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The graffito has a complex structure. In line 1, written from bottom to top, the editor of IG XII.3.545 read some letters in the upper part of the rock which he himself described as uncertain (omicron, koppa, san, my), of which only the san was reproduced in the apograph. Lines 2 and 3 are difficult to read: the uncertainty arises because the graffito shows the letters of ϙοραϙος arranged obliquely with a descending ductus. In the following line there is a mark with the same orientation, which could resemble a san with diverging vertical bars. The adjective ἀγαθός, with a slightly ascending ductus, is perpendicular to ϙοραϙος. Line 4 presents additional retrograde letters.
Letters of the archaic alphabet of Thera: Koppa (l. 2): vertical stroke extended into the bowl (and touching its upper limit). Epsilon: vertical stroke slightly protruding at the bottom, oblique bars. Iota: composed of three bars. Omicron: in ll. 1, 2, and 3, smaller than the other letters; in l. 4, same size as the other letters. Rho: angular bowl. San: used for the sibilant sound.
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Taxonomies for ThERA controlled values
ThERA anthroponyms authority list
ThERA theonyms authority list
Julian Calendar
According to Masson, the inscription is a graffito that introduces the name Ϙόραξ at Thera, a "sobriquet" derived from a name of an animal (Ϙόραξ, crow), curiously written in the nominative. Gallavotti reads Ϙόρακος [καὶ] πρόμο[ς]; Dobias-Lalou hypothesizes that the final -ος letters are shared by both words. Gasperini notes an archaic graffito from Cyrene in which there is a dedication to Apollo Korax. The scholar refers in this regard to Callimachus (Hymn. Ap. 65-68), who recalls that Apollo, in the form of a crow, guided Battus at the time of Cyrene's foundation to indicate the site to him. According to Inglese, although the dating of the graffito is uncertain, it cannot be ruled out that this name was used in Thera after the colonial expedition (631 BCE). For a comprehensive overview of the matter see Inglese 2008, pp. 247-249.