8.31. Letter of Octavian to Ephesus
- Description:
- Archive wall, column 3, middle courses.
- Text:
- Inscribed area W. 0.955 x H. 0.655. The final letter of l. 1 is cut on the ridge which divides columns 2 and 3.
- Letters:
- Second to third centuries A.D.; ll.1-4, ave 0.02, ll. 5 ff, ave 0.018. Ligatures: ΗΜ ll.2, 7, 17, 18, ΗΜΗ ll.4, ΤΗ ll.4, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, ΝΗ ll.6, 9, ΗΠΕ l.6, ΝΕ ll.11 (twice), 12, 15, ΗΕ l.12, ΤΕ ll.12, 14, 16, ΝΚ l.16, 18, 19, ΗΝ l.6, ΜΒ l.12, ΝΤ l.12, ΠΗΝΤ. l.13, ΝΗΝΕ l.15, ΝΤΕ l.17, ΜΕ l.18, ΗΓ l.19, ΠΡ l.19, ΤΗΚ l.20, ΗΝΚ l.20. Apices in ll. 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 13. Arabesque at the end of l. 12.
- Date:
- Inscription: second to third centuries A.D. (lettering, context). Document: 39/38 B.C. (content, prosopography).
- Findspot:
- Theatre: north parodos wall
- Original Location:
- Theatre: north parodos wall
- Last recorded location:
- Findspot
- History of discovery:
- Recorded by the NYU expedition in 1967.
- Bibliography:
- Published by Reynolds, A&R 12, whence SEG 32, 1982.1097, BE 1983.373, AnnEpig 1984, 866, SEG 34, 1984.1044, McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 40 . Discussed by F. Millar, JRS 63 (1973), 56, no. 10.
- Text constituted from:
- transcription (Reynolds) This edition Reynolds (1982).
- 1 αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ θεοῦ Ἰουλίου υἱὸς Ἐφεσίων ἄρχουσι
- 2 βουλῇ δήμῳ χαίρειν εἰ ἔρρωσθε εὖ ἂν ἔχοι ὑγιαί-
- 3νω δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ τοῦ στρατεύματος vac.
- 4 Σόλων Δημητρίου υἱὸς πρεσβευτὴς Πλαρασέων
- 5 καὶ [[Ἀ̣φροδεισιέων]] ἐνεφάνισέν μοι ὅσα ἐν τῷ πο-
- 6λέμῳ τῷ κατὰ Λαβιῆνον ἡ πόλις αὐτῶν πέπονθεν
- 7 ὅσα τε διηρπάγη δημόσιά τε καὶ ἰδιωτικά περὶ ὧν
- 8 πάντων Ἀντωνίῳ τε τῷ συνάρχοντι ἐντολὰς
- 9 δέδωκα ὅπως ὅσα ποτὲ ἂν δύνηται ὃ ἂν εὕρῃ ἀ-
- 10 ποκαταστήσῃ αὐτοῖς ὑμεῖν τε ἔκρεινα γράψαι
- 11 ἐπεὶ ἔχετε πόλιν εὔκαιρον ἐπιβοηθεῖαν αὐτοῖς
- 12 ἐὰν σώματος ἢ ἑτέρου τινὸς τῶν ἰδίων ἐπιλαμβάνωνται
- 13 ἀπηνγέλη δέ μοι ὅτι ἐκ τῆς διαρπαγῆς Ἔρως χρυσοῦς ὅ ὑ-
- 14πὸ τοῦ πατρὸς τῇ [[Ἀ̣φ̣ρ̣ο̣δ̣ε̣ίτῃ]] ἦν ἀνατεθεὶς εἰς ὑμᾶς
- 15 ἀνενήνεκται καὶ ὡς ἀνάθημα τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι τέθειται
- 16 ὑμεῖς οὖν καλῶς ποιήσετε καὶ ἀξίως ὑμῶν ἀποκαταστή-
- 17σαντες τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός μου ἀνάθημα τῇ Ἀφροδείτῃ
- 18 δεδομένον καὶ γὰρ οὐ χαρίεν ἀνάθημα Ἔρως Ἀρτέμιδι
