Attic Inscriptions in UK Collections: 8: Broomhall

It is well-known that the majority of the “Elgin marbles” were transferred from the possession of the 7th Earl of Elgin to the British Museum in 1816 by an Act of Parliament. However, a relatively small number of antiquities remain in the ownership of the Elgin family. AIUK 8 publishes the five Attic inscriptions currently held in the collection of the 11th Earl of Elgin at Broomhall in Scotland (Fife). They were acquired by the 7th Earl probably during the second decade of the nineteenth century. All five are funerary monuments: 1 is a spectacular example of a painted classical funerary monument; 2 and 3 are excellent examples of classical funerary stelai. 4 is a funerary monument for an adherent of the Isis cult in Athens. 5 is a rare example of an Athenian sarcophagus bearing an inscription. In this publication we offer new readings and interpretations of these monuments, which illustrate different ways that funerary monuments might be re-used in antiquity.