Edition: I. and A. Petrovic/DOL

Translation:

[Dieu. La cité des — (demande)] à Zeus Naios et à Dioné à propos du signe qui est apparu [—] ce qui serait meilleur et plus avantageux [—] rien [—]

[God. The city of the — (asks)] Zeus Naios and Dione concerning the sign which happened, what would be more advantageous and better [—] nothing [—]

Commentary:

General remarks: The text preserves a public query requesting from the oracle an interpretation of an existing omen (σαμείον), rather than a request for an sign from the oracle itself (the two groups are conflated in the overview provided by DVC ad 33B). The nature of the omen is not clear. The editors tentatively suggest that the query stems from the citizens of Dodona, but this is impossible. See below on line 2.

The dialect is severe Doric (main features in the text: preservation of alpha, ἁ πόλις; τάν; σαμείω; -ω genitives sg. in the o-declension in ll. 4-5).

1. [θεὸς τυχά] as suggested by DVC is attested in other public queries from Dodona (cf. 1089B, 2425A and 2519A; 2952B), and is attested also in other public queries from Dodona (cf. 1089B, 2425A and 2519A; 2952B), but there is not enough room. On such formulas, see general table $$$. || ἐρωτ]εῖ is certainly possible, but in other Dodonean public queries, ἐπερωτάω is used on three occasions, and ἱστορέω once (1089B); all three might be equally possible.

2. [τῶν Δωδωνα]ίων in DVC is certainly too long for the room available in the lacuna: the vertical hasta read by the editors as Ι seems to be inscribed on the left edge of the gap and may well be the right hasta of a Ν or an Η or otherwise. At any rate, the article must precede the reference to the citizens, whoever the citizens might be: one has to read ἁ πόλις [(ἁ) τῶν ca. 3-5 -]Ι̣ΩΝ.

3-4. The reading in DVC, [τὸν Δία τὸν Ναῖο]ν καὶ τὰν Δι[ώναν περὶ τ]ῶ σαμείω, is almost certain. || τ]ῶ σαμείω: gen. sg. of σαμείον, but it is the form σαμῆον that is attested in public queries from Dodona, see 1089B; 2591B; the private query 82A, also attesting to a σαμῆον, is of unclear provenance. See also 2937A.

6-8. The vertical hasta read by the editors as Ι seems to be inscribed on the edge of the break and may well be the right hasta of a Ν or an Η, for instance. Accordingly, the following interpretation might be suggested: [ὅπως ἄ]ν̣ μηδὲν | [κακὸν γέν]οιτο, “so that nothing bad may happen”.