vi is doubled by mistake. A
good specimen of ^ovcnpo^-qhov.
3-4. 'fl7ro'\\w aov el/u, or 'A7r6\Xai crov eluu
This form of dedication occurs also in 305.