Two Inscriptions from the Athenian Agora: I 7571 and I 7579
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hesperia 76 (2007) TWO INSCRIPTIONS Pages 539-554 FROM THE ATHENIAN AGORA I 7571 AND I 7579 ABSTRACT Two inscriptions discovered in the Agora Excavations contribute new infor mation about Athenian political history: Athenian interactions with Rhodes or in the late 3rd early 2nd century B.c., and prytany members during the late 2nd century A.D. A state decree, I 7571 names an Athenian proxenos to a Rhodes at time of particularly intense diplomatic activity. The content of a I 7579, prytany document, advances our knowledge of Eleusinian officials and Athenian state practices around A.D. 191/2. In addition, the tribal affili a ation proposed for secretary named in this inscription supports the appli cability of Fergusons Law to this period. are two Presented below the editiones principes of documents from the Athe a a nian Agora.117571 is fragment of rather formulaic state proxeny decree a son that names previously unknown Rhodian, Eukleidas of Kleombrotos. no we on While the stone preserves dating clause, may conclude the basis of our knowledge of masons' hands and epigraphical formulae that the docu ca. name one ment belongs to 200 B.c. If this date is correct, then the of of the players in years filled with diplomatic transactions between Athens comes to a and Rhodes light for the first time. Besides providing wealth of prosopographical knowledge for the late 2nd century A.D., the second document, I 7579, a prytany list of Antiochis (XII), appears to record a vacancy in the office of daduch.The absence of a named officeholder may very well reflect the transitional period between two previously known daduchs. This inscription may also provide direct evidence that Fergusons secretary cycle holds during these years. 1.1 would like to thank JohnMcK. Follet, andMolly Richardson for director in Camp II, of the Agora Exca helpful discussions the presence of to vations, for permission publish these these documents. Earlier versions of documents. Members of the were Agora this article read and improved were in staff generous sharing their upon by Stephen Tracy, John Traill, time and thanks are two skills; special owed Stephanie Larson, and anonymous to I thank them for Craig Mauzy, Ang?lique Sideris, Hesperia referees; and I am Sylvie Dumont, Jan Jordan. their suggestions. to grateful Ronald Stroud, Simone ? The American School of Classical Studies at Athens 540 KEVIN F. DALY I 7571: FRAGMENTARY PROXENY DECREE Agora I 7571 Figs. 1,2 m PH. 0.665, W. 0.327 (top)-0.372 (bottom), Th. 0.095 L.H. 0.006-0.009 m Found June 25,1992, built into modern reconstruction of the southern channel of the Eridanos River (grid K/8-4/2).2 Lower portion of tapering blue-gray marble stele. Top broken away. Left and right sides preserved a and finished with clawed tool. Bottom not preserved, but partial remains a of tenon at right. Back picked flat. Inscribed face smooth but heavily at encrusted, especially left. Late 3rd-early 2nd century b.c. Non-stoich. 40-43 SA[-3-?--33.-yvcounv ??] bpiiftaXXeadax[xfj? $ovXr\q d? x?v ?fjjaov?xi ?oke?] x?i ?orAei 87tatv?acci EUK^ei?av KAeou?poxorj To?iov] Kai a?x?v Ga??o? axecpavcoaai ax?(p?[vcoi evvoiaq eve] 5 K8V Kai (piAoxiuaa? xfj? eiq x?v ?fjuov xov [A0rrvaicov]. eivai 8? a?xov Kai Kai xoC rcp?c^evov EUepyexrjv ?r|^L[oa>]. ?e?ocjoai ?? a?xcoi Kai yfj? Kai oiKia? eyKxr|e>iv aixr| aaji?vcoi Kax? x?v v?jiov. eivai ?? ErjK?ei?ai Kai ei? x? Kai ?-oiTcoy ?iaxripo'ovxi xr\v a\>xi]v a?pecuv e\)p?a0ai 10 oXko xov ?xorj ?v ?oke? eivai. ?yaGov rcap? br\\iov afyoq ?va ?? Kai \)7i?uvr||ia \m?p%?i xcov ?\j/r|(piaji?vc?v ?va ypa\|/ai xo?e x? \j/r|(piG?ia xov ypajiuax?a x?v Kax? 7uprj xaveiav eiq axy\hr\v ?iGivrjv Kai axfjaai ?v ?yopai. eiq ?? xrjv ?vaypacpfjv Kai xf]v ?vaGeaiv xfj? GTr\Xr\q xov xcov xo 15 jLiepiaai xau?av GxpaxicoxiKcov yevojnevov ?v??,a>ua. vacat 0.081 m T[?orAf| ? ?TIJLIO? ErjK?ei?av 20 KXeou?poxoi) To?iov vacat 0.312 m Epigraphical Commentary An uncertain number of lost lines precede line 1. uses a The cutter closes the apex of alpha and curved crossbar about as as a one. often straight The bottom horizontal of epsilon frequently intersects with the vertical slightly above the bottom of the letter space. The kappa has short diagonals; the lower stroke regularly reaches the right side of the letter space well above the bottom. The cutter carves omega in an one same 2. For the canalization of the Erida the shape of inverted horseshoe, but side (not always the side) nos, see Shear 514-521. does not