MAMA XI 266 (Laodikeia) 
Funerary stele of Tateis
- Type of monument:
- Funerary stele.
- Location:
- Ladık (Laodikeia): in a yard.
- Description:
- Grey marble stele, recently excavated, broken above and below; back rough. Veiled female bust in relief, flanked to left and right by incised depictions of columns; line 1 of inscription between the column-bases. On the shaft, incised circles at upper left and right, flanking line 2 of inscription, perhaps representing garlands. Below line 3, incised depictions of (l.) wool-basket with uncertain object above; (r.) spindle and distaff.
- Dimensions:
- Ht. 0.90+; W. 0.33-0.35; Th. 0.28; letters 0.030-0.032.
- Record:
- AH notebook copy; photograph (1957/86=5928).
- Publication:
- None.
- Date:
- Roman imperial period.
ΜΑΡΕΙΟΣ
τέκνα
ΤΑΤΕ τῇ μητρ[ί].
Mareios (?), child/children, for Tateis (?) his mother.
Illustrations:
MAMA XI 266 (Laodikeia 13: 1957-86)
This text, while easily legible, is very difficult to interpret. In line 1, ΜΑΡΕΙΟΣ is probably simply a variant orthography for the name Μάριος (Lat. Marius), although I cannot find a parallel. In line 3, I assume that the sequence ΤΑΤΕ represents a dative of the indigenous name Τατεις, which was extremely common at Laodikeia (Zgusta 1964: 497-8 §1517-5); the normal forms of the dative are Τατει and Τατειδι. The isolated word τέκνα in line 2 is very puzzling; it is possible that we should understand it as a synonym for υἱός, i.e. ‘Marius, the son, for Tateis his mother’.