8.35. Letter of Commodus to Aphrodisias

Description:: Archive wall, column five, first two courses. The upper right hand block is badly damaged, but partly reconstructed from fragments found fallen. The lower right hand block is almost completely lost. Loose fragment a (W. 0.10 x H. 0.12 x D. 0.08)
Text:: Inscribed area surviving, W. 1.58 x H. 0.57. Outspacing for new paragraphs in ll.1, 6. Loose fragment a from the right side of the text, ll. 10-12.
Letters:: second to third centuries A.D.; ave 0.02; ligatures: ΜΕ l.3; apices, ll.1, 2; Heightened initial epsilon at the beginning of l.6. Tall initial Υ in υἱωνός, l.1, perhaps to cover an erroneous iota.
Date:: Inscription: second to third centuries A.D. (lettering, context). Document: A.D. 189 (titulature)
Findspot:: Theatre: north parodos wall; fragments fallen in front of wall.
Original Location:: Theatre: north parodos wall
Last recorded location:: Findspot; fragments in Museum
History of discovery:: Recorded by the NYU expedition in 1967;fragments found over subsequent years (67.432, 67.453, 67.461, 67.462, 67.468, 67.472, 69.309, 69.428, 69.432, 69.462, 69.464, 76.196.3, 76.196.7; fragment a: 67.455).
Bibliography:: Published by Reynolds, A&R 16 whence SEG 32, 1982.1097; BE 1983.377, AnnEpig 1984.870, McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 53 .
Text constituted from:: transcription (Reynolds) This edition Reynolds (1982).

1 αὐτοκ̣[ρά]τωρ Κα̣[ῖσαρ] θεοῦ Μάρκου Ἀντωνείνου Εὐσεβοῦς Γερμανικοῦ Σ̣[αρματ]ικοῦ [υ]ἱός θ<ε>οῦ Ε̣ὐσε[β]οῦς υἱωνός vac.; 2 θεοῦ Ἁ̣δριανο̣[ῦ] ἔγγονος θεοῦ Τραϊα̣νοῦ Π̣αρθικοῦ καὶ θεοῦ Νέρουα ἀπόγ̣[ονος] Μᾶρκ̣[ο]ς Αὐρήλιος Κόμ̣[μ]οδος vac.; 3Ἀντων̣[εῖ]νος Εὐσεβὴς Εὐτυχὴς Σεβαστὸς Σαρματικός Γερμανικὸς μέγιστος̣ [Βρε]τ̣αννικ[ός ἀρχιερ]εὺς μέγιστο[ς]; 4δημαρχικ[ῆς] ἐξουσίας τὸ ιδ´ αὐτοκράτω[ρ] τὸ η´ vac. ὕπατος τὸ ε´ vac. πατὴρ πατ̣[ρίδο]ς [Ἀφροδ]ε̣ισιέω̣[ν τοῖς ἄ]ρ̣χου̣[σι]; 5 καὶ vac. τῇ βουλῇ vac. καὶ τῷ δήμῳ vac. χαίρειν vac.; 6 ἐνέτυχον τῷ ψηφίσματι δι’ οὗ ἠξιοῦτε τ̣[ὸ]ν τῆς Ἀσίας ἀνθύπατον ἐπιδημε[ῖν ἐν τῇ πόλει τ]ῇ ὑμ[ετέρᾳ κα]ὶ δι̣[α]τρ̣ε̣ί̣-; 7βειν ἡμερῶν τινῶν ἐπισκοποῦντα [καὶ ἐξε]τ[ά]ζοντα τὰ δημόσια πράγματα ὡς π[άνυ κατη]μ̣ελη[μένα] κ̣α̣ὶ̣ δεόμεν̣α; 8 μείζονος τῆς ἐπανορθώσεως ὑπ[?ὲρ τοῦ ?πάσας τ]ὰ̣ς κρ̣[ί]σ̣ε̣ι̣ς̣ τοῦ λογιστοῦ βεβαίας δύνασθαι μένειν [? vac. ] ὑμεῖς μὲν̣ vac.; 9 ταῦτα ὡς ὑπὲ[ρ πόλ]εως βουλευό[μενοι ?ἐψηφίσασθ]ε ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀνανκαῖον ταύτην τὴν τάξιν τ̣[ε]τ̣α̣γ̣μ̣ένῳ φυ̣[λά]σ̣-; 10σειν τὰς πόλεις ἐπὶ τῶν ὁμοίων ἀξ[?ιωμάτων ·· ? ··]ΟΥΣ[·· ? ·· ἐπι]-; 11δημίας ἡγεμόνος ἢ ἀνθυπάτου ΕΠΙ̣[·· ? ··]ΟΜΜΕ̣[·· ? ··]; 12 καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὰ τῆς ἐλευθερίας δίκαια̣ [·· ? ··]Σ̣ Ἀφρ̣[οδει·· ? ··]; 13 πράγματα ἐπέστειλα τῷ φίλῳ μου Οὐλ[πί]ῳ Μαρκ̣[έλλῳ? ·· ? ··]; 14 διατρεῖψαι χρόνον αὐταρκῆ πρὸς τὴν τῶν κοινῶ[ν ·· ? ··] v.; 15 εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὕτω γένοιτο τά τε δημόσια πράγματα Ε̣; 16 vac. [ἐλευθερίας] δίκα[ια ·· c. 26 ··]ΕΚ[·· ? ··]ΕΙ̣[·· ? ··]
a: 0[·· ? ··]; 1[·· ? ··]ΟΜ̣ΜΕ̣[·· ? ··]; 2[·· ? ··]Σ̣ Ἀφρ̣[οδει- ·· ? ··]; 2a[·· ? ··]

