A Twice-Inscribed Strigil from the Sanctuary of Apollo on Despotiko

ABSTRACT: During the 2016 season, the excavations at the Sanctuary of Apollo on Despotiko in the Cyclades revealed a Late Archaic bronze strigil with two superimposed incised inscriptions on its handle. This article offers a contextual, typological, and epigraphical analysis of the strigil. It demonstrates that the first inscription (ΕΥΔ) denoted ownership. This was deliberately replaced by the second text (ΑΠΩΛ), a legible votive inscription to Apollo. The inscriptions permit a synthesis of the object’s biography, enabling us to identify the stages of “transformation” of a personal accessory into a votive offering. The present article thus contributes to an understanding of dedicatory practices at the Despotiko sanctuary and their historical context.