The text is located on a rock 0.80 meters east of the steps leading to the gymnasium.
The inscription runs in an orthograde direction.
Letters of the archaic alphabet of Thera: Koppa: with a horizontal stroke extended into the bowl (and touching the upper limit). Phi: round bowl with an internal horizontal stroke (and touching the upper limit). Omicron: smaller than the other letters. Upsilon: with a single oblique bar attached on the middle of the vertical stroke.
Encoded following the latest EpiDoc guidelines
Taxonomies for ThERA controlled values
ThERA anthroponyms authority list
ThERA theonyms authority list
Julian Calendar
The editor in IG XII.3 read Ϙοσ(σ)υφᾶ, commenting: "Meretricis (?) nomen; cf. Bechtel-Fick, Griech. Personennamen 321. Praeter hoc et Δε(ι)νώ mulierum nomina ab hac regione aliena sunt. Sed et Δεινο(ῦ) et Ϙοσ(σ)ύφα genitivi masculini esse possunt (Wilamowitz)". In Suppl., p. 309, Hiller preferred to interpret it as a masculine name in the genitive. However, according to Inglese's direct examination (in 2003) a san (appearing obliquely positioned just below the alpha) might be readable at the end of the name. If the presence of san is accepted, Hiller’s doubt about whether the name is a feminine nominative or a masculine genitive would be resolved, as traces of the final letter would indicate that it may be a masculine nominative. Furthermore, given the proximity to the Gymnasium of the ephebes, the presence of a feminine name seems unlikely, as the graffiti either belong to the erotic sphere, featuring male anthroponyms, or consist of simple male proper names in the nominative, occasionally accompanied by an adjective. The only exception would be the presence of a male proper name in the genitive in this context, where a single anthroponym in the genitive, Βοσκυλέος, is attested in graffito no. 537 and is preceded by παῖδα.