Graffiti and dipinti

187 Pages·1980·15.338 MB·English

by  Lang, Mabel L

GraffitiandDipinti
MabelLang
TheAthenianAgora,Vol.21,GraffitiandDipinti.(1976),pp.iii-v+vii-x+1-116.
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T H E A T H E N I A N A G O R A

RESULTS OF EXCAVATIONS

CONDUCTED BY

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL STUDIES AT ATHENS
VOLUME XXI

GRAFFITI AND DIPINTI

BY

MABEL LANG

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF CLASSICAL STUDIES AT ATHENS

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY

1976
PUBLISHED WITH THE AID OF A GRANT FROM MR. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, JR.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Lang, Mabel L 1917-

Graffiti and dipinti.

(The Athenian Agora ;v. 21)
Bibliography: p.
1. Athens. Agora. 2. Graffiti-Athens.
3. Inscriptions, Greek-Athens. I. Title.
11. Series: American School of Classical Studies at Athens. The
Athenian Agora; v. 21.
DF287,A23A5 vol. 21 93S1.5s [93S1.5] 75-40229
LSBN 0-87661-221-4
PRINTED IN GERMANY at J.J. AUGUSTIN, GLUCKSTADT
PREFACE

P
erhaps even more than in other volumes of the Athenian Agora series the material presented here has
had the benefit of much time and thought over the years on the part of a goodly number of excavators,
cataloguers and visitors in the Agora. Everyone enjoys verbal puzzles that challenge one's powers of
reading (ancient) minds, and many happy notions about these texts were evolved around the tea table so
that the 'onlie begetter' may have been lost in obscurity.
Dating of the material has also been a cooperative effort, so that the present author is indebted not
only to excavators but also to the many scholars whose study of particular kinds of material for
particular periods has brought order out of complication and confusion.
Basic to this work was first a complete listing of all graffiti and dipinti found in the Agora, initiated by
Lucy Talcott and effected by Suzanne Young and a succession of helpful volunteers. Then, the founda-
tions of this study's categories A through G were laid in a preliminary version written in the early 1950's
by George A. Stamires and Eugene Vanderpool. Although far more limited in scope and number of
pieces studied than this, that work has on several occasions provided not only the best reading but also
the right phrases in which to present the material. In the years following, the present author was for-
tunate in being able to consult with Eugene Vanderpool and benefit from his vast experience of all things
Greek and graphic. His wisdom and tempered judgment in consequence pervade the whole work; the
infelicities and what errors there may be of commisssion or omission are all my own.
Illustrations of the graffiti have been limited to drawings. In the case of dipinti photographs have been
preferred for one category, because of the difficulties presented by a combination of run-on cursive forms
and the fugitive medium. The drawings were made by Hero Athanasiades and Helene Besi who have
shown both skill and firmness in representing what was actually visible rather than being influenced by
the 'wishful seeing' of the author.
'It is easy to read if you know what it says.' -EUGENEVANDERPOOL
TABLE O F CONTENTS

INTRODUCT..I.O..N.. .................................................................
1
. .....................................................................

A ABECEDARIA 6
. ..............................................................
B MESSAGEASND LISTS 8

. .....................................................
C LOVEN AMEASN D HATEN AMES 11

. ................................................................
D NAMESON SHERDS 16

. .................................................

E NUMERICANLO TATIONOSN SHERDS 21
. .................................................................
F OWNERSM' ARKS 23

. ........................................................
F PRIVATOEWNERSHIP 30

. ................................

FA PUBLICOWNERSH:IDP ELTA-EPSILOLING ATURES 51
FB.PUBLICOWNERSH:IPD ELTA-ETLAIG ATURES..................................
52
. ..........................................

G DEDICATIONANSD CONVIVIAINL SCRIPTIONS 52
. ..........................................................
H COMMERCIANLOTATIONS 55

. ................................................................
HA CAPACITY
55

. ....................................................................
HB TARE 64

. ....................................................................
Hc DATE 69

. ..............................................................
HD CONTENTS 72

HE.COMBINATION..S. .........................................................
75

. .................................................................
I TAXN OTATIONS 82

. ...........................................................
J CHRISTIAINNSCRIPTIONS 87

K.MISCELLANEONUOSTATION.S.. .....................................................
88
. ..........................................................

