996. Libyan text

Description:
Block of coarse limstone lying beside a ruined mausoleum in the Wadi Umm el-Agerem near 906.  
Text:
Inscribed on one face within a roughly moulded tabella ansata, which is flanked on either side by a flower in high relief.  
Letters:
Rought capitals cut between faintly incised guide-lines: there appear to be stops between some of the words: insufficient space was left for l. 5, which is in much smaller lettering.  
Date:
No indication  
Findspot:
Wadi Zemzem: Wadi Umm el-Agerem. Seen and photographed by Mrs. Olwen Brogan in summer 1953. 
Original Location:
Unknown 
Last recorded location:
Findspot 
Bibliography:
Not previously published. This edition taken from J. M. Reynolds, 'Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania: A Supplement', Proceedings of the British School at Rome 23 (1955), 124-147, no. S.24. 
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Reynolds)  
MASAVCHANVY SYSTAN
FELY LAḄVNOM IYLLVL
BVNEM[·· ? ··]MILTH[·· ? ··]VYARI
VNOM ANOBAL B[V]NE M[ - - - ]
5CHAN CH[·]ẠṚOSṢ
MASAVCHANVY SYSTAN
FELYLA·VNOMIYLLVL
BVNEM[·· ? ··]MILTH[·· ? ··]VYARI
VNOM ANOBAL B[··]NE M[ - - - ]
5CHAN CH[·]··OS·
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<orig >
masavchanvy sy
st
an
</orig>
<lb n="2" />
<orig >
fely
</orig>
<orig >
la
<unclear reason="" >
b
</unclear>
vnom
</orig>
<orig >
iyllvl
</orig>
<lb n="3" />
<orig >
bvnem
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
milth
<gap reason="lost" extent="unknown" unit="character" />
vyari
</orig>
<lb n="4" />
<orig >
vnom anobal b
<supplied reason="lost" >
v
</supplied>
ne m
</orig>
<gap reason="lost" extent="1" unit="character" extentmax="2" />
<lb n="5" />
<orig >
chan ch
<gap reason="lost" extent="1" unit="character" />
<unclear reason="damage" >
ar
</unclear>
os
<unclear reason="" >
s
</unclear>
</orig>
</ab>

1, Presumably for systan, with S with crossbar for ST ligature as in 980.

2, Fely probably = made, see 906, n. 1.

3, Bune = son of, see 906

Translation:

Not usefully translatable.

Commentary:

The following are certainly names: MASAVCHANVY; IYLLVL BVNE M[.]MILTH[?.]?VY (it is not clear where this word ends); ANOBAL BVNE M[..1 or 2..]CHAN; perhaps also SYSTAN.

Some of these names recur in 906 - Iyllul (Iylul), Anobal (Annobal), and Masauchan without the final letters -uy which appear here. Vy, apparently as a suffix to names, appears in several Libyan inscriptions, cf. Thychlethuy in 906 and Masiranuy in 992; it is possible that it may indicate feminine gender.

Presumably the persons recorded here are of the same families as those in the closely associated 906, the principals here being apparently of the older generation, as is also suggested by the rather better lettering and more ambitious ornament on this stone. It seems possible to construct three family trees, but the relation between the three is obscure.

Photographs:
none.

(cc) You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (You may need the EpiDoc DTD v. 6 to validate this file.)