Sprechende Steine, Gesang und ,professionelles‘ Wissen: Kulturhistorische Überlegungen zur Grabsäule des Seikilos (I. Tralleis 219)

Abstract

The epitaph of Seikilos from Tralleis has attracted remarkable scholarly interest, as it provides the only complete example of an ancient Greek musical composition that includes musical notation. However, while highlighting the singularity of the epitaph, scholars have neglected to relate it to its context: thousands of funeral inscriptions from Asia Minor. Comparing musical notation inscribed on stone to similarly documented phenomena such as mathematical proofs or philosophical essays  allows a redefinition of the epitaph’s role in its broader cultural context. Keywords Greek epigraphy; Greek music; Greek mathematics; epitaph; funeral culture; Seikilos; Tralleis