The Hellenistic Period Historical Sources in Translation Edited by Roger S. Bagnall and Peter Derow New edition Previous edition published as Greek Historical Documents: The Hellenistic Period The Hellenistic Period Blackwell Sourcebooks in Ancient History This series presents readers with new translations of the raw material of ancient history. It provides direct access to the ancient world, from wars and power politics to daily life and entertainment, allowing readers to discover the extraordinary diversity of ancient societies. Published Alexander the Great Waldemar Heckel and John Yardley The Hellenistic Period Roger S. Bagnall and Peter Derow In Preparation The Ancient Near East Mark Chavalas Bread and Circuses Alison Futrell The Hellenistic Period Historical Sources in Translation Edited by Roger S. Bagnall and Peter Derow New edition Previous edition published as Greek Historical Documents: The Hellenistic Period © 1981, 2004 by Roger S. Bagnall and Peter Derow 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Roger S. Bagnall and Peter Derow to be identified as the Authors of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First edition published 1981 by Scholars Press under the title Greek Historical Documents: The Hellenistic Period. Second edition published 2004 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Hellenistic Period : historical sources in translation / edited by Roger S. Bagnall and Peter Derow. p. cm. – (Blackwell sourcebooks in ancient history ; 1) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-40510-132-6 (alk. paper) – ISBN 1-40510-133-4 (alk. paper) 1. Mediterranean Region–History – To 476–Sources. 2. Greece–History–Macedonian Hegemony, 323-281 B.C.–Sources. 3. Greece–History–281-146 B.C.–Sources. 4. Hellenism–Sources. I. Bagnall, Roger S. II. Derow, Peter. III. Series. DE86 .H38 2003 938¢.08 – dc21 2002153416 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in Stone Serif 10/12.5 by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by TJ International Ltd., Padstow, Cornwall For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com To the memory of C. Bradford Welles Contents Table of Documents ix List of Illustrations xv Preface xvii Note on Editorial Practice xxi Abbreviations xxii Note on Reading Documents xxiv The Texts 1 I Political History 1 II The Foreign Possessions of the Ptolemies 111 III Life in Greek Cities 119 IV The Bureaucracy of Ptolemaic Egypt 144 V The Royal Economy of Egypt 163 VI The Military and Police of Ptolemaic Egypt 199 VII The Ptolemaic Legal and Judicial System 206 VIII Social Relations and Private Life 229 IX Religion 247 Appendix: Ptolemaic Administration 285 Tables and Charts 289 I Ptolemaic Kings 289 II Seleucid Kings to 96 BC 290 III Antigonid Kings 290 IV Attalid Rulers 291 V Months 291 VI Currency 292 viii CONTENTS Glossary and Index of Greek Terms 293 Concordance: Papyri 301 Concordance: Inscriptions 305 Concordance between Editions 309 Index of Persons, Places and Subjects 311 Table of Documents I Political History 1 A Alexander the Great (336–323) 1 1 Priene Honours Antigonus – 334 1 2 ‘Letter’ of Alexander to the Chians – 332 2 3 Cyrene Supplies Grain to the Greeks – 330–326 3 4 Restoration of Exiles to Tegea – 324 4 5 Restoration of Exiles to Mytilene – 324 5 B The Successors of Alexander (323–276) 8 6 Antigonus and Skepsis – 311 8 7 Two Letters of Antigonus to Teos – 306–302 11 8 The Hellenic League of 302 16 9 Ephesos Recovers from War – after 297 19 10 The Ionian League Honours Hippostratos of Miletos – 289/8 23 11 Lysimachus and Priene – c.285 24 12 Letter of Lysimachus to Samos – 283/2 26 13 Athens Honours Philippides – 283/2 27 14 Knidian Loans to Miletos – 283/2 29 15 Letter of Seleucus I and his Son to an Official – 281 32 16 Ilion and Antiochus I – 279–274 32 17 Kos Gives Thanks for Defeat of the Gauls – 278 34 C The Period of Stability (276–221) 36 18 Gift of Land by Antiochus I – c.274 36 19 Chremonides’ Decree – 265/4 38 20 Antiochus I and the Ionian League – 268–262 41 21 Ptolemy II and Miletos – c.262 42 22 Letter of Antiochus II to Erythrai – after 261 (?) 45 23 Eumenes I and his Mercenaries – 263–241 46 24 Berenike’s Journey to Syria – 252 48 x TABLE OF DOCUMENTS 25 Correspondence about a Sale of Land by Antiochus II – 254/3 49 26 Ptolemy III Euergetes: the Adoulis Inscription – c.246 51 27 Report on the Third Syrian War – c.246 53 28 Delphi, Smyrna and Seleucus II – 242 (?) 55 29 Magnesia, Smyrna and Seleucus II – after 242 (?) 