Three New Inscriptions from Phaselis: An Imperial Dedication, an Honorific Inscription for Aurelia Apphia, and Christian Dipinto

www.libridergi.org Epigrafi, Çeviri ve Eleştiri Dergisi Journal of Epigraphy, Reviews and Translations Issue XI (2025) Three New Inscriptions from Phaselis: An Imperial Dedication, an Honorific Inscription for Aurelia Apphia, and Christian Dipinto Murat ARSLAN 0000-0002-1921-5971 Nihal TÜNER ÖNEN 0000-0002-1098-028X The entire contents of this journal, Libri: Journal of Epigraphy, Translation and Review is open to users and it is an ‘open access’ journal. Users are able to read the full texts, to download, to copy, print and distribute without obtaining the permission of the editor and author(s). However, all references to the articles published in the ejournal Libri are to indicate through reference the source of the citation from this journal. Libri, is a peer-reviewed journal and the articles which have had their peer reviewing process completed will be published on the web-site (journal.phaselis.org) in the year of the journal’s issue (e.g. Issue XI: January-December 2025). At the end of December 2025 the year’s issue is completed. Responsibility for the articles published in this journal remains with the authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Citation Arslan M. & Tüner Önen N. 2025, “Three New Inscriptions from Phaselis: An Imperial Dedication, an Honorific Inscription for Aurelia Apphia, and Christian Dipinto”. Libri XI, 267-277. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18039149 Received Date: 01.12.2025 | Acceptance Date: 12.12.2025 Online Publication Date: 23.12.2025 Article Type: Research Article Editing: Phaselis Research Project www.libridergi.org Received Date: 01.12.2025 | Acceptance Date: 12.12.2025 LIBRI XI (2025) 267-277 Online Publication Date: 23.12.2025 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18039149 Article Type: Research Article www.libridergi.org Three New Inscriptions from Phaselis: An Imperial Dedication, an Honorific Inscription for Aurelia Apphia, and Christian Dipinto Phaselis’ten Üç Yeni Yazıt: Bir İmparator İthafı, Aurelia Apphia için Onur Yazıtı ve Bir Hristiyan Dipinto’su Murat ARSLAN * Nihal TÜNER ÖNEN** Abstract: This study presents three inscriptions from Phaselis. The first, a fragmentary limestone statue base discovered west of Hadrianus’s Gate during the 2017 excavation season, is tentatively attributed to Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Although the imperial titulature is only partially preserved, paleographic analysis points to similarities to a securely dated dedication to Lucius Verus discovered in proximate context, suggesting a possible attribution to the period of joint rule (166-169 CE). The second inscription, documented in 2012 near the acropolis gateway, preserves two chronologically distinct epigraphic phases. Phase A comprises an original eighteen-line carved honorific text for Aurelia Apphia, a member of the Phaselite civic elite who served as priestess of the Roman Imperial Cult and endowed the Palladeios Agon and associated prize competition (themis). The dedicator is restored as Apion, whose precise relationship to Apphia remains uncertain. Phase B consists of painted inscription (dipinto) preserved in five lines executed over plaster and fresco decoration, identified as a biblical citation from the Gospel of John (1:1, 1:3), reflecting Christian appropriation during Late Antiquity. The monument’s tertiary incorporation into the acropolis fortification walls attests to profound urban transformations at Phaselis during the Late Antique Period, providing critical evidence for civic benefaction, religious change, and spatial reconfiguration. Keywords: Phaselis, Marcus Aurelius, Dedicatory/Honorific Inscriptions, Dipinto Öz: Bu çalışma Phaselis’ten üç yazıt sunmaktadır. Birincisi, 2017 kazı sezonunda Hadrianus Kapısı’nın batısında keşfedilen parçalı kireçtaşı heykel kaidesidir ve imparator Marcus Aurelius’a ihtiyatlı bir şekilde atfedilmektedir. İmparatorluk unvanı yalnızca kısmen korunmuş olsa da, paleografik analiz, yakın bağlamda keşfedilen ve kesin olarak tarihlenen bir Lucius Verus adağıyla benzerlikler içermekte ve yazıtın imparatorların ortak hükümdarlık dönemine (MS 166-169) ait olabileceğini göstermektedir. 