reach the bottom of the letter For a detail 1997, pp. usually space.3 showing 3. For other characteristic features see the 2. see lettering, Figure of this cutter's letters, Tracy 1990, Line 1:The surface the bottom half of the left of + preserves diagonal pp. 82-89 ("Agora I 656 6355 a triangular letter in the second letter space. Cutter"). TWO INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE ATHENIAN AGORA 541 1. I 7571. Photo Figure Agora courtesy Agora Excavations Line 2: Of the dotted theta, the bottom third of a round letter remains on the stone; its center is not preserved. The bottom tips of two slanting a strokes consistent with triangular letter account for the dotted alpha. The a dotted iota represents the bottom tip of central vertical. a Line 3: The dotted iota consists of the bottom tip of central vertical. Line 4:Where tau is dotted, a central vertical consistent with tau is preserved, but the very top of the letter space is lost. Of the dotted phi, the a a bottom quarter of central vertical remains. The bottom tip of diagonal accounts stroke consistent with the left diagonal of alpha for the dotted alpha. 542 KEVIN F. DALY '1L??rrJ?rt?b'i^" ? ?:4'dv:? c'i?:? T i:?.-,?,:-::::::, i;:::.i::i,?: I? : ? :: : ; ? 2. I detail of Line 5:Where omicron is dotted, the top left quarter of the letter space Figure Agora 7571, a or lines 4?9. Photo courtesy Agora Excava preserves stroke consistent with omicron, omega, theta. The bottom tions a nu tip of left vertical is preserved where is dotted. stone Line 6:The preserves the bottom tips of two verticals consistent with eta where that letter is dotted. The bottom tip of a vertical at the left of the letter space accounts for the dotted mu. a a Line 8: In heavily encrusted letter space, only the bottom tip of left nu vertical is legible where is dotted. a a cut Line 9: In chipped and encrusted letter space, deeply left vertical nu a remains where is dotted. The squeeze shows the tip of diagonal stroke, a mu or consistent with nu, intersecting the top of the vertical. a Line 10: Of the dotted gamma, only top horizontal is legible amid heavy encrustation. The stone preserves the left half of a round letter where theta is dotted; the middle of the letter is illegible. Line 13: Encrustation bars the reading of much of the letter space at a where alpha is dotted; the top of the letter space, the tip of right a on diagonal consistent with triangular letter is visible the squeeze. The apex of a triangular letter at the center of the letter space accounts for the dotted lambda; the lower portion of the letter space is too encrusted to be legible. a a Line 21: In letter space otherwise too heavily encrusted to read, curving stroke consistent with the top third of the curving stroke of rho is legible at the top left and top center of the letter space. Translation . re and transmit the opinion of the boule to the demos that the boule son solves to praise Eukleidas of Kleombrotos of Rhodes and crown him a crown on account with of olive of his goodwill and munificence to the Athenian demos. And that he be both proxenos and euergetes of the demos. And that the privilege of obtaining land and domicile be given to him upon even request in accordance with the law. And that it also be possible in same to the future, if Eukleidas maintains the disposition, garner from the seems demos any other good of which he worthy. And in order that there a exists memorial of the things decreed, that the secretary of the prytany write up this decree on a stone stele and set it up in the agora. And that the paymaster of the stratiotic fund pay for the cost of the inscription and the erection of the stele. The boule (and) the demos (honor) Eukleidas son of Kleombrotos of Rhodes. TWO INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE ATHENIAN AGORA 543 Discussion and Commentary are The language in this state decree and the honors described similar to those of IG IP 907-909, proxeny inscriptions belonging to the first half b.c. of the 2nd century Several formulae in this document also point to a comparable date. First, Alan Henry has observed that the civou-type decrees of proxeny and euergesia usually fall after the beginning of the a was 4th century.4 While the normal naming of proxenos and euergetes xou notes phrased 7ip??;?Vov Kai e?epy?xriv xoC 5f|po\) ??rivocicov, Henry use that of the phrase xo? ?r|uou alone (without modification) appears "around the end of the third century and the beginning of the second."5 Second, this document does not mention the descendants of the proxenos, are ca.