8.2. Letter of Quintus Oppius
- Description:
- Pilaster (H. c. 0.66 x W. 0.81) inscribed on two faces. The west face has been damaged above and on all edges, and is pierced by a round hole near the left edge towards the top. It is in two planes, one stepped back from the other, and bears 503b; the north face bears 8.24. Pilaster capital (H. 0.27 x W. 0.98 x D. 0.27) with heavy moulding above the face.
- Text:
- a. inscribed on the face of the capital; b. inscribed on the pilaster, one column on each of the stepped faces.
- Letters:
- second century A.D.; a: av. 0.018; b: av. 0.02.
- Date:
- Document: 85 B.C. (prosopography, content); inscription second century A.D. (lettering, context)
- Findspot:
- Theatre: a fallen, b in situ at the west corner terminating the south wall of the north parodos
- Original Location:
- Findspot
- Last recorded location:
- Museum
- History of discovery:
- Recorded by the NYU expedition (67.549 & 67.550)
- Bibliography:
- Published by Reynolds, Aphrodisias & Rome, doc. 3, whence SEG 1982.1097, BE 1983.364, AnnEpig 1984.859; discussed by Bowersock, Gnomon 56 (1984), 51 (l. 24), whence SEG 1984.1043; by Jones, AJP 106 (1985), 264 (ll. 33a-35), whence SEG 1985.1081 from all of these McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 63 .
- Text constituted from:
- transcription (Reynolds), publications. This edition Reynolds (1982).
- a
- 1 Κόϊντος Ὄππιος Κοΐντου
- 2 υἱὸς ἀνθύπατος Ῥωμαίων
- 3 στρατηγὸς Πλαρασέων καὶ
- 4 [[[Ἀφροδεισιέων]]] ἄρχουσιν
- 5 βουλῇ δήμῳ χαίρειν
- b
- i
- 1[·· c. 14 ··]Ε̣Δ̣Ο[·· ? ··]
- 2[·· c. 12 ··] Ἀντίπατ̣[ρος]
- 3[?Ἀδρά]σ̣του Περείτας Ἀπολλω-
- 4[νίο]υ Ἀρτεμίδωρος Μύωνος,
- 5 Διονύσιος Μήνιδος Τειμο-
- 6κλῆς Ζήνωνος πρεσβευταὶ
- 7 ὑμέτεροι, ἄνδρες καλοὶ καὶ
- 8 ἀγαθοί, συνέτυχόν μοι ἐν
- 9 Κῷ καὶ συνεχάρησαν, τό τε
- 10 ψήφισμα ἀπέδωκαν ἐν ᾧ δι-
- 11εσαφεῖτο χαίρειν ὑμᾶς με-
- 12γάλως ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμῇ παρουσίᾳ,
- 13 ὅπερ ἐγὼ ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμετέρας
- 14 θελήσεως εἴς με τά τε δημό-
- 15σια πράγματα ἡμέτερα ἀσφα-
- 16λῶς πιστεύω· καθ’ ὃν γὰρ και -
- 17ρὸν ἐκ Λαοδικήας πρὸς v. ὑ
- 18μᾶς ἔπεμψα γράμματα ὅπω̣[ς ]
- 19 στρατιώτας πρός με ἀποσ[τέ]-
- 20λητε, ἐν πρώτοις ἀπεστε̣[ί]-
- 21λατε, τοῦτο δὲ ἐποιήσατε κ[α]-
- 22θὼς ἐπέβαλλεν συμμ[ά]-
- 23χοις ἀγαθοῖς καὶ φίλοις δή-
- 24μου Ῥωμ̣α̣ίων ποιῆσαι,
- 25 τῶν τε ἀποσταλέντων
- 26 πρεσβευτῶν ἐργασίᾳ
- 27 καλῇ καὶ πλείστῃ ἐχρη-
- 28σάμην v. δι’ ἃς‚ αἰτίας‚ v.
