THE FINDING “The kind of material requires tremendous persistence and patience, microscope and frequent repetition of the e¢ort with time gaps”. T. Christidis, DVC 2013, T HE FIRST TABLETS came to light during the excavations of Konstantinos Karapanos (1840-1914), a politician and merchant from Arta, in the area of the Paleochristian basilica at Dodona, in 1875-76. With the help of the French epigraphist M.P. Foucart, Karapanos published the eligible tablets, in his monograph Dodone et ses ruins (1878). Some of these were later republished by H.R. Pomtow (1883) and O. Ho—mann (1899) under the title “Die orakelschriften der Dodona” in the Jahrbiicher for klassische Philologie and the Sammlung der griechischen Dialekt-Inschriften (H. Colii‘, ed.), respectively. Those tablets were donated by Karapa- nos, by will, in 1902, to the National Archaeological Mu- seum of Athens, where they are kept to this day. It is also reported that a signicant number of tablets were sold by the son-in-law of the Polish engineer Mineiko, Karapanos’ partner in the excavation of Dodona, Prussian Count Karol Potocki to the Berlin (nrs M. Berlin 10755, 1-96) and Vienna Museums (GomperzeGurli¢eSchneider 1880). The major number of tablets has been revealed during the systematic excavations carried out in Dodona at the wider area of the Sacred House by the archaeologist Dimitrios Evangelidis (1886/8-1959) during the years 1929-1935 and 1952-1959. Evangelidis selectively published a number of tablets in his reports in the Proceedings of the Archaeological Society. In 1967 H.W. Parke in his book The Oracles of Zeus. 30 (ux%5 “8B 9 $B =B* *@&;B" #(#&=9 9wB'==&; 9(&1B' ;#& *(B1B', 1&;)B;Ž(&B ;#& *' 9(#'@<_< =< ()B(9&# 19 )B'&; ;9'”. . A:HI):*, DVC 2013, 5 ut5 (p5%55 ,A#EB HIJ * 6EI1 I: )<1A6G<E IB EBEH6EB IJ/ 5AI<BJ .J-<I<6J 6E< G=.- AJ/ BHIEBIBJ/ EAE.1BJ/ (1840-1914), HI:B .G- A<Jy, I:* .E-E<JyA<HI<EB<6,* EH<-<6, HI: )B:, IJ 1875-76. %G I: J,#G<E IJ/ s1--J/ G.<AE<6J M.P. Foucart, ):=JHG/HG HE ,IEB )/BEIB BE EBEB- HIJB, HI: =JBJAEE IJ/ Dodone et ses ruines (1878). A<H=BE E. E/I1 EBE):=JH<GI:6EB EAIGAE E. IJ/* H.R. Pomtow (1883) 6E< . Ho—mann (1899) /. IJB II-J “Die orakelschriften der Dodona” HIJ Jahrbiicher for klassische Philologie 6E< HIJ Sammlung der griechischen Dial- ekt-Inschriften (H. Colii‘, G.<=.), EBIHIJ<yE. J HBJ-J IB G-EH=1IB 6-:AJ)JI,#:6G E. IJB EAE.1BJ, =G )<E#,6:, IJ 1902, HIJ (#B<6 5AyE<J-J<6 %J/HGJ 5#:BB, .J/ 6E< /-1HHJBIE< * H,=GAE. 5BEAG- IE<, G.H:*, I< H:=EBI<6* EA<#=* G-EH=1IB .J/-,- #:6G IJ 1904 E. IJB E=.A IJ/ .J-BJ =:yEB<6J :=GE GBIJ.<H=J yA:HI,A<B G-E- %<B<6J, H/BGA1I: IJ/ EAE.1BJ/ HI:B EBEH6E, I:* - H=1IB 6EI1 I<* EBEH6E* IB E- )B:*, IJB AHJ 6=: Karol Potocki HIE %J/HGE IJ/ 'GAJ- AE.1BJ/-16EA:-(/EG-): -BJ/ (EA. G/A. %. 'GAJ-BJ/ 10755, 1-96) 6E< I:* '<BB:* Finding spots of oracular tablets during (GomperzeGurli¢eSchneider 1880). the excavations of Karapanos-Dakaris- 6A<J* 6J* IJ/ H/BI1=EIJ* IB =J-)<BB G-EH=1- Evangelidis IB E.J6E-I:6G HI: )<1A6G<E IB H/HI:=EI<6B EBEH6E- 31 Dodona`Olympia`Ammon included twenty-nine tablets from Evangelidis’ publications. Evangelidis’ partner and fellow traveler in Dodona, Sotiris Dakaris, whose name has been closely con- nected to Dodona, during his excavations in the area of the Bouleuterion, revealed a relatively small number of tablets (around 70). In the mid-1970s, he decided the publication of all the tablets in a single