The Carian graffiti from Sardis represent some of the oldest evidence of the Carian script in Asia Minor. C.I 1 to C.I 6 were found during excavations in Sardis between 1961 and 1966. While their Carian character is beyond doubt, they are highly fragmentary and feature an informal, irregular style of writing that complicates linguistic analysis. These inscriptions are categorized as Archaic Carian, dating broadly from the 7th century to the middle of the 6th century BCE.
C.I 1+5
These two late Wild Goat style (610–550 BCE) bowl fragments (6.7 x 13 cm) were joined by R. Gusmani (1990). The graffito is incised on the outer face. Different orientations of the signs present significant difficulties in determining the reading direction.
(no reading is offered)
C.I 2
The graffito is on the outer face of a red-buff local Lydian pottery fragment (4.6 x 2.8 cm).
(→)
1 ]-?-mśto[
C.I 3
The graffiti is on the inner side of a red-buff local Lydian bowl fragment. The second word has parallels in the Carian corpus from Egypt (E.AS, E.Mu 1) and may represent an ethnic name (cf. Schürr 2010).
(→)
1 ]o?unê-?[
2 ]sosê[
C.I 4
The graffito is on the outer side of a coarse local Lydian bowl fragment. This is potentially the oldest of the group, dating possibly to the second half of the 7th century BCE. The reading remains highly uncertain.
(→)
1 ] mslik [
2 ] o?ê [
C.I 6
The graffito is on the inner side of a fragment of flat rim and wall of plain local reddish buff bowl (4.5 x 5.5 cm). It is dated between the mid and late 7th century BCE.
(→)
1 ]pêśm[ (or: ]mśêp[)
C.I 7
The text is a graffito incised on a pottery sherd found in Old Smyrna. It is dated to the late 7th century BCE. The reading direction remains uncertain. Adiego (2019) suggests reading the signs clockwise (dextroverse) starting from outside, but reading the outermost five characters separately counterclockwise (sinistroverse) as the last word.
(⇄)
1 s aλ pde-?-? m-?-?-m?ubroδuoreš b ?-em-?-λ
References:
Adiego, I.- J. 2007. The Carian Language, Leiden/Boston. (27–29)
Adiego, I.- X. 2019. “’Archaic’ Carian,” in Karia Arkhaia. La Carie, des origines à la période pré-hekatomnide. 4èmes Rencontres d’archéologie de l’IFÉA. Istanbul, 14-16 novembre 2013, eds. O. Henry, K. Konuk, Istanbul, 23–41. (26–27)
Gusmani, R. 1975. Neue epichorische Schriftzeugnisse aus Sardis (1958–1971, Cambridge, MA.
Gusmani, R. 1990. “Karische Beiträge II,” Kadmos 29.1, 47–53.
Hanfmann, G. M. A & Masson, O. 1967. “Carian Inscriptions from Sardis and Stratonikeia”, Kadmos 6, 123–134.
Jeffrey, L. H. 1964. “Old Smyrna: Inscriptions on sherds and small objects,” Annual of the British School at Athens 59, 39–49 and plts. 5–8.
Schürr, D. 2010. “Rezension von The Carian Language by I.-J. Adiego,” Kratylos 55, 134–142.
Images:
L. H. Jeffrey, 1964
G. M. A. Hanfmann & O. Masson, 1967
R. Gusmani, 1975, 1990
I.-X. Adiego, 2019