56 30 Decree of the Achaean League – c.234 62 D The Period of Roman Intervention (221–189) 64 31 Pharos and Rome – after 219 (?) 64 32 Philip V and Larisa – 215 66 33 Alliance Between Rome and the Aetolian League – 211 68 34 Enslavement During a Native Revolt – 197 69 35 Lampsakos, Massilia and Rome – 197/6 70 36 Letter of Flamininus to Chyretiai – 197–194 73 37 Statue of Flamininus at Gytheion – 195 74 38 Eumenes II and the War Against Nabis – 195 74 39 M. Valerius Messalla Writes to the Teans – 193 75 40 The Scipios Write to Herakleia-by-Latmos – 190 76 41 Letter of C. Livius Salinator to Delphi – 189/8 77 42 An Honorary Decree from Chios – c.188 78 E The Struggle for the Survival of Hellenism (189–30) 80 43 A Letter of Eumenes – after 188 80 44 Rome and Perseus – 172/1 82 45 Decree of the Senate on the Affairs of Thisbe – 170 83 46 Dispatch from the Front in the Civil War of 169/8 – c.169/8 85 47 Eumenes II and the Ionian League – 167/6 87 48 Chalkis Honours Ariston of Soloi – 170–168 89 49 Alliance Between Maroneia and Rome – 167 90 50 Eumenes II, Attalus II and the Gauls – c.156 91 51 Will of Ptolemy the Younger – 155 92 52 Letter of Q. Fabius Maximus to Dyme – 144/3 93 53 Letter from Esthladas to his Parents – 130 94 54 Decree of Amnesty and Regulation – 118 95 55 Letter of King Antiochus to King Ptolemy – 109 101 56 Decree for Diophantos, Strategos of King Mithridates VI – c.107 102 57 Chaeremon of Nysa, Mithridates and Rome – 88 and following 104 58 Correspondence of Platon – 88 106 59 Cn. Pompeius Magnus – c.67 107 60 Report on Disturbance in the Country – probably 58 107 61 Disturbance in the Province of Asia – probably 51/50 108 62 An Egyptian View of Rabirius Postumus – after 55/54 109 63 Cleopatra’s Golden Handcuffs for a Roman – 33 109 TABLE OF DOCUMENTS xi II The Foreign Possessions of the Ptolemies 111 64 Ordinances about Registration – 260 111 65 Letters of Toubias – 257 113 66 Letter of Apollonios about Grain – 261 115 67 Memorandum to Zenon – 258/7 115 68 Affairs in Kalynda – 248 116 69 Visit of a Roman Senator – 112 118 III Life in Greek Cities 119 70 Mausolus and Cretan Knossos – 350s 119 71 Isopolity between Pergamon and Temnos – early third century 120 72 Praxikles’ Loan to Arkesine – late fourth – early third century 121 73 The Delians Honour Philokles, King of the Sidonians – c.280 123 74 Athens Honours Herakleides of Cyprian Salamis – 325/4 124 75 A Samian Grain Law – second century 126 76 Decree for Boulagoras of Samos – c.240 129 77 Polythroos Provides for Education at Teos – second century 131 78 Decree and Gymnasiarchic Law of Beroia – 200–170 133 79 Ilion Honours Physician of Antiochus I – 275–268/7 138 80 Eumenes I and Pergamon – c.260–245 139 81 The Thessalian League Sends Grain to Rome – 129 (?) 140 82 Coinage Decree of the Delphic Amphictyons – 150–100 142 IV The Bureaucracy of Ptolemaic Egypt 144 83 Appointment of a Komogrammateus – 119 144 84 Oath of Office – 246–222 145 85 Letter of Marres to Menches – c.119–111 146 86 Account of a Postal Station – c.255 147 87 Announcement of a Government Auction – c.223 148 88 Avoiding a Liturgy – 257 149 89 Letter to Zenon from Kaunians Seeking Help – 257 150 90 Letter to Zenon about Petitioner – 249 151 91 Zenon Petitions the King – c.246–240 152 92 Petition about Assessment – 254–253 153 93 The Bureaucrats Open a Sluice-Gate – 232 154 94 Official Correspondence: Don’t Move the Hives; Send Calves – 226 155 95 Declaration of House-property – 210–183 156 96 Letter about Collection of Taxes – 228 157 97 Letter about Protection of Tax-farmer – 117 158 xii TABLE OF DOCUMENTS 98 A Komarch’s Extortion Racket – 151 158 99 Receipt for Medical and Police Taxes – 231 160 100 Letter to Zenon about Wax – 253 161 101 Tax-farmer’s Petition for Relief – 236 162 V The Royal Economy of Egypt 163 102 Letter to Apollonios about Reminting Coins – 258 163 103 Instructions of the Dioiketes to an Oikonomos – late third century 165 104 Hard and Soft Stone for Irrigation Works – 256 169 105 Plans for Reclamation Work – 259 169 106 Correspondence about the Sowing Schedule – 190 172 107 Receipt for Seed Grain – 261 173 108 Flooding of a Field – 218 174 109 Loss of Water Supply – 112/1 175 110 Protection of the Crops – 111 176 111 Order for Delivery of Grain – 265 178 112 Receipt for Embarkation of Grain – 252 178 113 Lease of a Vineyard – 170 179 114 ‘Revenue Laws’ of Ptolemy Philadelphos – 259 181 115 Assault on an Oil Contractor – 114 195 116 Overcharging for Oil