L UNCLASSIFIENDOTATIONS 90
. .......................................................................
M PICTURES 94
LIST OF PLATES
PLATE
1 Abecedaria (A 1-1 1)
2-3 Lists and Messages (B 1-21)
4-6 Love Names and Hate Names (C 1-34)
7-9 Names on Sherds (D 1-44)
10 Numerical Notations on Sherds (E 1-16)
11-28 Owners' Marks (F 1-334)
29 Owners' Marks: De(mosion) Ligatures (Fa 1-26; Fb 1-3)
30-31 Dedications and Convivial Inscriptions (G 1-23)
32-36 Commercial Notations :Capacity (Ha 1-56)
37-38 Commercial Notations :Tare (Hb 1-31)
39-40 Commercial Notations : Date (Hc 1-26)
41-42 Commercial Notations: Contents (Hd 1-23)
42-47 Commercial Notations : Combinations (He 144)
48-53 Tax Notations (I 1-45)
53-54 Christian Inscriptions (J 1-12)
54-55 Miscellaneous (K 1-1 9)
56-59 Unclassified (L1-56)
60-6 1 Pictures (M 1-23)
62 Actual State Plan of the Agora
ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

Agora The Athenian Agora, Results of Excavations conducted by the American School

of Classical Studies at Athens

111 R. E. Wycherley, Literary and Epigraphical Testimonia, Princeton, 1957

(see below, Wycherley)

IV R. H. Howland, Greek Lamps and their Survivals, Princeton, 1958 (see

below, Howland)

V H. S. Robinson, Pottery of the Roman Period: Chronology, Princeton,

1959 (see below, Robinson, Chronology)

VI C. Grandjouan, Terracottas of the Roman Period, Princeton, 1961

VII J. Perlzweig, Lamps of the Roman Period, Princeton, 1961

VIII E. T. H. Brann, Late Geometric and Protoattic Pottery, Princeton, 1962

(see below, Brann)

X M. Lang and M. Crosby, Weights, Measures and Tokens, Princeton, 1964

XI1 B. A. Sparkes and L. Talcott, Black and Plaiiz Pottery of the 6th, 5th and

4th Centuries B. C., Princeton, 1970 (see below, Sparkes-Talcott)
A. J. A. American Journal of Archaeology
Annuario Annuario della (R.) Scuola archeologica di Atene
Beazley, A. B. V. J. D. Beazley, Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters, Oxford, 1956

Beazley, A. R. V. J. D. Beazley, Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters, second edition, Oxford, 1963

Bechtel Fr. Bechtel, Die historische Personennamen des Griechischen, Halle, 19 17

Bickerman E. J. Bickerman, Chronology of the Ancient World, London, 1968

Brann Late Geometric and Protoattic Pottery. Agora, VIII

B. S. A. Annual of the British School at Athens

B. C. H. Bulletin de correspondance helldnique

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, Paris, 1862-1963

Classical Review

Edmonds J. M. Edmonds, The Fragments of Attic Comedy, Leiden, 1959-61

Howland Greek Lamps and their Survivals. Agora, IV

Inscriptiones Graecae, Editio minor, Berlin, 1924 -

Imagines Inscriptionum Graecarum Antiquissimarum, third edition, H. Roehl,

Berlin, 1907

Inscriptiones Graecae ad Res Romanas Pertinentes, Paris, 1906-2 1

Immerwahr H. R. Immerwahr, "Some Inscriptions on Attic Pottery," The James Sprunt

Studies in History and Political Science, XLVI, 1964, pp. 16-27

Jeffery, L. S.A. G. Lillian H. Jeffery, The Local Scripts of Archaic Greece, Oxford, 1961

Kretschmer P. Kretschmer, Die griechischen Vaseniitschriften, Giitersloh, 1894

Kubitschek W. Kubitschek, GrundriJ der antiken Zeitrechnung, Munich, 1928

LSJ H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon, Oxford, 1925-

40

K. Meisterhans, Grammatik der attischen Inschriften, second edition, Berlin,

1888
ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
Metrolog. Script. Metrologicorum Scriptorum Reliquiae, Leipzig, 1864-1 866

P. Oxy. Oxyrhynchus Papyri, B. P. Grenfell and A. S. Hunt, ed., London, 1898-

Pape J. E. Pape, Worterbuch der griechischen Eigennamen, third edition (G. Benseler),

Braunschweig, 1884

Prosop. Att. J. E. Kirchner, Prosopographia Attica, Berlin, 1901-03

Robinson, Chronology Pottery of the Roman Period: Chronology. Agora, V

Robinson and Fluck D. M. Robinson and E. J. Fluck, A Study of Greek Love-Names, Baltimore,

1937

Roehl See I. G. A. above

S. E. G. Supplementunl Epigraphicum Graecum, Leyden, 1923 -
Sparkes-Talcott Black and Plain Pottery of the dth, 5th and 4th Centuries B.C. Agora, XI1
Tolstoy J. Tolstoy, Grecheskie Grafiti drevnikh gorodov Severnogo Prichernomoreia,

