Aphrodisias in Late Antiquity 2004

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38. 39. & 40. Verse honours for Ampelius, father of the city, and Dulcitius, governor, on the Agora Gate

Description

• Monument: 'Agora Gate', at the east end of the South Agora. Description of texts: Nos, 38, 39 and 40 are all cut, clearly set out as a group, on the façade, on the highest remaining course of blocks, which was capped above by a moulded course. 38 is cut on the northernmost of a series of projecting bastions; 39 is on the next bastion to the south, whose surface is largely lost; three loose fragments were found in 1983. The third bastion shows no sign of any inscription; 40 is cut on the fourth. 38 and 39 are on a smooth face, but 40 is cut partly on a rough surface.
• Text:
• Letters: The lettering of all three is elongated, elegant and lunate, but the scripts are all slightly different. 38: av. 0.04; 39: 0.055-0.06, with traces of red paint in letters; 40: 0.04-0.05, phi 0.09, with traces of red paint in letters.
• Date: Mid fifth century (titulature).

Text

38

39

40

Translation

38: To Ampelius, learned in law, sweet father of his motherland, we Nymphs are grateful, because he gave wonder and splendid beauty to (this) place of palms, so that anyone who, among our waters, turns his glance around, may always sing the praise both of him, and of the place, and of the Nymphs as well. Pythiodorus, the speaker from Tralles, wrote this.

39: Dulcitius, [?founder] of Aphrodisias, raised up this [work] also [...]; he [was unsparing] of wealth for the sake of good reputation, which is [?a permanent] memorial for mortals.

40: Stranger, sing of Dulcitius, the governor, giver of games and founder and lover of honour and Maioumarch, who, stretching out his strong hand, raised me too, who had suffered for unnumbered years.

Apparatus

39: l.1: [Νυμφάων τ]έμενος cj. Feissel

l.2: The initial Α in Ἀφροδισίαδος is written Λ. and the remaining traces of the first Ο look more like an Α.

l. 3: [φεισάμενος] conjectured by Merkelbach

l. 4: [ἀίδ]ι̣ον conjectured by Merkelbach

Photographs

38, 39, 40: View (1980)	38: Face (1980)	39: Main text (1980)	39 Upper left fragment (1983)	39: Fragment. lines 1-3 (1983)
39: Fragment, line 4 (1983)	40: Face (1980)

Commentary

See discussion at IV.19.

For Ampelius, see also 42, 43, 44 and list of local officials Ampelius.

For Dulcitius, see also 41 and List of Governors, Dulcitius.

Locations

• Found: Agora Gate: on the façade, and three further loose fragments fallen from it; see plan 2.
• Original: Findspot.
• Last Recorded: Findspot.

History

• Recording: Excavated in 1980 by the NYU expedition (80.28, 29 and 53).
• Bibliography: Published by •Roueché, Aphrodisias in Late Antiquity nos. 38, 39, 40 and plates x and xi, whence PHI 714, 704, 717, Steinepigramme 02/09/03, 02/09/08, 02/09/07; 40 republished by •Roueché, PPA 65 whence Mentzou-Meimares BZ 89 (1996), 58-73, whence SEG 1996.1395.
• Text constituted from: Transcription (Roueché).

/ala2004/

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