I.Milet VI 2, 570

Rekonstruktion und Interpretation einer Bemerkenswerten Grabinschrift

Abstract

I.Milet VI 2, 570 is a 15-line grave inscription, of which lines 6–9 and 13–15 were thoroughly erased already in Antiquity. The text is unique in that it makes the burial (at least in parts) of the next generation dependent on the integrity of their marriages. The paper first deals with the reconstruction of the missing passages, then argues that the inscription belongs to I.Milet VI 2, 569 and proposes the socalled Heroon III as the original context. Subsequently, the text’ s distinctive features in language and content are discussed, especially the expressions ἡ μετοχὴ καὶ ἐξουσία τοῦ μνημείου and ἀποχωρεῖν τῶν ἰδίων ἐθίμων, which are without parallels in and outside Asia Minor. In sum, it seems as though the tomb owner, in his desire to use an aloof and official-sounding language (including a gender-neutral neologism for «spouse»), simply overestimated his language skills, and thus induced one of his sons to disregard and ultimately erase the oppressive paragraphs.