Dipylon Oinochoe Detail of Inscription

Dipylon inscription closeup detail

The inscription says roughly something to the effect: “whoever dances the best, will receive this jar”

Transcription:

“ΗΟΣΝΥΝΟΡΧΕΣΤΟΝΠΑΝΤΟΝΑΤΑΛΟΤΑΤΑΠΑΙΖΕΙΤΟΤΟΔΕΚΛ[?]ΜΙ[?]Ν

In modern scholarly editions, this is sometimes transcribed as:

ὸς νῦν ὀρχεστôν πάντον ἀταλότατα παίζει,
τô τόδε κλμιν[…]

This corresponds to the following in the later classical orthography in Greek (using the Ionian form of the Greek alphabet), with the metric feet of the hexameter indicated:

ὃς νῦν | ὀρχη|στῶν πάν|των ἀτα|λώτατα | παίζει
τοῦ τόδε …
Literal translation:

Whoever of all these dancers now plays most delicately,
of him this (sc. pot)…” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipylon_inscription. 26 Apr. 2025)

Exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece.