E04407: Floor-mosaic with a Greek verse inscription praising the virtues of the family of a local aristocrat, including very possibly his grandfather's embellishment of a sanctuary dedicated to a saint Prokopios, 'protector of the city' (probably *Prokopios, martyr of Caesarea in Palestine, S00118). Found at Diokaisareia/Sepphoris in Galilee (Roman province of Palaestina II). Probably 6th c.

This fragmentarily preserved inscription in eight hexameter verses has had several editions with very different restorations and interpretations. Below we first present the text in the form suggested by Denis Feissel, who strongly argued that it praised a family involved in an embellishment of a shrine of the martyr Prokopios. Although this is considered the most plausible interpretation by the editors of the SEG, we also give the text, as restored by Leah Di Segni (the first editor, who identifies Prokopios as a mosaicist), and Glen Bowersock (who considers this Prokopios a 6th c. governor of Palestine). In addition, we report the remarks of Yiannis Meimaris and Nikoleta Makrigianni on a possible restoration of the lost word in line 4.

1. Feissel's interpretation:

[τὸν] δό̣μον εἰσοράᾳς τὸν ὑπέρτα[τον Ἀσβο]λί[οιο]
τοῦ νέου ὃν κ[άλλ]ιστον ἐγείνατο πότνια κούρη
Ἀσβολί[ου θυγάτη]ρ μεγαλ[ήτο]ρος ὅς ῥα μ[εγί]στην
πατρίδ᾿ ἑὴν ἀπέφηνε πολ[υ—]α και πολιήτας,
κυδαίνων ἀρετῇσι πολισσοῦχον Προκό[πιον],
τούτου δ᾿ αὖ γαμβρὸς Πατρίκιος ἀγλαὸς ἀν[ήρ],
Ἑρμοῦ καὶ Μουσῶν καὶ Φοίβου κύδιμον ἔρνος,
οὗ κλέος ἐς χθόνα πᾶσαν ἀείδεται ἠδὲ θάλασσαν

'You behold the highest house (domos) of the young Asbolios,
whom an august maiden brought forth most handsome,
[daughter of] Asbolios, the brave, who made
his very great city [renowned], and its citizens too,
by glorifying with virtues the guardian of the city (polissouchos), Prokopios.
His son-in-law is Patrikios, a splendid man,
glorious scion of Hermes and the Muses and Phoebus,
whose glory is sung across every land and sea.'

Text: SEG 52, 1679, including restorations by D. Feissel/G.W. Bowersock, and an altered restoration of line 3 by D. Feissel. Translation: G.W. Bowersock, adapted to fit the altered completions by D. Feissel.

2. Di Segni's interpretation:

[τὸν] δόλον εἰσοράᾳς τὸν ὑπέρτα[τον αἰθα]λί[ωνος]
τοῦ νέου ὃν κ[άλλ]ιστον ἐγείνατο πότνια κούρη·
ἀσβολι[ώδης γὰ]ρ μεγάλ[ου ἡ δ]ρόσος ῥαμα[το]ς τ᾿ ἦν.
πατρίδ᾿ ἑὴν ἀπέφηνε πολ[υκλῆ ἄρ]α καὶ πολιήτας,
κυδαίνων ἀρετῇσι πολισσοῦχον Προκό[πι(ο)ς μέν],
τούτου δ᾿ αὖ γαμβρὸς Πατρίκιος ἀγλαὸς ἄν[θος],
Ἑρμοῦ καὶ Μουσῶν καὶ Φοίβου κύδιμον ἔρνος,
οὗ κλέος ἐς χθόνα πᾶσαν ἀείδεται ἠδὲ θάλασσαν

6. Bowersock's completion ἀγλαὸς ἀν[ήρ] was accepted by Di Segni in 2005

'You see the highest pole of the dusky youth,
whom most beautiful bore the august maiden.
And indeed black as soot was the water of the great stream.
But his own mother city and fellow-citizens made thus far-famed
Prokopios, glorifying with his excellence the guardian of the city
and also his son-in-law, Patrikios, splendid man,
glorious offspring of Hermes, of the Muses and of Phoebus,
whose fame is sung in all land and sea as well.'

Text and translation: Di Segni 2002, 91.

3. Bowersock's interpretation:

[τὸν] δόμον εἰσοράᾳς τὸν ὑπέρτα[τον Ἀσβο]λί[οιο]
τοῦ νέου ὃν κ[άλλ]ιστον ἐγείνατο πότνια κούρη·
Ἀσβόλι[ος δὲ πατὴ]ρ μεγαλ[όφρον]ος ὅς ῥα μ[εγί]στην
πατρίδ᾿ ἑὴν ἀπέφηνε πολ[υ ]α καὶ πολιήτας,
κυδαίνων ἀρετῇσι πολισσοῦχον Προκό[πιον],
τούτου δ᾿ αὖ γαμβρὸς Πατρίκιος ἀγλαὸς ἀν[ήρ],
Ἑρμοῦ καὶ Μουσῶν καὶ Φοίβου κύδιμον ἔρνος,
οὗ κλέος ἐς χθόνα πᾶσαν ἀείδεται ἠδὲ θάλασσαν

'You behold the consular house of the young Asbolios,
whom an august maiden brought forth most handsome.
And father to this great-souled man was Asbolios who made.
his very great city [renowned], and its citizens too,
by glorifying with virtues the governor Prokopios.
The son-in-law of Prokopios is the splendid Patrikios
glorious scion of Hermes and the Muses and Phoebus,
whose glory is sung across every land and sea.'

Text and translation: Bowersock 2004, 765.

4. Meimaris and Makrigianni's interpretation:

Meimaris and Makrigianni follow Feissel's text, but offer a new restoration of the lost word in line 4: πολ[υκλέ]α/'much celebrated'.