- ii
- 1φροντίζω [καὶ ἐν ἀρ]-
- 2χῇ καὶ ἰδιώβ̣[?ιῳ] v. [?ὅ]-
- 3περ ἂν σωζομέν̣[ης]
- 4 τῆς ἐμῆς πίστ[ε]-
- 5ως ποιῆσαι ὑμεῖν δύ-
- 6νωμαι τοῖς τε δημο̣-
- 7σίοις πράγμασιν ὑ̣[μ]ε-
- 8τέροις εὐχρηστῆσαι
- 9 καὶ ἀεί τινος ἀγαθοῦ
- 10 παραίτιος γενέσθαι·
- 11 ὅπως τε τῇ συνκλήτῳ
- 12 τῷ τε δήμῳ τὰ ἀφ’ ὑμῶν
- 13 πεπραγμένα ἐστίν
- 14 ὅταν εἰς Ῥώμην παρα-
- 15γένωμαι διασαφήσω·
- 16 οἱ αὐτοὶ πρεσβεῖς παρε-
- 17κάλεσαν ὅπως ἐξῇ τῇ
- 18[ἐ]μῇ πατρωνήᾳ καὶ ὑμεῖν
- 19 χρῆσθαι τούτους ἐγὼ
- 20 ἀνεδεξάμην καταλο-
- 21γῆς ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑμετέ-
- 22ρας πόλεως, ἐμὲ τοῦ δή-
- 23μου τοῦ ὑμετέρου πα-
- 24τ̣ρωνα v. ἔσεσθαι v.
- a
- 1ΚΟΙΝΤΟΣΟΠΠΙΟΣΚΟΙΝΤΟΥ
- 2ΥΙΟΣΑΝΘΥΠΑΤΟΣΡΩΜΑΙΩΝ
- 3ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΟΣΠΛΑΡΑΣΕΩΝΚΑΙ
- 4 [[[············]]]ΑΡΧΟΥΣΙΝ
- 5ΒΟΥΛΗΔΗΜΩΧΑΙΡΕΙΝ
- b
- i
- 1[··············]··Ο[ - - - ]
- 2[············]ΑΝΤΙΠΑ·[···]
- 3[····]·ΤΟΥΠΕΡΕΙΤΑΣΑΠΟΛΛΩ
- 4[···]ΥΑΡΤΕΜΙΔΩΡΟΣΜΥΩΝΟΣ
- 5ΔΙΟΝΥΣΙΟΣΜΗΝΙΔΟΣΤΕΙΜΟ
- 6ΚΛΗΣΖΗΝΩΝΟΣΠΡΕΣΒΕΥΤΑΙ
- 7ΥΜΕΤΕΡΟΙΑΝΔΡΕΣΚΑΛΟΙΚΑΙ
- 8ΑΓΑΘΟΙΣΥΝΕΤΥΧΟΝΜΟΙΕΝ
- 9ΚΩΚΑΙΣΥΝΕΧΑΡΗΣΑΝΤΟΤΕ
- 10ΨΗΦΙΣΜΑΑΠΕΔΩΚΑΝΕΝΩΔΙ
- 11ΕΣΑΦΕΙΤΟΧΑΙΡΕΙΝΥΜΑΣΜΕ
- 12ΓΑΛΩΣΕΠΙΤΗΕΜΗΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑ
- 13ΟΠΕΡΕΓΩΥΠΕΡΤΗΣΥΜΕΤΕΡΑΣ
- 14ΘΕΛΗΣΕΩΣΕΙΣΜΕΤΑΤΕΔΗΜΟ
- 15ΣΙΑΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΑΗΜΕΤΕΡΑΑΣΦΑ
- 16ΛΩΣΠΙΣΤΕΥΩΚΑΘ’ΟΝΓΑΡΚΑΙ
- 17ΡΟΝΕΚΛΑΟΔΙΚΗΑΣΠΡΟΣ Υ
- 18ΜΑΣΕΠΕΜΨΑΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΑΟΠ·[·]
- 19ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΑΣΠΡΟΣΜΕΑΠΟΣ[··]
- 20ΛΗΤΕΕΝΠΡΩΤΟΙΣΑΠΕΣΤ·[·]
- 21ΛΑΤΕΤΟΥΤΟΔΕΕΠΟΙΗΣΑΤΕΚ[·]
- 22ΘΩΣΕΠΕΒΑΛΛΕΝΣΥΜΜ[·]
- 23ΧΟΙΣΑΓΑΘΟΙΣΚΑΙΦΙΛΟΙΣΔΗ
- 24ΜΟΥΡΩ··ΙΩΝΠΟΙΗΣΑΙ
- 25ΤΩΝΤΕΑΠΟΣΤΑΛΕΝΤΩΝ
- 26ΠΡΕΣΒΕΥΤΩΝΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ
- 27ΚΑΛΗΚΑΙΠΛΕΙΣΤΗΕΧΡΗ
- 28ΣΑΜΗΝ ΔΙ’ΑΣ‚ΑΙΤΙΑΣ‚
- ii
- 1ΦΡΟΝΤΙΖΩ[·······]
- 2ΧΗΚΑΙΙΔΙΩ·[··] [·]
- 3ΠΕΡΑΝΣΩΖΟΜΕ·[··]
- 4ΤΗΣΕΜΗΣΠΙΣΤ[·]
- 5ΩΣΠΟΙΗΣΑΙΥΜΕΙΝΔΥ
- 6ΝΩΜΑΙΤΟΙΣΤΕΔΗΜ·