volume. He chose the archaeologist I. Vokotopoulou and the linguist A. F. Christidis as his collaborators in this project. This began to take shape in 1981 (GIA16J* 2013). The lead tablets were transferred from the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina to the conservation laboratories of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, in order to be initially preserved and then studied. This titanium project, due to the nature of the material but also the lack of suˆcient funding, was to last many years. In August 1995, IJulia Vo- kotopoulou passed away, to be followed in December 1996 by Sotiris Dakaris, leaving Tassos Christidis as the only “custodian” of the tablets. In 2002, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ioannina, in view of the re- ,?2 12198. 4 L*;; $# )= &# =<' Œ;#< 1 # 9(&=)B(9 # ($&#9 )&<), 1Œ# 4B* #&. (.‚. ,?2 12198. Lykkidas asks about a case of guardianship, middle of 4th c. BC 32 B, .J/ .AE=EIJ.J:HG HI:B G/AIGA: .GA<Jy, I:* $GA1* <6E*, J :.G<AI:* EAyE<J-J* :- =,IA<J* (/EG-):* (1886/8-1959) 6EI1 IE I: 1929-1935 6E< 1952-1959. (/EG-):* ):=JHG/HG G.<-G6I<61 JA<H=BE G-1H=EIE HI<* EBEJA* IJ/ HIE AE6I<61 I:* 5AyE<J-J<6,* (IE<AGE*. J 1967 J H. W. Parke HIJ <-J IJ/ The Oracles of Zeus. Dodona`Olympia`Ammon H/=.GA<-EG G<6JH<GBBE G-1H=EIE E. I<* ):=JH<GHG<* IJ/ (/EG-):. H/BGA1I:* 6E< H/BJ)J<.AJ* IJ/ (/EG-): HI: )B:, I,A:* 16EA:*, IJ BJ=E IJ/ J.JJ/ yG< IE/I<HIG =G I:B )B:, 6EI1 I:B )<1A6G<E IB EBEH6EB IJ/ HI:B .GA<Jy, IJ/ 'J/- -G/I:AJ/ E.J61-/rG =<6A HyGI<61 EA<#= G-EH=1IB (A HIE 70). IE =HE I:* )G6EGIE* IJ/ 1970, HyG)EHG I:B 6)JH: IJ/ H/B-J/ IB G-EH=1IB HG BE GB<EJ H=E. (.-GwG * H/BGA1IG* IJ/ HIJ GyGA:=E E/I I:B EAyE<J-J $. 'J6JIJ.J-J/ 6E< IJB -HHJ-J 5. . A<HI):. (- yGA:=E, .J/ 1Ay<HG BE -E=1BG< H1A6E 6E< JHI1, IJ 1981 (GIA16J* 2013). J HBJ-J IB G-EH=1- IB =GIEA#:6G E. IJ 5AyE<J-J<6 %J/HGJ $EBBBB HIE GAEHI,A<E H/BI,A:H:* IJ/ 5AyE<J-J<6J %J/HGJ/ GHHE-JB6:*, .AJ6G<=BJ/ BE H/BI:A:#G EAy<61 6E< HI: H/ByG<E BE =G-GI:#G. J I<I1B<J E/I AJ, - I:* H:* IJ/ /-<6J, =G--G BE )<EA6HG< .J--1 yAB<E. exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina, requested the return of the tablets to Ioannina, which took place two years after, in October 2004, when the work for the nal publication of the tablets entered the nal stretch. By demonic coincidence, however, death stood in the way of the completion of the publication by Christidis, who left his last breath on December 26, 2006. In the same year, the French historian Eric Lhôte in his book Les lamelles oraculaires de Dodone collected for the rst time the tablets published until then, one hundred and sixty-seven in all. In 2007, Esther Ei- dinow included one hundred and fty-three plates, among which some unpublished with the permission of Tasos Christidis, in her book Oracles, curses and risks among the ancient Greeks, where she presented them by thematic section. In 2013, it was the year that was released by the Athens Archaeological Society in two volumes under the title The lead tablets of Dodona of the excavations of D. Evaggelidis (edited by Sotiris Tseli- kas), the long-awaited study by Dakaris - Vokotopoulou and Christidis. It includes the tablets from the excavations of Evangelidis of the years 1929-1932 and 1935 (a total of 4,216 inscriptions), which bear the catalog number from 1-1380, while about the same number of tablets remain unpublished. The most