Identifying Epigraphical Hands, II Tracy, Stephen V Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Summer 1973; 14, 2; ProQuest pg. 189 Identifying Epigraphical Hands, II Stephen V. Tracy THIS ARTICLE provides reference lists of inscriptions and descrip­ tions of the lettering of two prolific Attic cutters, one of whom lived in the middle of the third century B.C., the other in the first quarter of the second century B.C. The background, method and rationale behind the study of individual cutters have been set forth in a previous number of this journal.1 Since the present article continues the previous one, it seems appropriate to list here addenda to the dossiers of the cutters already published.2 MASON 1 Previous publication: GRBS 11 (1970) 328-30, plates 25-26, figs.I-3. Agora 1642 Hesperia 15 (1946) 225. Agora 15322 unpublished: scheduled for publication by A. C. Woodhead (The Athenian Agora XVI), who informs me per litteras that this fragment is part of Agora I 4260 (Hesperia 26 [1957] 58-59). MASON 2 Previous publication: GRBS 11 (1970) 330-31, plates 26-28, figs.4-7. IG UZ1171. MASON 3 Previous publication: GRBS 11 (1970) 331-33, plates 28-29, figs. 8-10. IG n2 4991, lines 1-3. Agora 15225 unpublished: part of IG UZ 1023. 1 S. V. Tracy, "Identifying Epigraphical Hands," GRBS 11 (1970) 321-33. \I During the past three years, I have benefited from the kind assistance of many. S. Dow I place first as some indication of the aid he has given. I am also especially in the debt of D. Peppa-Delmousou, director of the Epigraphikon Mouseion, and her staff and of the staff and director of the Agora Excavations, T. L. Shear Jr, whose unfailing, collective aid make the epigraphical fragments easily accessible for study. I also record here my gratitude for financial support to the American Council of Learned Societies and to the National Endow­ ment for the Humanities, without whose assistance it would be impossible to carry on this research. 189 190 IDENTIFYING EPIGRAPHICAL HANDS, II Note: A full length study of this cutter 3 will soon appear as a supplement volume of Hesperia. CUTTER 4 Agora I 3238 and I 4169 (PLATE 4, fig.2)4 DATES: 273/2-240/39 B.C. General characteristics of the lettering: This cutter inscribed very plain, liberally spaced letters. He habitually inscribed round letters with straight strokes and had a definite preference for stoichedon arrangement. He did not, however, observe any rule of syllabification, even in his non-stoichedon texts. His lettering creates the general impression of neatness. His most idiosyn­ cratic letters are eta, iota, omikron, rho, phi, chi and omega. Peculiarities of individual letters (PLATE 4, figs. 1 and 2): Eta The crossbar habitually extends slightly beyond the right vertical, thus bisecting it. Iota This letter tends to be somewhat shorter than the average letter­ height. Omikron This letter is usually hexagonal or pentagonal in shape. Occasionally the lower segment of the letter is rendered with a curving stroke. The sides are always straight. Note: With the addition of a dot in the middle, theta is identical in shape. Rho The upper part of this letter is usually square or rectangular. Occa­ sionally the cutter slanted the strokes which compose the upper part of the letter. The horizontal stroke at the top tends to extend to the left of the principal vertical hasta. Phi This letter is taller than the others; it begins at the same baseline but is extended at the top above the surrounding letters. The central part is composed of a long rectangle bisected by the vertical. As with the rho, the cutter had a tendency to slant somewhat the strokes which form the central part of the letter. Chi This letter is rather wide. The two main parts of the letter differ sur­ prisingly. The hasta slanting downwards from left to right is usually one continuous stroke; the hasta extending upwards from left to a Several scholars have suggested that the English noun 'mason' is a rather too broad and misleading term for ancient letter-cutters. I concur and, henceforth, follow the lead of E. M. Catich and other calligraphers who refer to those who carve letters in stone as 'cutters'. 'E. Vanderpool Jr kindly provided the cIoseups from which the plates in the present article are made. His excellent negatives have not always been rendered justice by the author's prints. STEPHEN V. TRACY 191 right tends to be longer than the other and to be composed of two distinct halves which do not meet exactly, viZ' >-<. Omega This letter, alone of round letters, is expressed by curving lines. The cutter rendered the principal part of the letter by a curving, elon­ gated (in height) arc of about 320°. It is always left open at the bot­ tom. Short straight strokes, placed slightly above the bottom of the letter, extend to right and left. The one on the right tends to be larger than the other, which is merely suggested or entirely omitted. Occasionally the stroke on the right or both strokes are omitted. LIST OF INSCRIPTIONS: IG II2 525 The date assigned to it in IG, "fin. S. IV," should be revised downward to "med. S. III." IG II2 661 archon Menekles (267/6) IG II2 665 archon Nikias (266/5) IG II2 668 archon Nikias (266/5) IG II2 675 archon [GlaukipposJ (273/2) IG II2 677 Kirchner-Klaffenbach, Imagines 85 IG 112 686+687 archon Peithidemos (265/4). For the join and a new text with commentary, see K. K. Smith, "A New Fragment of the Chremonides Decree," CP 9 (1914) 225-34. Kirchner-Klaffenbach, Imagines 84. IG II2 700 archon Thymochares (258/7). To which B. D. Meritt has added Agora 1 2054 (Hesperia 7 [1938J 110-14). IG II2 707 IG 1I2 712 IG JI2 724 IG II2 746 IG II2 772 IG II2 777 IG 112 780 88. IG 112 782 gines 89. IG 112 784 IG II2 804 IG II2 860 IG II2 1272 IG II2 2437 Agora I 202 Agora I 625 Agora 11024 Agora 13048 archon Diogeiton (268/7). Kirchner-Klaffenbach, Imagines 82. archon Kallimedes (252/1) archon Kallimedes (252/1). Kirchner-Klaffenbach, Imagines archon Ther[s]ilo[chosJ (250/49). Kirchner-Klaffenbach, Ima- archon Athenodoros (240/39) archon Menekles (267/6) Hesperia Supp!. 1 (1937) 65-66. Ibid. 39-42. Ibid. 43-47. Hesperia 37 (1968) 270. 192 IDENTIFYING EPIGRAPI-llCAL HANDS, II Agora I 3238 and I 4169 archon Athenodoros (240/39). Hesperia 6 (1937) 444-48. Agora I 3394 Agora 13605 Agora I 5326 Agora I 5592 Agora I 7043 archon Phanomachos (242/1). Hesperia 7 (1938) 7ff. Hesperia 23 (1954) 234-35. Hesperia 9 (1940) 111-12. archon Philinos (254/3).5 Hesperia 30 (1961) 213-14. archon Philinos (254/3). Hesperia 38 (1969) 418-25. CUTTER 5 Agora I 247 (PLATE 5, figA)6 DATES: 197/6-155/4. General characteristics of the lettering: This cutter made unadorned letters and reduced to a minimum the number of strokes necessary to inscribe the alphabet. Rarely did he incise the crossbar of alpha or the central horizontal of epsilon. In addition, he rendered curving strokes in a most perfunctory man­ ner, very often in fact substituting horizontals for curving arcs. The result is especially noticeable in the case of omikron, for it often has the appearance of an