Among the hundreds of artifacts collected by Dr. Henry J. Anderson
(1799--1875) on his travels in the eastern Mediterranean in 1847 is a
small sandstone grave stele, now in the Brooklyn Museum (37.1827E). The
small sandstone grave stele (fis 1 & 2), now in the Brooklyn Museum (37.1827E). The
rectangular stone (18.5 cm high × 15 cm wide × 8 cm deep) is inscribed
with nine lines of Greek, once rubricated, on a smoothed face, chipped
at lower right. The text gives the epitaph of a woman, Timothea. The
at lower right. The text gives the epitaph of a woman, Timothea.
![Epitaph of Timothea. Brooklyn Museum accession 37.1827E; ex-New-York Historical Society O.127An. Photography: the author.](../static/images/zellmann/Fig2.jpg "Epitaph of Timothea. Brooklyn Museum accession 37.1827E; ex-New-York Historical Society O.127An. Photography: the author.")
**~~Figure 1. Epitaph of Timothea. Brooklyn Museum accession 37.1827E; ex-New-York Historical Society O.127An. Photography: the author.~~**
The
findspot is not recorded, but the dating of her death by an Egyptian
month (3 Phaōphi \[1 October\]) points towards Egypt, where Anderson is
known to have acquired other antiquities, or a nearby region within
@ -29,16 +36,24 @@ Anderson, professor of mathematics and astronomy at Columbia College
Expedition, the occasion for his eastern travels.[^3] Along with nearly
400 other objects, mostly from Egypt---including a mummy, whose public
unwrapping was the occasion for lectures delivered by Anderson at the
New-York Historical Society in December 1864 (fig. 1), reported in major
New-York Historical Society in December 1864 (fig. 2), reported in major
newspapers at the time---,[^4] the stone was donated by Anderson's sons
E. Ellery and Edward H. Anderson to the Society in 1877.[^5]
stele (fig. 2) received the inventory number O.127An, reflected in a
stele received the inventory number O.127An, reflected in a
label still attached to its back (fig. 3). It may be among the "Four
Stones with Greek inscriptions" mentioned in an unnumbered inventory of
the Anderson gift printed in 1915.[^6]
![Epitaph of Timothea, back side. Photography: the author.](../static/images/zellmann/Fig3.jpg "Epitaph of Timothea, back side. Photography: the author.")
**~~Figure 3. Epitaph of Timothea, back side. Photography: the author.~~**
Anderson himself never published an account of how he came into
possession of this stele or any other antiquities from Egypt or its
vicinity. Other sources, however, firmly establish a visit in late 1847
@ -64,10 +79,6 @@ School Commissioner, left graffiti of his own on ancient monuments in
the same year, establishing that the party visited further Nubian sites
The probable Nubian provenance of the stele may also be compared to that
of the "Skull and piece of a Skull from Nubia" and "Fragments of Temple
@ -221,15 +232,6 @@ centers.[^22]
# Edition
![Epitaph of Timothea. Brooklyn Museum accession 37.1827E; ex-New-York Historical Society O.127An. Photography: the author.](../static/images/zellmann/Fig2.jpg "Epitaph of Timothea. Brooklyn Museum accession 37.1827E; ex-New-York Historical Society O.127An. Photography: the author.")
**~~Figure 2. Epitaph of Timothea. Brooklyn Museum accession 37.1827E; ex-New-York Historical Society O.127An. Photography: the author.~~**
![Epitaph of Timothea, back side. Photography: the author.](../static/images/zellmann/Fig3.jpg "Epitaph of Timothea, back side. Photography: the author.")
**~~Figure 3. Epitaph of Timothea, back side. Photography: the author.~~**