MAMA XI 269 (Laodikeia) 
Funerary inscription with curse formula
- Type of monument:
- Funerary inscription.
- Location:
- Ladık (Laodikeia): in a yard.
- Description:
- Grey marble ‘moulding’ (AH), broken at top right.
- Dimensions:
- Ht. 0.14; W. 0.41; Th. 0.20; letters 0.025-0.030.
- Record:
- AH notebook copy; photograph (1957/114=5944).
- Publication:
- None.
- Date:
- Roman imperial period.
εἴ τις τούτῳ τῷ μ̣[νήματι κακὸν]
ποιήσει, ὀρφανὰ τέκνα λ̣ί̣π̣ο̣[ιτο],
χῆρον βίον, οἶκον ἔρημον hed.
If anyone does any harm to this tomb, may he leave orphaned children, a widow’s life for his wife, and a deserted house.
Illustrations:
MAMA XI 269 (Laodikeia 16: 1957-114)
For the curse-formula, its sense and geographical distribution, see the discussion by Robert, OMS V, 709-15; Strubbe 1997: 289-92, Appendix 2.II. Numerous examples are known from Laodikeia and the steppe to the north, collected by Strubbe. In line 1, I have restored μ̣[νήματι] (rather than e.g. μ̣[νημείῳ] or τ̣[άφῳ]) on the parallel of MAMA I 126 (Kadınhanı), ὃς δὲ τούτῳ τῷ μνήματι κακὸν, ὀρφανὰ τέκνα λίποιτο, χῆρον βίον, οἶκον ἔρημον; MAMA I 294 (Atlantı), τίς τούτῳ κακόν ποτε μνήματι ποιήσει, ὀρφανὰ τέκν⟨α⟩ λίποιτο κτλ.
The character of the monument is not quite clear. Alan Hall, in his notes, described the monument as a ‘grey marble moulding, with inscription on the moulding’ (sic). The photograph suggests that the stone is complete above, below, and at left. I assume that the remainder of the text, including the deceased’s name, must have been inscribed on a separate block above.