2012 yılında akropolis kapısı yakınında belgelenen ikinci yazıt, kronolojik olarak farklı iki epigrafik evre içermektedir. Evre A, Roma İmparatorluk Kültü rahibesi olarak görev yapmış ve Palladeios Agon’u ile ilişkili ödüllü yarışmayı (themis) bağışlamış olan Phaselisli sivil seçkinlerden Aurelia Apphia için yazılmış orijinal on sekiz satırlık onurlandırma metnini içermektedir. Adayan kişi, Apphia ile kesin ilişkisi belirsiz olan Apion olarak restore edilmiştir. Evre B, sıva ve fresko dekorasyonu üzerine uygulanmış ve beş satırı korunmuş boyalı bir yazıttan (dipinto) oluşmakta ve Yuhanna İncili’nden (1:1, 1:3) bir alıntı olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Bu durum Geç Antikçağ’da Hristiyan temellükünü yansıtmaktadır. Anıtın akropolis tahkimat duvarlarına üçüncül olarak dahil edilmesi, Phaselis’te Geç Antikçağ’da yaşanan derin kentsel dönüşümlere tanıklık etmekte ve sivil bağış, dinsel değişim ve mekânsal yeniden yapılanma için kritik kanıt sağlamaktadır. Anahtar sözcükler: Phaselis, Marcus Aurelius, İthaf/Onurlandırma Yazıtları, Dipinto * Prof. Dr., Akdeniz University, Faculty of Letters, Department of History, Antalya, Türkiye. [email protected] | 0000-0003-1132-7423 ** Prof. Dr., Akdeniz University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Ancient Languages and Cultures, Antalya, Türkiye. [email protected] | 0000-0002-1098-028X Murat ARSLAN & Nihal TÜNER ÖNEN 268 1. Dedicatory Inscription to Emperor Marcus Aurelius (?) The inscription was found during systematic excavations conducted in the 2017 season, within the scope of clearance operations and architectural documentation works at Hadrianus’s Gate. The discovery was made in a building complex located immediately west of the monumental structure. The artifact constitutes a fragmentary statue base fashioned from finegrained limestone of superior quality. Stratigraphic evidence and architectural contextualization demonstrate that the block had undergone secondary use as spolia, integrated into one of the commercial structures ( tabernae ) constructed during the Late Antique Period along the western frontage of the gate. The extant portions of the base preserve diagnostic elements indicating an original architectural configuration comprising an upper moulded cornice and a pediment-form crowning element embellished with corner acroteria. Dimensions: H.: 0.31 m; W.: 0.45 m; D.: 0.32 m; Lh.: 0.04 m. Fig. 1. Findspot of the Inscribed Dedicatory Base west of Hadrianus’s Gate Aὐτοκράτορι Kαίσαρι Mάρκῳ 3 [A]ὐρηλίῳ Ἀ[ντω]- [ν]είνῳ ----------- (Dedicated to) Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus … Fig. 2. Inscription to Emperor Marcus Aurelius (?) The inscription preserves the upper four lines of a statue base and records an imperial dedication, though the precise identification of the honored emperor remains uncertain. The incorporation of the nomen Aurelius into the imperial titulature as a dynastic appellative commenced with the accession of Marcus Aurelius in 161 CE and continued until the early fourth century, during which period the name formed a constituent element of the official nomenclature of virtually all Roman emperors. Three emperors bore the combination of the Three New Inscriptions from Phaselis 269 praenomen Marcus , the nomen gentilicium Aurelius , and the cognomen Antoninus : Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180 CE), Caracalla (r. 211-217 CE), and Elagabalus (r. 218-222 CE) 1 . The epigraphic corpus of Phaselis has yielded no securely attested dedications to either Marcus Aurelius or Elagabalus to date 2 . Inscriptions commemorating Elagabalus characteristically display evidence of systematic erasure resulting from the