Two inscriptions from Ancient Thouria rediscovered
Following one of the main objectives of the Greek Epigraphic Society concerning the location and identification of inscriptions which are considered to be lost, an on -site investigation was carried out in 2004 in the area of South Messenia in the Peloponnese. Among other finds two inscriptions were located built into one of the walls of the courtyard of the Monastery called «Τὰ Ἑλληνικά», former Βεΐσαγα. The autopsy of the stones was impossible at the time as permission by the Monastery authorities was not granted. In 2007 the project became a formal collaborative effort of the Greek Epigraphic Society and the 38th Ephorate of Antiquities based in Kalamata with the enthusiastic support of its Director Dr. Xeni Arapogianni.
In 2010 the present author visited the Monastery at Ἑλληνικά with the kind help of the guard of Antiquities of the 38th Ephorate Mr. A. Tsaglis and identified the two inscriptions. The first one is IG V1, 1384 (an ephebic catalogue) and the second one is IG V1, 1385 (a fragmentary list of names). Both inscriptions were originally published by Le Bas-Foucart, Voy. Arch.II 301 and 303(1835/6). The texts were read on the basis of the autopsy of the stones and will be published soon.
Of the eleven inscriptions from Ancient Thouria recorded in the IG V 1 volume, only these two and one which is kept in the Epigraphical Museum (IG V 1, 1388 –the information was kindly supplied to me by the Curator of Antiquities Ms E. Zavvou) have so far been located. Our aim is to make every effort to locate not only the remaining inscriptions of Ancient Thouria but also all the inscriptions of Messenia included in the IG V1.
The project also has included the cataloguing of the inscriptions kept in the Archaeological Museum of Messenia in Kalamata by the present author and M. Diakoumakou.
The check list of the inscriptions of the Archaeological Museum of Messenia in Kalamata will appear soon on the web site of the Greek Epigraphic Society.
Andronike Makres