- 7ΣΙΟΙΣΠΡΑΓΜΑΣΙΝ·[·]Ε
- 8ΤΕΡΟΙΣΕΥΧΡΗΣΤΗΣΑΙ
- 9ΚΑΙΑΕΙΤΙΝΟΣΑΓΑΘΟΥ
- 10ΠΑΡΑΙΤΙΟΣΓΕΝΕΣΘΑΙ
- 11ΟΠΩΣΤΕΤΗΣΥΝΚΛΗΤΩ
- 12ΤΩΤΕΔΗΜΩΤΑΑΦ’ΥΜΩΝ
- 13ΠΕΠΡΑΓΜΕΝΑΕΣΤΙΝ
- 14ΟΤΑΝΕΙΣΡΩΜΗΝΠΑΡΑ
- 15ΓΕΝΩΜΑΙΔΙΑΣΑΦΗΣΩ
- 16ΟΙΑΥΤΟΙΠΡΕΣΒΕΙΣΠΑΡΕ
- 17ΚΑΛΕΣΑΝΟΠΩΣΕΞΗΤΗ
- 18[·]ΜΗΠΑΤΡΩΝΗΑΚΑΙΥΜΕΙΝ
- 19ΧΡΗΣΘΑΙΤΟΥΤΟΥΣΕΓΩ
- 20ΑΝΕΔΕΞΑΜΗΝΚΑΤΑΛΟ
- 21ΓΗΣΕΝΕΚΕΝΤΗΣΥΜΕΤΕ
- 22ΡΑΣΠΟΛΕΩΣΕΜΕΤΟΥΔΗ
- 23ΜΟΥΤΟΥΥΜΕΤΕΡΟΥΠΑ
- 24·ΡΩΝΑ ΕΣΕΣΘΑΙ
Translation:
Quintus Oppius, son of Quintus, proconsul of the Romans, praetor, sends greetings to the Magistrates, Council and People of Plarasa/Aphrodisias.
...], Antipatros son of [? Adra]stos, Pereitas son of Apollo[nios], Artemidoros son of Myon, Dionysios son of Menis, Timokles son of Zenon, your ambassadors, fine and good men, met me in Kos, congratulated me and gave me the decree in which it was reported that you are very much pleased at my presence - as I certainly believe, in view of your good intentions towards myself and our public affairs; for on the occasion when I wrote to you from Laodikeia that you should send me soldiers, you were among the first to send them and your conduct was exactly what was due from good allies and friends of the Roman people; and I made use of the fine and unstinted activity of the ambassadors whom you sent. For these reasons I am taking care, both as a magistrate and in a private capacity (?), to do whatever I can, while preserving my good faith, to help you and your public affairs, and always to procure your advantage; and shall see to it that whenever I am in Rome I make clear to the Senate and People the things (which) have been done on your part. The same ambassadors begged that you too should be allowed to enjoy my patronage. I accepted them because of my regard for your city and undertook the position of patron of your People.
Commentary:
See Aphrodisias and Rome, pp. 16-20, and bibliography.
Photographs:
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