damnatio memoriae enacted following his assassination and the Senate’s subsequent condemnation 3 . The present inscription exhibits no traces of deliberate effacement or rasura . Conversely, the extant dedication from Phaselis honoring Caracalla explicitly incorporates the cognomen Severus , which he assumed upon his father Septimius Severus’s death in 211 CE 4 . Inscriptions honoring Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla frequently present challenges in attribution, as both emperors shared substantially overlapping elements within their official titulature 5 . Analogous interpretative difficulties have been documented in the epigraphic material from Lycia, where the absence of distinctive cognomina or specific honorific epithets complicates secure identification 6 . In the present instance, however, paleographic analysis provides critical evidence for attribution. The letter forms, characterized by pronounced apices, serifs with consistent angular terminations, and characteristic alpha with broken crossbar, exhibit striking affinities with those of a dedication to Lucius Verus recovered in 2012 from the same architectural complex 7 . The paleographic concordance between the two inscriptions extends to such 1 Kienast et al. 2017, 131, 156, 165. 2 Inscriptions from the city attesting to the emperors Vespasianus ( TAM II 1188), Domitianus ( TAM II 1186), Traianus ( TAM II 1189; Blackmann 1981 145-146, no. 3; cf. Tüner Önen 2016, 976-978), Hadrianus ( SEG XXXI 1299; TAM II 1191-1195), Antoninus Pius ( TAM II 1196-1197), Lucius Verus (Tüner Önen 2016, 973-974 (= SEG LXVI 1769 = AE [2016] 1698) and Caracalla ( TAM II 1198) are known to date. A fragmented inscription honouring the Dominatores Totius Orbis (rulers of the entire world) is thought to refer to Gratianus, Valentinianus II and Theodosius ( TAM II 1199; cf. Tüner Önen 2008, 324 no. 21). 3 Elagabalus was assassinated by the Praetorian Guard in 222 CE. Immediately after his death, the Roman Senate enacted a systematic program of damnatio memoriae against his memory. Cf. Kienast et al. 2017, 165. In a dedication inscription from Attaleia, the emperor’s name has been erased. SEG XVII 616: Θεῷ Ἡλίῳ | [[Ἐλεγαβάλῳ]] | ἡ βουλὴ καὶ |ὁ σύνπας | δῆμος. For other erased inscriptions, see also Mitchell 2003, 144; SEG LVII 625-626. 4 TAM II 1198: Aὐτοκράτορα | Kαίσαρα | Mᾶρκον Aὐρήλι|ον Σευῆρον | Ἀντωνῖνον | Eὐσεβῆ Eὐτυ|χῆ Σεβαστὸν |ἡ βουλὴ καὶ | ὁ δῆμος. For the cognomen Severus, see Kienast et al. 2017, 156. 5 It is certain that the inscription on a statue base recovered from Olympos belongs to Marcus Aurelius ( TAM II 943: Aὐτοκράτορα Kαί|σαρα Mᾶρκον Aὐρή|λιον Ἀντωνεῖνον | Σεβαστὸν Ἀρμενι|ακὸν Mηδικὸν Παρ|θικὸν Γερμανικὸν | Ὀλυνπηνῶν ἡ βου|λὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος | ἐγ δωρεᾶς Παν|ταγάθου δίς. A further inscription recovered from Patara can be securely attributed to Marcus Aurelius on the basis of its in situ placement within the architectural context of the monument, which provides unambiguous chronological and historical evidence for identification ( TAM II 419 E-F: [Aὐτοκράτορα Kαίσαρα] | [Mᾶρκον Aὐρήλιον] | Ἀντωνεῖνον Σεβαστόν, | τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ εὐεργέτην | παντὸς γένους καὶ οἴκου | τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ, Tιβέριος | Kλ(αύδιος)∙ Φλαουιανὸς Tιτιανός. An inscription from Kadyanda is similarly attributed to Caracalla on the basis of contextual and paleographic criteria (TAM II 657: Aὐτοκρά[τορα Kαίσαρα] | Mᾶρκον A[ὐρήλιον] | Ἀντωνεῖνο[ν Σεβαστὸν] | Γερβανικὸν [Παρθικὸν] | Mέγιστον [— — — — —]). For the order in which the emperor’s titles were acquired, see Mastino 1975, 49. 6 For the inscriptions from Ksanthos, cf. Balland 1981, 75 no. 33, 77 no. 35. E. Kalinka likewise associated two inscriptions that carry only the same titulature, without additional titles, with Caracalla. These are the inscription from Nysa ( TAM II 738: Aὐτοκράτορα | Kαίσαρα Mᾶρ|κον Aὐρήλιο[ν] | Ἀντωνεῖνο[ν] | Σεβαστὸν | Nεισέων [ἡ] | [β]ου[λὴ καὶ ὁ] |[δῆμος]) and the inscription from Korydalla ( TAM II 936: Aὐτοκράτορ<α> Kαίσαρ<α> Mᾶρ|κον Aὐρήλιον Ἀντωνεῖνον | Σεβαστὸν | Kορυδαλλέ|ων ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος). 