Extract
[...] It is difficult, due to the time and the quality of the image available to us, to identify the entire inscription, however we can discern on the first lines, and after having performed the same work of reformulating the words as previously, the terms IL? IV? II? (Atilôn 40 delta, Plosia 4 delta, Chairimôn 2 delta), meaning 'Atilôn years, Plousia years, Chairémon years', in an approximate transcription of the letters. The same remark as for the previous stela applies in what concerns the specific mention of the age on these stelas. The last terms mean 'have good courage' but the original inscription is not easily visible to the naked eye. [...]
[...] Conclusion The stelae we have described here are precious testimonies of the ancient era, in that they inform us about elements of the daily life of the Egyptians of the Hellenistic period of the early era. These two stelae are particularly representative of the way in which the social organization, beliefs, and traditions - here, that of care for the deceased - are established in this Roman Egypt of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and represent a rather specific blend of the two previous brilliant civilizations that ruled the territory, namely the Hellenic civilization and ancient Egypt. [...]
[...] The image most likely represents a banquet, which recalls the pomp of these events in wealthy families on both sides of the Roman Empire that have the means to organize them. We can see that the master of the house, Atilôn, is lying on a bench, while his children apparently do not have this privilege since they remain standing by his side. This image overlaps with what we know about banquets, and also demonstrates that this is a wealthy family, likely having a certain social status since they can organize banquets, but also have a funerary stela carved that is much more sophisticated than Chenapathis, which we mentioned earlier. [...]
[...] It was discovered on the Egyptian site of Térénouthis, at Kôm Abou Billou, in Egypt. This funerary stela, also in limestone and also rectangular, is however oriented in a horizontal manner, and slightly rounded on its four corners. The surface is clearly more charged than in the previous example since the text responsible for informing about the identity of the deceased represents only a small part to the left of it, the rest being composed of an engraving representative (we will return to this). [...]
[...] This stela is made of limestone, in a rectangular vertical shape with clearly rounded edges on both upper sides. On top, it only presents the inscription in the center LIV? » (Chenapathi Panechôtoi 54 Delta). It is an ancient Greek inscription, except for the number 54 indicated in Roman numerals and can be translated to « Chenapathis, daughter of Panéchôtès years », the first two words indicating the name of the deceased, Chenapathis and her relationship (daughter of Panéchôtès). We know that the reference to the age is expressed by the letter ? [...]
