Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 2:38 pm
Thanks for all the effort in obtaining these photos Andrew! It is very interesting.
I actually cannot see the fourth margin but I am actually not even sure the bottom margin is the original one. With a rough overlaying of the various photos to a rectangular of the Miller proportions, I also do not see that the height/length proportions are correct so this may be a block with either damage or additional processing in one or more of its sides. The identification that this block belongs to the peribolos may come from other observations, such as the location of the clump/dowel/pry cuttings which were common and similar for this type of blocks. Location of these cuttings may define the coordinate system where one later uses to place the inscription on the reconstructed block. That is my best guess.
I am in any case, negatively surprised by the fact that in the reconstruction of the full block the Π is presented as missing. They make their life difficult for no reason - the sketch could have presented the missing part with dashed lines or something and justification that ΠΑΡΕΛΑΒΟΝ was written could have been more straightforward. Unless they are sure the Π is intentionally omitted (e.g. by the looking at the other inscriptions) I am not sure why they choose to present it in this way...
I actually cannot see the fourth margin but I am actually not even sure the bottom margin is the original one. With a rough overlaying of the various photos to a rectangular of the Miller proportions, I also do not see that the height/length proportions are correct so this may be a block with either damage or additional processing in one or more of its sides. The identification that this block belongs to the peribolos may come from other observations, such as the location of the clump/dowel/pry cuttings which were common and similar for this type of blocks. Location of these cuttings may define the coordinate system where one later uses to place the inscription on the reconstructed block. That is my best guess.
I am in any case, negatively surprised by the fact that in the reconstruction of the full block the Π is presented as missing. They make their life difficult for no reason - the sketch could have presented the missing part with dashed lines or something and justification that ΠΑΡΕΛΑΒΟΝ was written could have been more straightforward. Unless they are sure the Π is intentionally omitted (e.g. by the looking at the other inscriptions) I am not sure why they choose to present it in this way...