7 Immediately adjacent to a Late Antique fortification wall flanking the modern pedestrian path that connects Murat ARSLAN & Nihal TÜNER ÖNEN 270 diagnostic details as letter proportions, interlinear spacing, and the execution of specific letter forms ( alpha , omega , epsilon , sigma ), strongly suggesting that both texts were incised by the same lapicide or workshop 8 . On the basis of this paleographic correlation, combined with the secure dating of the Lucius Verus inscription to the period of his joint rule with Marcus Aurelius (161169 CE), it is probable that the present dedication was commissioned contemporaneously, most likely between 166 CE -when Verus returned from the Parthian campaignand 169 CE, the year of his death. The inscription may therefore be tentatively attributed to Marcus Aurelius during the period of the condominium with Lucius Verus 9 . 2. Reused Honorific Base Bearing Two Chronologically Distinct Inscriptions The block was identified during the 2012 Phaselis’ survey in secondary deposition, positioned in inverted orientation at the summit of the ascending stairway connecting the southwestern sector of the theatre to the acropolis, immediately adjacent to the acropolis gateway. The limestone base, exhibiting fractures at both superior and inferior extremities and preserving a profiled moulding, demonstrates clear evidence of multiple phases of reuse. The principal inscribed face had undergone deliberate surface preparation through the application of a lime plaster layer ( intonaco ), over which a polychrome decorative border was subsequently executed in fresco technique. Within this painted frame, a inscription was added in a secondary epigraphic phase. The stratigraphic and architectural context suggests that the block was transported to its findspot during a tertiary phase of utilization, likely incorporated as structural fill or reinforcement material ( emplekton ) within the Late Antique refurbishment of the acropolis fortification circuit. Fig. 3. Findspot of the Inscribed Honorific Base infront of the Acropolis Entrance Gate 2A. Primary Epigraphic Phase: Honorific Inscription for Aurelia Appia The upper five lines of the inscribed limestone base, together with fragmentary letter traces preserved along both lateral edges where the overlying plaster has eroded, indicate that the original inscription comprised eighteen lines. The letterforms exhibit skilled execution with Hadrianus’s Gate to the South Harbor. 8 Tüner Önen 2016, 974. 9 For the dating of the inscription relating to Lucius Verus, see Tüner Önen 2016, 876. Three New Inscriptions from Phaselis 271 consistent ductus. Lines 2, 3, 4, 11, and 15 display systematic use of double and triple ligatures ( nexus litterarum ) [see, transliteration], a technique that accommodates between fifteen and nineteen characters per line. This epigraphic practice has been taken into consideration in proposing textual restorations for those portions currently concealed beneath the plaster layer. Line 5 exhibits a space-saving device wherein the final two letters, omicron and ny, are inscribed as an enclosed ligature. At the termination of line 7, alpha appears in reduced module, as does omicron at the end of line 11, both instances reflecting the stonecutter’s adaptation to constrained linear space ( litterae minutae ). Dimensions: H.: 1.30 m; W.: 0.50 m; D.: 0.32 m; Lh.: 0.03 m. Fig. 4a. Lines 1-5 Fig. 4c. Lines 6-13 Fig. 4b. Lines 14-18 Murat ARSLAN & Nihal TÜNER ÖNEN 272 Fig. 5. Honorific Inscription for Aurelia Apphia Αὐρηλίαν Ἀπ[φία]ν [Kο]λ[αλ[ήçμ]εος · β՚· ἘνÖβρόμου · β՚· Φ[α]σηλεῖτιν çτὴν ἀξιο4 λ[ογω]τάτÖηçν γυναῖκα σώφρ[ον]α καὶ φιλό[τ]εκνον κα[ὶ φίλανδρον καὶ π]ρώ- [την τῆς πολεως, ἱερ]ασα8 μ[ένην τῶν θεῶν Σε]βαςτ[ῶν εὐσεβῶς, τὴν εὐερ]γέτ[ιν τῆς πατρίδο]ς, v. Λ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ΠO 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . κ]αὶ Φ. . . . . . . . . . . .