Description:
An octagonal white marble statue base shaft (H. 1.05, on a plinth H. 0.21; W. 0.495) with two inscriptions. The first, probably dating from the first or early second century A.D., has been partially erased, and the base placed so that it faces the wall.
Text:
i. inscribed on the reverse face, now against the wall, the letters at the right ends of the lines being partially erased; ii. occupies two faces, diametrically opposite the first text.
Letters:
i. ave. 0.026, standard forms of the first to second centuries A.D., moderately well designed and cut; diairetic dots on initial Ι, l. 4; ii. ll. 1-3, 0.04; ll. 4-8. 0.035; l. 9, 0.045; clearly cut, irregular; lunate in l. 9, otherwise square.
Date:
i. probably second century A.D. (lettering); ii. Late fourth or fifth century (lettering, content).
Findspot:
Standing against the north wall of the north stoa of the North Agora some way west of 3.8.
Original Location:
Findspot.
Last recorded location:
Findspot (1994).
History of discovery:
Excavated by the NYU expedition in 1965 (65.396; SBI 108). The statue accompanying ii, whose head is lost, was found lying beside the base, and is now in the Museum.
Bibliography:
i. forthcoming by Reynolds in publication of Bouleuterion Odeon. ii. Published by •Roueché, Aphrodisias in Late Antiquity no. 32 whence McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 713, C. P. Jones, Hermes 125 (1997), 212-14, Steinepigramme 02/09/02. Statue: K. T. Erim in Turk Ark. Derg. 15.1 (1966), 61, 66; Smith (1999), 165-7.
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Roueché, Reynolds). This edition Reynolds (2007).
i
1 Ζ̣ήνων Εὐθ̣ύ̣μου
2 φύσει δὲ Ζήνωνο[ς
3 τοῦ Ἀγαθᾶ τοῦ Εὐ[θύ]-
4μου σὺν καὶ Ἰ̣ουλ̣[ί]ῳ
5 τῷ ἀδελφῷ π̣ο̣[?ί]
6ήσας μετὰ Κλ(αυδίου) Ἱερ̣[α]-
7κος υἱοῦ Ἀδράστο̣υ
8 ἀνέθηκεν τῇ πα[τρί]-
9δι σὺν καὶ τῷ π̣ε̣ρ̣[ὶ αὐ]-
10τὴν κόσμῳ πάν̣τ̣ι̣
ii
εἰκόνα λαϊνέην μὲν | Ἀλεξάνδροιο δικαίου |
ἡ Φρυγίης μήτηρ | μητέρι τῆι Καρίης |
(5) τῆς ζαθέης ἀρχής τέκμαρ | ἄμβρ⌜ο⌝τον ἐνθάδ' ἔπεμψεν |
πᾶς δὲ λόγος μείων | τ' ἀνδρὸς εὐφροσύνης.
8a        vacat
9εὐτυχῶς
i
1·ΗΝΩΝΕΥ··ΜΟΥ
2ΦΥΣΕΙΔΕΖΗΝΩΝΟ[·
3ΤΟΥΑΓΑΘΑΤΟΥΕΥ[··]
4ΜΟΥΣΥΝΚΑΙ·ΟΥ·[·]Ω
5ΤΩΑΔΕΛΦΩ··[·]
6ΗΣΑΣΜΕΤΑΚΛΙΕ·[·]
7ΚΟΣΥΙΟΥΑΔΡΑΣΤ·Υ
8ΑΝΕΘΗΚΕΝΤΗΠΑ[···]
9ΔΙΣΥΝΚΑΙΤΩ···[···]
10ΤΗΝΚΟΣΜΩΠΑ···
ii
1ΕΙΚΟΝΑΛΑΙΝΕΗΝΜΕΝ
2ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΙΟΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ
3ΗΦΡΥΓΙΗΣΜΗΤΗΡ
4ΜΗΤΕΡΙΤΗΙΚΑΡΙΗΣ
5ΤΗΣΖΑΘΕΗΣΑΡΧΗΣΤΕΚΜΑΡ
6ΑΜΒΡΘΤΟΝΕΝΘΑΔ'ΕΠΕΜΨΕΝ
7ΠΑΣΔΕΛΟΓΟΣΜΕΙΩΝ
8Τ'ΑΝΔΡΟΣΕΥΦΡΟΣΥΝΗΣ
8a       vacat
9ΕΥΤΥΧΩΣ
<div type="textpart_section" n="i" >
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
<unclear reason="damage" >
Ζ
</unclear>
ήνων
Εὐ
<unclear reason="damage" >
θύ
</unclear>
μου
<lb n="2" />
φύσει
δὲ
Ζήνωνο
<supplied reason="lost" >
ς
</supplied>
<lb n="3" />
τοῦ
Ἀγαθᾶ
τοῦ
Εὐ
<supplied reason="lost" >
θύ
</supplied>
<lb n="4" type="worddiv" />
μου
σὺν
καὶ
<unclear reason="damage" >
</unclear>
ου
<unclear reason="damage" >
λ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
</supplied>
<lb n="5" />
τῷ
ἀδελφῷ
<unclear reason="damage" cert="low" >
πο
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" cert="low" >
</supplied>
<lb n="6" />
ήσας
μετὰ
<expan>
<abbr>
Κλ
</abbr>
<supplied reason="abbreviation" >
αυδίου
</supplied>
</expan>
Ἱε
<unclear reason="damage" >
ρ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
α
</supplied>
<lb n="7" type="worddiv" />
κος
υἱοῦ
Ἀδράστ
<unclear reason="damage" >
ο
</unclear>
υ
<lb n="8" />
ἀνέθηκεν
τῇ
πα
<supplied reason="lost" >
τρί
</supplied>
<lb n="9" type="worddiv" />
δι
σὺν
καὶ
τῷ
<unclear reason="damage" >
περ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
αὐ
</supplied>
<lb n="10" type="worddiv" />
τὴν
κόσμῳ
πά
<unclear reason="damage" >
ντι
</unclear>
</ab>
</div>
<div type="textpart_section" n="ii" >
<lg>
<lb n="1" />
<l >
εἰκόνα
λαϊνέην
μὲν
<lb n="2" />
Ἀλεξάνδροιο
δικαίου
</l>
<lb n="3" />
<l >
Φρυγίης
μήτηρ
<lb n="4" />
μητέρι
τῆι
Καρίης
</l>
<lb n="5" />
<l >
τῆς
ζαθέης
ἀρχής
τέκμαρ
<lb n="6" />
ἄμβρ
<choice> type="correction"
<sic >
θ
</sic>
<corr>
ο
</corr>
</choice>
τον
ἐνθάδ'
ἔπεμψεν
</l>
<lb n="7" />
<l >
πᾶς
δὲ
λόγος
μείων
<lb n="8" />
τ'
ἀνδρὸς
εὐφροσύνης
.
</l>
</lg>
<ab>
<lb n="8a" />
<space extent="1" unit="line" dim="vertical" />
<lb n="9" />
εὐτυχῶς
</ab>
</div>

