1.179. Honours for Marcus Aurelius Zenas
- Description:
- Lower part of a ectangular white marble statue base with moulded panels on three sides, reconstructed from seven fragments and incomplete in the upper part (W. 0.51 × H. 1.135 × D. 0.51).
- Text:
- Inscribed within the front panel, which is complete above (die W. 0.375 × H. 0.995). The text must have begun on a crowning feature, now lost.
- Letters:
- 0.02. Ligatures: l.3, ΕΙ; l.4, ΜΝ; ll. 9, 19, 20, 24,TH; l.17, ΗΝ; l.25, ΝΗ. Omicron in l. 20 cut small.
- Date:
- Third centuries A.D. (lettering, nomenclature).
- Findspot:
- Temple/Church, east end: probably re-used in the Byzantine bema
- Original Location:
- Unknown
- Last recorded location:
- Findspot (1977)
- History of discovery:
- Three fragments recorded by Gaudin (34a, 29f, g); these fragments, further damaged, recorded by the NYU expedition with four additional fragments (Temple 16; SBI 89).
- Bibliography:
- Three fragments published from Gaudin's squeeze by Reinach, 109, 116, 117, whence McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 581, 372.
- Text constituted from:
- Transcription (Reynolds); Gaudin's squeeze. This edition Reynolds (2007).
- 1 παῖδα τῶν εὐ γε-
- 2γονότων̣ ἄνδρα
- 3 εὐγενείᾳ καὶ ἤ-
- 4θει σεμνῷ διε-
- 5νένκοντα ζή-
- 6σαντα κοσμίως
- 7 καὶ αἰδημόνως
- 8 πρὸς ὑπόδειγμα
- 9 ἀρετῆς stop καὶ ἐπαι-
- 10νεθέντα ἐφ' αἷς
- 11μεγαλοψύχως
- 12 ἐξετέλεσε stop ἀρ
- 13χαῖς καὶ λιτουρ-
- 14γίαις [ stop ἀ]ναθέν - v.
- 15τα δὲ [Μᾶρ]κον Αυ-
- 16ρήλιο[ν] Ζηνᾶν
- 17Ζηνᾶ τοῦ Διονυ-
- 18σίου τὸν πατέρα
- 19 αὐτοῦ τῇ ίερωτ-
- 20άτῃ βουλῇ stop εἰς αἰω-
- 21νίους κλήρους
- 22 ἀργυρίου ἀρχαῖα
- 23 scroll (δηνάρια) ͵βφ´ scroll
- 24 καθῶς διὰ τῆς γε
- 25 νομένης αὐτοῦ
- 26 ἀναθέσεως δη-
- 27 leaf λοῦται star
- 27a vacat
- 1ΠΑΙΔΑΤΩΝΕΥΓΕ
- 2ΓΟΝΟΤΩ·ΑΝΔΡΑ
- 3ΕΥΓΕΝΕΙΑΚΑΙΗ
- 4ΘΕΙΣΕΜΝΩΔΙΕ
- 5ΝΕΝΚΟΝΤΑΖΗ
- 6ΣΑΝΤΑΚΟΣΜΙΩΣ
- 7ΚΑΙΑΙΔΗΜΟΝΩΣ
- 8ΠΡΟΣΥΠΟΔΕΙΓΜΑ
- 9ΑΡΕΤΗΣ stop ΚΑΙΕΠΑΙ
- 10ΝΕΘΕΝΤΑΕΦ'ΑΙΣ
- 11ΜΕΓΑΛΟΨΥΧΩΣ
- 12ΕΞΕΤΕΛΕΣΕ stop ΑΡ
- 13ΧΑΙΣΚΑΙΛΙΤΟΥΡ
- 14ΓΙΑΙΣ[···]ΝΑΘΕΝ
- 15ΤΑΔΕ[···]ΚΟΝΑΥ
- 16ΡΗΛΙΟ[·]ΖΗΝΑΝ
- 17ΖΗΝΑΤΟΥΔΙΟΝΥ
- 18ΣΙΟΥΤΟΝΠΑΤΕΡΑ
- 19ΑΥΤΟΥΤΗΙΕΡΩΤ
- 20ΑΤΗΒΟΥΛΗ stop ΕΙΣΑΙΩ
- 21ΝΙΟΥΣΚΛΗΡΟΥΣ
- 22ΑΡΓΥΡΙΟΥΑΡΧΑΙΑ
- 23 scroll denarius ΒΦ scroll
- 24ΚΑΘΩΣΔΙΑΤΗΣΓΕ
- 25ΝΟΜΕΝΗΣΑΥΤΟΥ
- 26ΑΝΑΘΕΣΕΩΣΔΗ
- 27 leaf ΛΟΥΤΑΙ star
- 27a
Translation:
[·· ? ··] descendant of well-born men, a man outstanding for good birth and reverend character; he lived with due order and with moderation to the point of being a demonstration of excellence; he was praised for the offices and liturgies in performance of which he acted magnanimously; and his father Marcus Aurelius Zenas son of Zenas the son of Dionysios, who dedicated to the worshipful Council with a view to money distributions to lot-selected councillors in perpetuity, the sum of 2500 old denarii as is made clear in the dedication.
Commentary:
The language of lines 2-14 is identical with that of 12.537 (=CIG 2794), where the subject's personal name is also lost; but the father's name is different from the one here, and it was he who set up the statue of his son. Complete identity of the honorary descriptions in two texts is unusual, although substantial similarity of thought and language is common. For the establishment of funds to finance lotteries available to memebers of the city council see word index, s.v. κλήρος
Photographs:
- Lines 1-end (1968)
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- Lines 1-end (1968)
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- ll. 1-2, middle (1977)
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- ll. 3-6, right (1977)
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- ll. 11-17, left (1978)
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- ll. 6-end (1977)
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- ll. 6-end (1977)
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