Epitaph for Pollis

The funerary epigram for Pollis is inscribed on a stele that can be traced back to Megara and dated to the first half of the fifth century BC (480-470) based on epigraphic elements. The subject of the inscription can be identified with the hoplite represented on the stele. In the two hexameters of the epigram, Pollis is said to have been killed by στίκται (tattoers). On the basis of the chronology and probable provenance of the inscription, it is possible that the Greek Pollis died in the context of the second Persian war. If credit is given to the well-known testimony of Herodotus on the στίγματα βασιλήια, the στίκται of the inscription can be identified with the Persians. However, other identifications are possible.