1ΑΥΤΟ·[··]ΤΩΡΚ·[····]ΘΕΟΥΜΑΡΚΟΥΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΟΥΕΥΣΕΒΟΥΣΓΕΡΜΑΝΙΚΟΥ·[·····]ΙΚΟΥ[·]ΙΟΣΘΟΥ·ΥΣΕ[·]ΟΥΣΥΙΩΝΟΣ; 2ΘΕΟΥ·ΔΡΙΑΝ·[·]ΕΓΓΟΝΟΣΘΕΟΥΤΡΑΙ·ΝΟΥ·ΑΡΘΙΚΟΥΚΑΙΘΕΟΥΝΕΡΟΥΑΑΠΟ·[····]ΜΑΡ·[·]ΣΑΥΡΗΛΙΟΣΚΟ·[·]ΟΔΟΣ; 3ΑΝΤΩ·[··]ΝΟΣΕΥΣΕΒΗΣΕΥΤΥΧΗΣΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣΣΑΡΜΑΤΙΚΟΣΓΕΡΜΑΝΙΚΟΣΜΕΓΙΣΤΟ·[···]·ΑΝΝΙΚ[········]ΕΥΣΜΕΓΙΣΤΟ[·]; 4ΔΗΜΑΡΧΙΚ[··]ΕΞΟΥΣΙΑΣΤΟΙΔΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩ[·]ΤΟΗ ΥΠΑΤΟΣΤΟΕ ΠΑΤΗΡΠΑ·[····]Σ[·····]·ΙΣΙΕ·[······]·ΧΟ·[··]; 5ΚΑΙ ΤΗΒΟΥΛΗ ΚΑΙΤΩΔΗΜΩ ΧΑΙΡΕΙΝ; 6ΕΝΕΤΥΧΟΝΤΩΨΗΦΙΣΜΑΤΙΔΙ’ΟΥΗΞΙΟΥΤΕ·[·]ΝΤΗΣΑΣΙΑΣΑΝΘΥΠΑΤΟΝΕΠΙΔΗΜΕ[············]ΗΥΜ[·······]ΙΔ·[·]Τ···; 7ΒΕΙΝΗΜΕΡΩΝΤΙΝΩΝΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥΝΤΑ[······]Τ[·]ΖΟΝΤΑΤΑΔΗΜΟΣΙΑΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΑΩΣΠ[·······]·ΕΛΗ[····]···ΔΕΟΜΕ·Α; 8ΜΕΙΖΟΝΟΣΤΗΣΕΠΑΝΟΡΘΩΣΕΩΣΥΠ[···········]·ΣΚ·[·]····ΤΟΥΛΟΓΙΣΤΟΥΒΕΒΑΙΑΣΔΥΝΑΣΘΑΙΜΕΝΕΙΝ[···]ΥΜΕΙΣΜΕ·; 9ΤΑΥΤΑΩΣΥΠΕ[····]ΕΩΣΒΟΥΛΕΥΟ[··············]ΕΕΜΟΙΔΕΑΝΑΝΚΑΙΟΝΤΑΥΤΗΝΤΗΝΤΑΞΙΝ·[·]····ΕΝΩΦ·[··]·; 10ΣΕΙΝΤΑΣΠΟΛΕΙΣΕΠΙΤΩΝΟΜΟΙΩΝΑΞ[······· - - - ]ΟΥΣ[ - - - ···]; 11ΔΗΜΙΑΣΗΓΕΜΟΝΟΣΗΑΝΘΥΠΑΤΟΥΕΠ·[ - - - ]ΟΜΜ·[ - - - ]; 12ΚΑΙΕΝΤΟΥΤΩΤΑΤΗΣΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑΣΔΙΚΑΙ·[ - - - ]·ΑΦ·[···· - - - ]; 13ΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΑΕΠΕΣΤΕΙΛΑΤΩΦΙΛΩΜΟΥΟΥΛ[··]ΩΜΑΡ·[····· - - - ]; 14ΔΙΑΤΡΕΙΨΑΙΧΡΟΝΟΝΑΥΤΑΡΚΗΠΡΟΣΤΗΝΤΩΝΚΟΙΝΩ[· - - - ]; 15ΕΙΓΑΡΤΟΥΤΟΟΥΤΩΓΕΝΟΙΤΟΤΑΤΕΔΗΜΟΣΙΑΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΑ·; 16 [··········]ΔΙΚΑ[·· ··························]ΕΚ[ - - - ]Ε·[ - - - ]
a: 0[ - - - ]; 1[ - - - ]Ο·Μ·[ - - - ]; 2[ - - - ]·ΑΦ·[····· - - - ]; 2a[ - - - ]

