Ancient Graffiti Project :: Graffito Information

ζῇς
ζῇς
ἔψυγμαι

Translation	“May you live!”
Findspot	Smyrna, Basilica (Agora.1) Location metadata ➜
Language	Greek
Writing Style	Pictura, Litt. Scariph.
	Graffito Height: 28 Graffito Length: 16 Min Letter Height: 3.5 Max Letter Height: 7
Apparatus Criticus	This comes from ψύχω. Cf. T15.2 and T29.5. “I have been chilled!” Is the reference to the cooling shade of the basement level? The case of T29.5, however, where it is written on a testicle, suggests that a sexual meaning (or double-entendre?) may be intended, whether that refers to the cooling of emotion or more specifically to the loss of an erection. There appears to be one stroke after the word, whether connected with it cannot be determined.
Bibliography	Bagnall, R. S. et al., Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (2016): 221-223.
Suggested Citation	AGP-SMYT00211, The Ancient Graffiti Project, <https://ancientgraffiti.org/Graffiti/graffito/AGP-SMYT00211> [accessed: 13 Oct 2025]
Contributions	Editor: Roger S. Bagnall Principal Contributor: Roger S. Bagnall Last Revision: 2016-10-03