The article provides the first edition of a late-archaic inscribed statue from ancient Ionia that recently appeared on the antiquarian market. The inscription in Ionian archaic alphabet consecrates the statue of a seated female figure to the "Nymphs of the Epophelidai", likely a sub-unit of the civic body in some unidentified Ionian city having an Epopheles as mythical ancestor/founder. In spite of an Epopheles-Pan on some Roman Imperial coins from Nikaia, Bithynia, and a gloss by Hesychius equating the Greek Epopheles with the Roman Incubus, we do not know whether the same equation holds true for the much-earlier Epopheles mentioned in this new inscription. In the appendix, a Roman Imperial coin from Nikaia, Bithynia, mentioning the local cult of Zeus Kersoullos/Kersyllos is discussed as well.
The Nymphs of the Epophelidai
Emilio Rosamilia
2022
Abstract
The article provides the first edition of a late-archaic inscribed statue from ancient Ionia that recently appeared on the antiquarian market. The inscription in Ionian archaic alphabet consecrates the statue of a seated female figure to the "Nymphs of the Epophelidai", likely a sub-unit of the civic body in some unidentified Ionian city having an Epopheles as mythical ancestor/founder. In spite of an Epopheles-Pan on some Roman Imperial coins from Nikaia, Bithynia, and a gloss by Hesychius equating the Greek Epopheles with the Roman Incubus, we do not know whether the same equation holds true for the much-earlier Epopheles mentioned in this new inscription. In the appendix, a Roman Imperial coin from Nikaia, Bithynia, mentioning the local cult of Zeus Kersoullos/Kersyllos is discussed as well.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.