Moskva-Leningrad, 1953

Wycherley Literary and Epigraphical Testimonia. Agora, I11
INTRODUCTION

I
nformal inscriptions, incised or painted, appear on over 3000 pieces (pottery, lamps, miscellaneous
clay) catalogued in the Agora excavations. At least one-third of these consist of one or two letters
only, incised on the bottom of small vessels, perhaps as marks of ownership, or painted on the necks
of unglazed amphoras, perhaps as some kind of commercial notation. The brevity of these texts allows so
great a variety of interpretations that publication would serve no useful purpose; it is sufficient to note
the large number of such curtailed abbreviations. In addition to the complete inscriptions of one or two
letters there are many broken inscriptions consisting of only a few letters which admit of so many possible
restorations that nothing certain can be learned from them. This publication therefore is limited to the
859 graffiti and dipinti which have sufficientc ontent to be meaningful, whether the meaning is clear or
not. The selected pieces range in time from the late 8th century B.c., when letters first appear on pottery,
to the 6th century of our era. Since the variety of the material is so great, other specific criteria employed
in the selection can best be listed in connection with the various categories of texts.
Certain types of inscriptions on pottery do not belong in this study and will be more appropriately
dealt with elsewhere :
1) Ostraka;
2) Artists' signatures, love names and other painted inscriptions on black-figured and red-figured
pottery;
3) Convivial inscriptions painted on Hellenistic pottery and Late Roman motto mugs, and all other
painted inscriptions which are part of the decoration of the pot;
4) Stamped or molded inscriptions such as amphora handles, lamp signatures, Arretine stamps, etc.
Classijication
Various as the selected material is, the majority of items falls readily into a comparatively small number
of categories :
A. Abecedaria
B. Messages and Lists
C. Love Names and Hate Names
D. Names on Sherds
E. Numerical Notations on Sherds
F. Owners' Marks
F. Private Ownership

Fa. Public Ownership, Delta-epsilon Ligatures

Fb. Public Ownership, Delta-eta Ligatures

G. Dedications and Convivial Inscriptions
H. Commercial Notations

Ha. Capacity

Hb. Tare

Hc. Date
INTRODUCTION

Hd. Contents

He. Combinations

I. Tax Notations
J. Christian Inscriptions
K. Miscellaneous
L. Unclassified
M. Pictures
An introduction to each category defines the type, indicates special characteristics and suggests parallels,
purpose, etc.
Dating and Provenience
There may be as many as three kinds of evidence bearing on the date of any particular inscription:
1) form of the letters; 2) date of the object on which the inscription was written; 3) date of the de-
posit in which it was found. Sometimes all three of these lines may give a result; sometimes, however,
the writing may be characterless, the pot fragment may be featureless, or the context may be meaningless.
Although the date of the inscription is what we have to determine, it must most often be arrived at by
means of one of the other dates, since the chronology of letter forms is not as yet an exact science. The
context date will often be the most convenient. Where the date of the pot agrees closely with the context
date, it seems unnecessary to give a date for the pot as well. Dates for the pots are included therefore
only where the context is meaningless or where the pot is obviously earlier than its context. For the most
part, three dates will be given only when they are different, as for example for a geometric sherd inscribed
in the 7th century B.C. and found in a 5th-century B.C. context.
The arrangement of inscriptions in each category is chronological, but since there is considerable
difference in the degree of accuracy possible for various items, the order in some cases is purely conven-
tional. Thus those pieces which can not be dated more closely than to a century follow those that have
been assigned to a particular quarter or half of that century even though they may indeed be earlier than
the second-half or fourth-quarter pieces. Even more vague are dates like Early Roman (roughly 1st-
early 3rd centuries after Christ) or Late Roman (late 3rd-6th centuries) which cover still longer periods
of time.
When the sherd or pot comes from a closed deposit, the deposit number on the Agora grid is given. A
list of the deposits with all pieces here published from each will be found in the index of Deposits. When
a piece comes in a fill predominantly of one period, though not a closed deposit, the context date is
given without a deposit number. When an item was found in an area which provided no information
concerning its date, no mention is made of provenience.
Publication References
When a piece has already been either noted in a preliminary report or more formally published in a
special study in Hesperia or in an Agora volume, the publication reference (often only the most recent)
is included in the first paragraph of the catalogue description. This reference may be in the form of
volume and page numbers or expressed as an equation between the catalogue number here assigned and
that given in the other publication, e.g., "Ha 26 (P 9902). Round-mouthed jug, Robinson, Chronology,
M 169" or "F 177 (1,4212). Black-glazed lamp (= Howland, no. 267)." Frequently the shape and form
of a vessel is defined with reference to examples already published and dated either in Hesperia or one
of the Athenian Agora volumes. See list of Abbreviations for short forms of reference.
Letter-shapes and Spelling
The variety of shapes which each letter may take is dependent on several factors of which chronology
is only one; others are the nature of the writing surface, the nature of the writing implement, the writing