History / Exhibit
Inscribed Herald’s Staff
Read the civic ownership inscription on a bronze herald’s staff from Metapontum.
Open interactive exhibit ↗At a glance
- Collection number
- 2000.130
- Date
- Fourth century BCE
- Origin
- Metapontum, southern Italy
- Language
- Greek
- Material
- Bronze
Translation
Public property of the Metapontines.
English rendering of the two-line inscription as transcribed and explained in the MK&G catalogue. The source prints the reading in Latin transliteration. The narrow shaft is treated as one passage rather than assigning individual letters to uncertain positions.
Civic ownership
METAPONTIŌN / DAMOSION
Public property of the Metapontines
METAPONTIŌN means “of the Metapontines”; DAMOSION means “public.” Together they identify ownership by the city of Metapontum. Rotate the shaft to inspect its shallow lettering.
The herald’s staff
A kerykeion identified a herald and invoked the protection associated with Hermes. This example belonged to the city of Metapontum in southern Italy.
A civic object
The two-line ownership statement is engraved on the shaft. The museum notes a mixture of older and newer letter forms.
Swan heads and a hollow shaft
Two opposed swan heads form the unusual upper terminal. The hollow, eight-sided bronze socket once fitted onto a wooden pole secured by a nail. The surviving bronze is 18.4 cm high.
Original object and sources
Museum scan of the original collection object, simplified for web display. Surface textures are retained; missing geometry is not reconstructed. Select a highlighted passage to read its transcription and English rendering.
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg · CC0 1.0 · Public domain