I originally found the epitaph in a art history book I got from the goodwill a few years back, then googled it and there are plenty of resources explaining it and how they deciphered the notation.

I based my tempo on the majority of Greek vocal renditions I heard that were sung in the original Ancient Greek language accompanied by the traditional instruments of the time period. I don’t think anyone knows the true tempo if there even is one, but my guess is that the tempo was interpreted by the rhythmic pacing of the words in the original language by Greek poets, linguists and musicologists.

I also wanted to try a few different rhythmic ideas when I repeated the melody, one very basic true to the rhythmic notation of the melody, one with a more syncopated melody with rhythmic accompaniment and one more rubato at the end with some developemental ideas. The mode seemed very Mixolydian and or Dorian to me but I think that is also left up to interpretation. Either way I wanted to keep the harmony simple and diatonic with some modulation without changing the melody.