Apparatus

i. ll. 1, 3, possibly Εὐδάμου in both cases, but the stone is in an extremely awkward position for a reader.

ii. l. 5, there is a line cut over the first Α.

ii. l. 6, There is a cross-bar in the first Ο, making a Θ; Π has been corrected from Η.

ii. l. 7, Π has apparently been corrected from Τ.

Translation:

i. Zenon son of Euthymos (?Eudamos), natural son of Zenon son of Agathas the son of Euthymos (?Eudamos) with his brother Iulius (?) having had this made (?) in company with Claudius Adrastos son of Hierax, dedicated it, together with all the decorative features round it, to the fatherland.

ii. A stone image of the just Alexander the mother of Phrygia sent here to the mother of Caria, (as) an undying mark of his god-like rule; but all words fall short of the man's good cheer. With good fortune!

Commentary:

i.The second name in line 1 (cf also lines 3/4) is uncertainly read - perhaps Eudamos.. The adte is probably in the first half of the second century, judging by the letter forms. The purpose is to record a gift to the city of an undefined but clearly visible object which was feminine in gender, and apparently surrounded, in some sense, with decorative features; possibly an ornament of the Bouleuterion/Odeon, but not necessarily so.

The persons involved are not at present identified although most of their names are well-attested at Aphrodisias; for an Adrastos whose geneaology include also a Hierax see name index. They were clearly men of wealth and status and of families interested in the Roman connection, since Adrastos was of one which receive citizenship in the reign of Claudius, when it was rare in the city, and Zenon's brother had a Roman name (if Iulius is rightly read). It is possible that Adrastos was himself the first recipient of Roman citizenship in his family, since his patronymic is not cited in the Roman manner by reference to a praenomen; but some Aphrodisians were inclined to retain the local custom of citing a father's full name even when he had Roman citizenship, so that this is uncertain. It is of interest that at least one of the two brothers named had been adopted, and that , since the adoptive father apparently had the same name as the natural father's grandfather, the adoption was quite probably within two branches of the same family - an example of the kind of family strategies in use at Aphrodisias.

ii. For the text, see discussion at ala2004 III.35. For the statue and the monument as whole, see Smith (1999) 165-7.

Photographs:

i. Squeeze (1978)
 i. Squeeze (1978)
i. Squeeze (1978)
 i. Squeeze (1978)
Face ii. (1973)
 Face ii. (1973)
Face ii. (1994)
 Face ii.
(1994)
ii. Left panel (1972)
 ii. Left panel (1972)
ii. Left panel (1994)
 ii. Left panel (1994)
ii. Right panel (1973)
 ii. Right panel (1973)
Monument (1994)
 Monument (1994)
Monument (1994)
 Monument (1994)
Top of base (1994)
 Top of base
(1994)

Representations:

ii: Statue and base: Drawing: K. Gorkay, from Smith (1999)
 ii: Statue and base: Drawing: K. Gorkay, from Smith (1999)

(cc) You may download this inscription in EpiDoc XML. (You may need the EpiDoc DTD v. 5 to validate this file.)