Lamella Orphica

Lamella Orphica

Greece

Ancient Lamella

Hellenistic

The lamella is a small, thin, rectangular sheet of gold, with dimensions 2.2 × 3.7 × 0.1 cm. The surface of the lamella is wrinkled, but the letters are still legible. There are 6 lines of text, with no word breaks except at the line ends. In the fourth row, the gold appears to be punctured through in a couple of the letters, though they are still easily identified.

ΔΙΨΑΙΑΥΟΣΕΓΩΚΑΠΟΛΛΥΜΑΙ / ΑΛΛΑΠΙΕΜΟΥΚΡΑΝΑΣΑΙΕΙΡΟΩ / ΕΠΙΔΕΞΙΑΛΕΥΚΕΚΥΠΑΡΙΣΣΟΣ / ΤΙΣΔΕΖΙΠΩΔΕΖΙΓΑΣΥΙΟΣΕΙΜΙ / ΚΑΙΟΥΡΑΝΟΣΑΣΤΕΡΟΕΝΤΟΣ / ΑΥΤΑΡΕΜΟΙΓΕΝΟΣΟΥΡΑΝΟΝ (on the stone). δίψαι αὖος ἐγὼ κ᾽απόλλυμαι ἀλλὰ πιέμου κράνας αἰειρόω ἐπὶ δεξιά λευκῆ κυπάρισσος “τίς δ᾽έζι? πῶ δ᾽έζι?” Γᾶς υἰός εἰμί καὶ οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος αὐτάρ ἐμοὶ γένος οὐρανόν (transcription). I am parched with thirst and am dying, but give me a drink from the ever-flowing spring. On the right is a white cypress. “Who are you? Where are you from?” I am a son of Earth and starry sky, but my race is heavenly (translation).

[unknown]

http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/7194/unknown-maker-lamella-orphica-greek-second-half-of-4th-century-bc/

350-300 BCE

Amanda McVey, Christina Salowey (photo)

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Part of Greek in the Wild: Inscriptions Explained

gold (metal)

engraving (action)

Ancient Greek

inscriptions

lamella_orphica

Thessaly, Greece

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