A note on two anonymous epitaphs in the Anthologia Palatina: hypothesis on the source of AP 7.228 and 7.678

In the Anthologia Palatina, apart from the ‘Simonidean’ pieces, are included very few epitaphs on specific individuals deceased in histrical battles, which could have been originally conceived for an inscriptional use (most of them are Hellenistic). Only an epitaph, very simple and of almost no artistic value (AP, 7, 228) and located in a thematic, Meleagrian section, can be closely compared to many actual inscriptional epitaphs of the Roman period and from the Middle East, often inscribed on family tombs/dovecotes and mainly commissioned by military veterans; close parallels with Late Antique inscriptional epitaphs also bears AP, 7, 678, for Soterichos. The paper discusses the possible source for these two epitaphs.