Description of Monument

Small white marble plaque/votive relief (0.10 × 0.08 × 0.03) with a relief of two eyes. Perhaps cut down to left; broken away at right.

Description of Text

Inscribed on the face, below the eyes.

Letters

No measurements; square sigma.

Date

Perhaps first century A.D. (lettering).

Edition Ἐλευθερίοςθεῷ Ἀσκληπίῳ εὐχὴν

Translation

Eleuther[ios] to the god Asklepios (in payment of) a vow.

Commentary

One of a group of votive offerings dedicated to Asclepius: three reliefs, 5.112 (=63.568), 5.117 (=63.570), 15.240 (=70.551), and a base, 4.113 (=90.26); the other three were found in or near the Baths of Hadrian.

Presumably the dedicator, whose gender is not clear, hoped for a cure for his/her eyes. Several dedications to Asclepius have been found in or near the Hadrianic Baths where there may have been a cult-place in which this stone too could have originated. All the dedications known are comparatively simple and suggest dedicators of no great wealth or status. The dedicator's name may be feminine (Eleutheria) instead of the masculine supplied here, but while neither is at all common, the masculine is overall the commoner.

Locations

Unknown Stray find ; Museum, on display (1980)

Text Constituted From

Transcription (Reynolds).

History of Recording

Brought by a farmer to the NYU expedition in 1970 (70.551)

Bibliography

Unpublished.

Photographs

Face (1980)

?KTE