τετε]ιμÖημ[ένην, Aὐρήλιος Ἀ]πίων . . . . . . . . . . . . . . τ]çὴν 16 γλ[υκυτάτην . . . . . . . . φι[λοστοργίας καὶ εὐ]- νο[ίας ἕνεκεν. Aurelia Apphia of Phaselis, daughter of Kolalemis son of Kolalemis, greatgranddaughter of Enbromos son of Enbromos, prudent, fond of children and devoted to her husband, a woman worthy of praise, foremost lady of the city, who served piously as priestess of the imperial cult, a benefactress of the fatherland, …………, and for her goodwill, (was honored by) Aurelius Apion, son of ………… Lines 1-2: The opening lines establish the filiation of the honorand. Aurelia Apphia is securely attested in the epigraphic record of Phaselis through two previously published agonistic inscriptions 10 , which document her role as civic benefactor ( euergetis ). Specifically, Apphia endowed the 10 TAM II 1206: Aὐρ(ήλιος) Πτολεμαῖος ὁ καὶ | Ζωσιμᾶς, υἱὸς Aὐρ(ηλίου) Ἀρτε|μιδώρου Πτολεμαίου, Φα|σηλείτης, νεικήσας πα[ί]|δων πάλην ἐνδόξως ἀ|γῶνος Παλλαδείου πρώ|τως ἀχθέντος, οὗ ἐδωρή|σατο τῇ πόλει ἡ ἀξιολο|γωτάτη Aὐρηλία Ἀφφία K[ο]|λαλήμεος δὶς Ἐμβρό|μου δίς, Φασηλεῖτις, | ἄπτωτος ἀμεσολάβη|τος; Adak et al. 2005, 9 no. 6: [Aὐρ.] Kούγας Ὀνιάλλεος | [τοῦ κα]ὶ Πονεσέλμου Kολα|[λήμε]ος Φασηλείτης | [νε]ικήσας ἐνδόξως ἀν|[δρῶν πάλην τ]ὸν ἀγῶ|[να Παλλαδείου] θέμιδος, | [ἧς κατέλιπεν] ἡ ἀξιολο|[γωτάτη γυν]ὴ Aὐρ. vac . | [Ἀφφία Kολαλήμ]εος δίς Ἐμ|[βρόμου δὶς Φασ]ηλεῖτις, | [λαβὼν ἆθλον τοὺ]ς ἀνδρί|[αντας]. vac . Three New Inscriptions from Phaselis 273 Palladeios Agon (Ἀγὼν Παλλάδειος) and an associated prize competition ( themis ) featuring a monetary award ( thema , θέμα) 11 . From the inscriptions documented in the city, it is understood that these competitions were organized particularly in the discipline of wrestling ( pale , πάλη) and included categories for both boys ( paides , παῖδες) and adult men ( andres ,ἅνδρες). The adult category is distinguished by the provision of a cash prize to the victor, a feature indicating a thematikos agōn rather than a purely honorific stephanitic competition. A comparable endowment is attested through the Themis Agon (Ἀγὼν Θέμις), established by testamentary bequest ( diathēkē ) of Eukratidas, a member of the municipal elite 12 . The pattern of agonistic euergetism among Phaselite notables reflects broader competitive dynamics within civic benefaction during the Roman Imperial Period. In the present inscription, the honorand’s name is epigraphically attested as Ἀπ[φία], whereas in the earlier agonistic foundation text ( TAM II 1206), she is recorded as Ἀφφία. The orthographic variant in the second agonistic inscription has been restored in conformity with the TAM attestation. The alternation between geminate phi (φφ) and pi-phi (πφ) likely reflects regional phonetic variation or scribal idiosyncrasy rather than distinct individuals, as filiation and context confirm identity. In both previously published inscriptions, Apphia bears the honorific epithet ἀξιολογωτάτη ("most distinguished"), a superlative formulaic designation unambiguously identifying her membership within the civic aristocracy ( hoi prōtoi ). Her patronymic and grandfather’s name, Kolalemis (Kολαλεμις), represents a rare onomastic element documented exclusively within the civic territory ( khōra ) of Phaselis ( LGPN V.b, s.v.) 13 , suggesting a family ( genos ) of longstanding local prominence. The ancestral name Enbromos/Embromos (Ἐνβρομος/Ἐμβρομος) is identifiable as an indigenous Lycian anthroponym attested throughout the regional onomastic corpus ( LGPN V.b, s.v.) 14 . Lines 7-9: The fragmentary letter sequences preserved in these lines admit the restoration ἱερ]ασα|μ[ένην τῶν θεῶν Σε]βασ|τ[ῶν εὐσεβῶς, indicating that Apphia discharged the office of priestess of the Imperial Cult (ἱέρεια τῶν θεῶν Σεβαστῶν) with piety (εὐσεβῶς). This priesthood constituted one of the most prestigious liturgical offices