ID 1578: Inscribed Statue-base of Golossa

Modern Publication(s): CIG 2323 (Editio princeps); Marshall V; Hicks 2; ID 1578; SEG xxxi 730; BE 1982.242

Brief description: “Inscribed wall stone… which may have been part of a large base supporting statues.” (Hicks) “Dedication of Statues of Masinissa and his two sons Golossan and Musochan.” (Baslez)

Attributes

Inscription Type: Dedication

Object Type: Statue base

Material: White marble

Original Location: Delos

Provenance: Delos

Date: c.170 BC. “Date indicated by Golossan in [A], whom we may identify with the well-known second son of Massinissa, who was his father’s envoy at Rome BC 172 and 171” (Hicks). Golossa (or Gulussa) “was present at the taking of Carthage in 146 BC” (Hicks). Three statues at Delos honour Massinissa, so it is not unusual that Golossa was also honoured at Delos. (Hicks)

Dimensions: H: 2ft 8½ in; W: 2ft 3 1/8 in. (Hicks)

Layout: Two dedications of a similar date, side-by-side on one stone. [A] One line of text; [B] Four lines of text. The first part of [A] is missing, and was engraved on a stone to the left. The right-hand portion of [B] occupied a stone to the right.

Writing: Inscribed.

Condition: “The slab is in perfect preservation, excepting a slight injury of the surface at the upper right-hand corner.” (Hicks)

Decoration: None.

Collection

Location: Leeds City Museum (Hicks). (Current location unknown.)

Collector(s): Part of a collection purchased by Mr Benjamin Gott and Mr Rawson when travelling from Smyrna through the islands to Athens in 1815. Gott died of a fever at Piraeus, and the marbles then passed to Mr Rawson. They were kept at Rawson’s house in Halifax for several years, during which time six of the inscriptions were copied and sent to Böckh for inclusion in CIG. On Rawson’s death in 1845 or 1846, Mr Rawson’s brother, Mr S. Rawson, sold the marbles to Mr William Gott (brother of B. Gott). W. Gott then passed the marbles to his son, Rev. Dr. John Gott, who presented them with a few exceptions (Nos. 1-6, Hicks) to the Museum at Leeds (Hicks).

Date collected: Collected by Rawson in 1815.

Translation

[The people] (dedicate) King Golossa [to the gods]

The...

Phoinix N...

His sons for the sake of his [beneficient] sons [for the sake of their friendship and conc]ord.

Bibliography

M.-F. Baslez, 'Un monument de la famille royale de Numidie à Délos', REG 94 (1981), 160-165.

E. L. Hicks, 'The Collection of Ancient Marbles at Leeds,' JHS 11 (1890), 255-270, no. 2.

J. Marshall, 'Observations on certain Greek Inscriptions in the Museum of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society', The 59th Report of the Council of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society (1879), 13-19, no. V.

The 44th Report of the Council of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, (1864), 11-12, 28.

Web Links

Greek text, from PHI