The inscription is located in the archaeological context called 'Agora of the Gods' by the first excavators. The graffito is written on the horizontal surface of a rock within the fenced area, but upside down in relation to the entrance. This complex is located to the west of the temple of Apollo Carnaeus, from which it is separated by the main road.
The graffito is written from right to left (except for iota).
Letters of the archaic alphabet of Thera: Alpha: divaricated left stroke, oblique crossbar Beta: open; Epsilon: vertical line pointing downwards, oblique bars; Iota: with three bars; Omicron: smaller than the other letters; Rho: rigid bowl; San: for sibilant.
Encoded following the latest EpiDoc guidelines
Taxonomies for ThERA controlled values
ThERA anthroponyms authority list
ThERA theonyms authority list
Julian Calendar
For the interpretation, reference is made to SGDI 4714: “Adjective to be supplemented with a substantive.” Cook associated the inscription with Zeus, while Hiller identified Boreas as a reference to the wind god. Guarducci dates the graffito to the late 8th or early 7th century BCE and interprets βορεαῖος as an adjective of an elliptical ἄνεμος (“wind”). According to Guarducci, this would represent the personification of Boreas—the north wind that brought cool relief from the summer heat in the Aegean. Other scholars, however, have suggested that Boreas was worshipped as an independent deity. In this context, the mention of Boreas may signify his role as a divine force associated with weather and the local climate. The cult of Boreas is attested in various parts of Greece, with notable examples at Plataea and Athens, where sacrifices were offered to him following a divine intervention involving a destructive wind that aided the Athenians during the Persian Wars. The spread of the cult—including attestations at Argos and in Macedonia—further underscores the significance of Boreas as a wind deity. For a broader overview, see Inglese 2008, pp. 151–153.