The graffito is engraved along the lower edge of a rock surface facing the large plateau of the Karneia, approximately midway across it, at the point where the rock ends and the walking surface begins.
The graffito is retrograde and is engraved horizontally on the rock surface.
Letters of the archaic alphabet of Thera: Alpha: Regular strokes with an oblique crossbar. Koppa: Does not feature the elongated internal stroke within the bowl. Iota: Smaller in size compared to the other letters. Rho: Circular bowl. San: Used for sibilant sound.
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Taxonomies for ThERA controlled values
ThERA anthroponyms authority list
ThERA theonyms authority list
Julian Calendar
The graffito is written retrograde and located horizontally along the lower edge of a rock surface that faces the wide Karneia terrace. It sits roughly midway across the surface where the rock starts to level out. This part of the rocky outcrop has yielded other archaic graffiti bearing divine names. The inscription is approximately 85 cm away from another graffito (n. 582), and although it remains partly undecipherable, some of the letters are legible, particularly through rubbing impressions. Legible letters include koppa (noted for lacking the typical elongated internal stroke within the bowl); iota, lambda, and san, all within a rectangular frame on the surface of the rock. The upper edge of the rectangular frame is about 33 cm long, with a 7 cm vertical line on its right side. In IG XII 3.371, Hiller’s reading was ϙορής, but in Suppl. 1311 the editor corrected it to ϙόρας; the letters are confirmed by Inglese's 2006 autopsy. It should be noted, however, that from the point of view of letter forms, according to Hiller’s reading, the koppa has the elongated vertical stroke within the bowl, which for Arena is an indication of greater archaism compared to the koppa without elongation. In reality, the koppa, as noted, appears to lack the elongation. Lazzarini highlights that this theonym, together with the mention of Athena in inscription no. 364 (Ἀθαναίας), is one of the earliest attestations in rock inscriptions of divine names in the genitive. Dobias-Lalou (2000, p. 227) seems to believe that the word refers to the same divinity as in inscriptions nos. 350 (d), 354, 355. As there are no other elements for deciding between the two hypotheses, the accent mark has not been added. No other Archaic documents with the form φόρας are attested in Thera.