accessible to elite women in the cities of Asia Minor during the Imperial period, conferring elevated social status, ceremonial prominence, and direct association with the apparatus of imperial worship. The adverbial qualification εὐσεβῶς represents a conventional honorific topos emphasizing the honorand’s exemplary discharge of sacerdotal duties. A parallel attestation is furnished by a honorific inscription from Phaselis documenting Aurelia Bettia, another member of the local aristocracy, who likewise held this sacerdotal office 15 . The recurrence of the nomen gentilicium Aurelia among priestesses of the Roman 11 The Palladeios agon derives its name from Pallas, an epithet of Athena, the principal goddess of the city. Cf. Adak et al. 2005, 9. For the cult of Athena in Phaselis, see Tüner Önen & Yılmaz 2015, 122-125. 12 TAM II 1207. 13 For this name, see also Gürel et al. 2019, 420. 14 For both names, see Tüner Önen 2015b, 44, 50. 15 TAM II 1204. Murat ARSLAN & Nihal TÜNER ÖNEN 274 Imperial Cult may suggest familial or patronage networks linking these women to families enfranchised under the Constitutio Antoniniana (212 CE). The prominence of elite women in this priesthood reflects broader patterns in Asia Minor, where female holders of highprofile religious offices combined sacerdotal functions with civic benefaction ( euergetism ) to enhance familial prestige and demonstrate loyalty to the imperial domus . Lines 11-13: Between these lines, one would expect references to the agon and the themis that Apphia endowed for the city. Such enumerations typically employ participial constructions articulating the benefactor’s donations prior to the formal honorific resolution. Lines 14-15: These lines are expected to have identified the dedicator responsible for erecting the monument. The letter sequence ΠI preserved at the terminus of line 14, the securely legible Ω at the opening of line 15, and a fragmentary letter trace consistent with Ny - identifiable through the surviving left vertical hasta and the upper portion of the diagonal stroke - admit the restoration Ἀπίων with a high degree of paleographic probability 16 . This reconstruction is corroborated by onomastic evidence: the name Apion (Ἀπίων) is epigraphically attested in neighboring Lycian cities, specifically at Trebenna and Olympos ( LGPN V.b, 38 s.v. Ἀπίων), confirming its currency within the regional anthroponymic repertoire. Line 16: This line is expected to have contained a relational formula specifying Apphia's kinship to the dedicator Apion, with the kinship designation appearing in the accusative case. The identity of Apion and the precise nature of his relationship to Apphia remain uncertain, though the dedication of her honor suggests several possibilities: he may have been her husband, a kinsman ( syngenēs ), a civic magistrate acting in an official capacity, or a member of her patronage network ( philoi ) bound to her household ( oikos ) through ties of reciprocal obligation. Lines 17-18: For the proposed restoration of these lines, cf. Balland 1981, no. 81. 2B. Secondary Epigraphic Phase: Painted Inscription ( dipinto ) Superimposed on Plastered and Frescoed Surface Following the deliberate concealment of the original carved honorific inscription through the application of a lime plaster layer ( intonaco ), the prepared surface was decorated with fresco painting. Within the frescoed area, a rectangular bordered panel ( tabula ansata ) was executed, delimited by painted borders on the lateral edges. A painted inscription ( dipinto ) 16 Although it is written out explicitly in the first line, the possibility that Aurelius is used here in an abbreviated form should also be taken into account; accordingly, names ending in -πίων - such as Σεραπίων/Σαραπίων (previously attested in the city: Tüner Önen 2015a, 34 no. 6), or Παπίων, Ἀσχλαπίων … etc. should be borne in mind, albeit as less likely alternatives. Cf. https://search.lgpn.ox.ac.uk/browse.html?field=names &sort=nymRef&query=*apiwn