- 19 ἀνάνκη γάρ μοι [[Ἀ̣φ̣ρ̣ο̣δ̣ε̣ι̣σ̣ι̣έ̣ω̣ν̣]] ποιεῖσθαι πρόνοιαν οὓς τη-
- 20 λικαῦτα εὐεργέτηκα ἣν καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀκούειν νομίζω
- 1ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡΚΑΙΣΑΡΘΕΟΥΙΟΥΛΙΟΥΥΙΟΣΕΦΕΣΙΩΝΑΡΧΟΥΣΙ
- 2ΒΟΥΛΗΔΗΜΩΧΑΙΡΕΙΝΕΙΕΡΡΩΣΘΕΕΥΑΝΕΧΟΙΥΓΙΑΙ
- 3ΝΩΔΕΚΑΙΑΥΤΟΣΜΕΤΑΤΟΥΣΤΡΑΤΕΥΜΑΤΟΣ
- 4ΣΟΛΩΝΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥΥΙΟΣΠΡΕΣΒΕΥΤΗΣΠΛΑΡΑΣΕΩΝ
- 5ΚΑΙ[[·ΦΡΟΔΕΙΣΙΕΩΝ]]ΕΝΕΦΑΝΙΣΕΝΜΟΙΟΣΑΕΝΤΩΠΟ
- 6ΛΕΜΩΤΩΚΑΤΑΛΑΒΙΗΝΟΝΗΠΟΛΙΣΑΥΤΩΝΠΕΠΟΝΘΕΝ
- 7ΟΣΑΤΕΔΙΗΡΠΑΓΗΔΗΜΟΣΙΑΤΕΚΑΙΙΔΙΩΤΙΚΑΠΕΡΙΩΝ
- 8ΠΑΝΤΩΝΑΝΤΩΝΙΩΤΕΤΩΣΥΝΑΡΧΟΝΤΙΕΝΤΟΛΑΣ
- 9ΔΕΔΩΚΑΟΠΩΣΟΣΑΠΟΤΕΑΝΔΥΝΗΤΑΙΟΑΝΕΥΡΗΑ
- 10ΠΟΚΑΤΑΣΤΗΣΗΑΥΤΟΙΣΥΜΕΙΝΤΕΕΚΡΕΙΝΑΓΡΑΨΑΙ
- 11ΕΠΕΙΕΧΕΤΕΠΟΛΙΝΕΥΚΑΙΡΟΝΕΠΙΒΟΗΘΕΙΑΝΑΥΤΟΙΣ
- 12ΕΑΝΣΩΜΑΤΟΣΗΕΤΕΡΟΥΤΙΝΟΣΤΩΝΙΔΙΩΝΕΠΙΛΑΜΒΑΝΩΝΤΑΙ
- 13ΑΠΗΝΓΕΛΗΔΕΜΟΙΟΤΙΕΚΤΗΣΔΙΑΡΠΑΓΗΣΕΡΩΣΧΡΥΣΟΥΣΟΥ
- 14ΠΟΤΟΥΠΑΤΡΟΣΤΗ[[······ΙΤΗ]]ΗΝΑΝΑΤΕΘΕΙΣΕΙΣΥΜΑΣ
- 15ΑΝΕΝΗΝΕΚΤΑΙΚΑΙΩΣΑΝΑΘΗΜΑΤΗΑΡΤΕΜΙΔΙΤΕΘΕΙΤΑΙ
- 16ΥΜΕΙΣΟΥΝΚΑΛΩΣΠΟΙΗΣΕΤΕΚΑΙΑΞΙΩΣΥΜΩΝΑΠΟΚΑΤΑΣΤΗ
- 17ΣΑΝΤΕΣΤΟΥΠΟΤΟΥΠΑΤΡΟΣΜΟΥΑΝΑΘΗΜΑΤΗΑΦΡΟΔΕΙΤΗ
- 18ΔΕΔΟΜΕΝΟΝΚΑΙΓΑΡΟΥΧΑΡΙΕΝΑΝΑΘΗΜΑΕΡΩΣΑΡΤΕΜΙΔΙ
- 19ΑΝΑΝΚΗΓΑΡΜΟΙ[[············]]ΠΟΙΕΙΣΘΑΙΠΡΟΝΟΙΑΝΟΥΣΤΗ
- 20ΛΙΚΑΥΤΑΕΥΕΡΓΕΤΗΚΑΗΝΚΑΙΥΜΑΣΑΚΟΥΕΙΝΝΟΜΙΖΩ
Translation:
Imperator Caesar, son of divine Julius, to the Magistrates, Council and People of the Ephesians, greetings:
If you are well, it would be well; I myself am in good health, together with the army.
Solon, son of Demetrios, ambassador of the Plarasans and Aphrodisians has reported to me how much their city suffered in the war against Labienus and how much property , both public and private, was looted. About this I have given a commission to my colleague Antonius, that as much as he can find; he should restore to them and I decided to write to you, since you have a city well-placed to help them if they lay claim to any slave or other piece of private property. I was also informed that out of the loot a golden Eros, which had been dedicated by my father to Aphrodite, has been brought to you and set up as an offering to Artemis. You will do well and worthily of yourselve if you restore the offering which my father gave to Aphrodite. In any case Eros is not a suitable offering for Artemis. For concerning the Aphrodisians, upon whom I have conferred such benefits, I should take the care about which I think you too have heard.
Commentary:
See Aphrodisias and Rome, 102-103.
Photographs:
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