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Apparatus

l. 1, ΥΣΟΥ, lapis

Translation:

Imperator Caesar M. Aurelius Commodus Antoninus, Pius, Felix, Augustes, Sarmaticus, Germanicus maximus, Britannicus, son of divus M. Antoninus, Pius, Germanicus, Sarmaticus, grandson of divus Pius, great-grandson of divus Hadrianus, descendant of divus Trajanus Parthicus and divus Nerva, Pontifex Maximus, holding the tribunician power for the fourteenth time, acclaimed victorious for the eighth time, consul for the fifth time, father of his country, sends greetings to the Magistrates, Council and People of the Aphrodisians.

I received the decree in which you asked that the proconsul of Asia should visit your [city] and spend some days looking into [and examining] your public affairs on the grounds that they are [quite neglected ?] and in need of a greater reconstruction [to enable ?] the decisions of the curator to stand confirmed. You of course [voted for these proposals ?] with the interests of the city in mind; on me, since I have been appointed to this station, falls the necessity of preserving the cities in the same [position of honour ? as my predecessors ? ....] visit(s) from an official ? or proconsul [.. ? ..] and meanwhile the rights of freedom [.. ?. .] matters, I have sent to my friend Ulpius Marcellus ? [.. ? ..] to spend a sufficient time with a view to [the reconstruction ?] of the common [.. ? ..] for if this were to happen in this way and the public affairs [.. ? ..] the rights of freedom [.. ? ..].