ISic001900: Tomb of Aristomenes
No image available
- ID
- ISic001900
- Language
- Ancient Greek
- Status
- draft
- Text type
- funerary
- Object type
- rock-cut tomb
Edition
Apparatus criticus
- Text of Sansone in Cannata et al.
Physical description
Support
- Description
- A rock cut tomb, with a doorway 1.07m wide by 0.86 m high, a worked facade 6.2m wide, and a rock-cut chamber behind 3.53m wide, 2.09m long and 1-1.08m high. The inscription is carved on the exterior in the space immediately above the doorway, with an epigraphic field c.177 cm wide.
- Object type
- rock-cut tomb
- Object condition
- complete
- Dimensions
- height: cm, width: 177 cm, depth: cm
Material
- Description
- limestone
- Type > subtype
- inorganic.stone > unverified
Inscription
- Layout
- The text is set out over a single line, become larger to the right
- Text condition
- complete
- Technique
- chiselled
- Pigment
- No data
- Lettering
Although difficult to read, the text appears to show both three-bar and four-bar sigma.
- Letter heights
- Line 1: 60-130mm
- Interlinear heights
- Interlineation line 1 to 2: mm
Provenance
- Place of origin
- Acrae
- Provenance found
- Found in 2022, in contrada Arco, which lies along the ancient route between Akrai and Netum (Noto antica), likely in the territory of ancient Akrai, c.8.5km SE of Palazzao and c.7km SW of Canicattini Bagni
- Map
Current location
- Place
- contrada Arco, Sicilia
- Repository
- No data
- Autopsy
- none
Date
Late 6th or early 5th century BCE (Sansone in Cannata et al. 2022) (525 BC - 475 BC)- Evidence
- lettering, textual-context
Text type
commentary
A remarkable monumental rock-cut tomb deep in the hinterland of Akrai/Netum (suggested to fall within the territory of ancient Akrai), with a Greek name and archaic letter forms compatible with the Syracusan alphabet. Nothing remains within the tomb, whcih was presumably robbed out in antiquity (although Catagnino Berlinghieri et al. 2026 speculate on the (unlikely) possibility of the monument as cenotaph on that basis). The hypogeum shows signs of prehistoric presence/use also, and so the site has a long history of usage. Whether the deceased was Greek or 'hellenized' indigenous is impossible to know. The 'speaking' formula is attested elsewhere on the island, such as at Selinunte or Megara Hyblaea. The text shows Doric elements.
Bibliography
- Digital editions
- TM: -
- EDR: -
- EDH: -
- EDCS: -
- PHI: -
- Printed editions
- Sansone (2022) at 17-19, fig.13-14
- Castagnino Berlinghieri, Cannata, Ricciardi (2026) at 80-82, fig.22
Citation and editorial status
- Editor
- Jonathan Prag
- Principal contributor
- Jonathan Prag
- Contributors
- Last revision
- 3/5/2026