recent collective publication on the lead plates is the Proceedings of the International Meeting, held at the Acropolis Museum on September 16, 2016, at the initiative of the, then, Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Ioannina, Dr K.I. Soueref. In recent years, analyzes have been carried out in order to determine the origin of the raw material for the manufacture of the tablets. According to a recent study by Vogl et al. (2018), based on the analysis of four tablets of the 5th and 4th c. BC, from the Collection of the Berlin Museum, it emerged that the lead came from the mines of Lavrion and/or Kea. Varvara N. Papadopoulou Eleni D. Vasileiou Archaeologist, PhD Archaeologist, PhD Acting Director of the Ephorate Ephorate of Antiquities of Ioannina of Antiquities of Ioannina 34 JB 5J/HIJ IJ/ 1995 : $J/-E 'J6JIJ.J-J/ /G E. I:B , <E BE E6J-J/#,HG< IJB G6=- A<J IJ/ 1996 J I,A:* 16EA:*, E,BJBIE* =BJ «#G=EIJ-E6E» IB G-EH=1IB IJB 1HJ A:- HI):. J 2002, : (JAGE 5AyE<JI,IB $EBBBB, GBrG< I:* G.EB6#GH:* IJ/ 5AyE<J-J<6J %J/HGJ/ $EBBBB, E<I,#:6G I:B G.<HIAJ, IB G-EH=1IB HIE $1BB<BE, : J.JE -EG yAE )J yAB<E =GI1 IJB 6IA<J IJ/ 2004, J.IG 6E< J< GAEHG* <E I:B IG-<6, ):=JHG/H: IB G-E- H=1IB G<H,-#EB HI:B IG-<6, G/#GE. EI1 )E<=JB<6, H=.IH:, HIHJ, J #1BEIJ* HI1#:6G G=.- )<J HI:B J-J6-,AH:* I:* 6)JH:* E. IJB A<HI):, J J.JJ* 1:HG I:B IG-G/IEE IJ/ .BJ,, HI<* 26 G6G=AJ/ 2006. :B )<E yAJB<1, J 1--J* <HIJA<6* Eric Lhôte HIJ <-J IJ/ Les lamelles oraculaires de Dodone H/- 6BIAHG <E .AI: JA1 IE ):=JH<G/=BE * IIG G-1H=EIE, G6EIB Gw,BIE G.I1 HIJ HBJ- IJ/*. J 2007, : Esther Eidinow H/=.GA<-EG G6EIB .GB,BIE IAE G-1H=EIE, =GIEw IB J.JB 6E< JA<H=BE E):=JHG/IE =G I:B 1)G<E IJ/ 1HJ/ A<HI):, HIJ <-J I:* Oracles, curses and risks among the ancient Greeks, IE J.JE .EAJ/HEHG EB1 #G=EI<6, GBI:IE. J 2013, ,IEB : yAJB<1 .J/ 6/- 6-JA:HG E. I:B (B 5#,BE<* 5AyE<J-J<6, (IE<AGE HG )J I=J/* =G IJB II-J 8# )<=)&# 9@1#=# =< ˆ$Š'< =' #'#;#„Š' ˆ. *#9@ $< (G.<=-G<E I,A: H-<6E), : .J-/EBE=G- B=GB: =G-I: IB 16EA: - 'J6JIJ.J-J/ 6E< A<HI):. GA<-E=1BG< IE G-1H=EIE IB EBEH6E- B IJ/ (/EG-): IB GIB 1929-1932 6E< 1935 (H/BJ-<61 4.216 G.<AE*), IE J.JE AJ/B EA<#= 6EIE-J/ E. IJ 1-1380 GB .EAE=BJ/B E):=JHG/IE 1--E IHE .GA.J/ G-1H=EIE. :B .<J .AHEI: H/--J<6, ):=JHG/H: <E IE =J-)<BE G-1H=EIE E.JIG-JB IE AE6I<61 I:* <G#B,* /B1BI:H:*, .J/ .AE=EIJ.J<,#:6G HIJ %J/HGJ 56A.J-:* HI<* 16 G.IG=AJ/ IJ/ 2016, =G .AIJJ/-E IJ/ IIG AJqHIE=BJ/ I:* (JAGE* 5AyE<JI,IB $EBBBB, )AJ* .$. J/AG. E IG-G/IEE yAB<E -E=1BJ/B yAE EBE-HG<* .AJ6G<=BJ/ BE .AJH)<JA<HIG : .AJ-G/H: I:* .AI:* -:* 6EIEH6G/,* IB G-EH=1IB. =BE =G .AHEI: =G-I: IB Vogl et al. (2018), =G 1H: I:B EB1-/H: IGHH1AB G-EH=1IB IJ/ 5J/ 6E< 4J/ E<. .. ., E. I:B /--J, IJ/ %J/HGJ/ IJ/ 'GAJ-BJ/, .AJ6/rG, I< J =-/)J* .AJGAyIEB E. IE =GIE--GE IJ/ pE/AJ/ ,/6E< I:* E*. G[V1IV[ . [J[UJZR ZL E. G[SZYOR A 5AyE<J-J* A 5AyE<J-J* 5BE.-:AIA<E AJqHIE=B: (JAGE 5AyE<JI,IB $EBBBB (JAGE* 5AyE<JI,IB $EBBBB 35 ,?2 1724. )Š=<1# =' |9);*)# ' ()B =B' ˆ #, #)Œ 4B* #&. (.‚. ,?2 1724. Inquiry of the Corcyreans to Zeus, beginning of 4th c. BC ,?2 12428. )Š=<1# &# #(Ž;=<< =Œ;'B*, c1&Ž 4B* - 3B #&. (.‚. ,?2 12428. Inquiry about o¢spring, second half of 4th-third c. BC 36 8*@&1Œ'B 1B@"$&'B )<=)&B Œ@#1# Unfolded lead oracular tablet ,?2 12238. 4 |#@@&=&$# )= 9' # #(B;=9& (#&$&, =Œ@B 5B* - #)Œ 4B* #&. (.‚. ,?2 12238. Kallistiadas asks if he is going to have children, end of 5th - beginning 4th c. BC 37