Description:
Archive Wall: column 5, lowest course. The blocks at the left side are intact; those at the right side are damaged, but are substantially restored with small fragments found fallen in front of the wall.
Text:
Inscribed area specially prepared, W. 2.38 x H. 0.31. Line 1 outspaced.
Letters:
Third century A.D.; ave 0.017; less carefully cut than 8.27, 8.28, 8.29, 8.30, 8.31, 8.32, 8.33, 8.34, 8.35, 8.36, 8.37 and 8.99; ligatures: ΤΗ l.2, l.3 (three times), l.6, l.8; ΗΝ, l.4; ΝΜ l.5, l.7; ΜΗΜ l.6. Circular stops in ll.2, 8; star for stop in l.8; bars above the figures in l.2 and above ΟΥ in l.7.
Date:
243 A.D. (titulature, lettering)
Findspot:
Theatre: north parodos wall, and fragments found fallen
Original Location:
Theatre: north parodos wall
Last recorded location:
Findspot; fragments in Museum
History of discovery:
Recorded by the NYU expedition in 1966 and later; fallen fragments inventory numbers 66.608 69.468 and unnumbered fragments.
Bibliography:
Published by Reynolds, A&R 21 whence SEG 32, 1982.1097, BE 1983.382, AnnEpig 1984, 857, McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 60 .
Text constituted from:
transcription (Reynolds) This edition Reynolds (1982).
1 αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ Μᾶρκος Ἀντώνιος Γορδιανὸς Εὐσεβὴς Εὐτυ̣[χὴς Σεβ]αστός ἀ[ρχιε]ρεὺς μέγιστος δη̣[μαρχι]-
2κῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ Ϛ´ ὕπατος τὸ β´ πατὴρ πατρίδος ἀνθύπατος Ἀφροδ[εισιέω]ν̣ τ̣ο̣[ῖς] ἄ̣ρ̣[χο]υ̣σι καὶ τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ
3 χαίρειν v. τὸ τῆς Ἀσίας βούλευμα τὸ καὶ ὑμᾶς καταστῆσαν εἰς κο[ινωνί]αν τῆς π̣ρ̣[ὸς] τ̣ο̣ὺ̣ς̣ ἀτυχήσαντας
4 ἐπικουρίας οὐκ ἐπίταγμ̣α ἦν οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἐπιτάγματι χρῆσθ̣αι π[ρὸς το]ὺ̣ς̣ ἐλευθ̣έ̣ρους ἀλ̣λ̣ὰ πολείτευμα
5 χρηστὸν ἐν μετουσίᾳ καθιστᾶν ὑμᾶς φιλανθρώπου πράξεως καὶ ο[ἵη]ς καὶ καθ’ ὑμᾶς πράττετε ἐν [κα]τα-
6σκευῇ τινος ο̣ἰ̣κοδομήματος συνεπιλαμβανόμενοι τῆς ἀναστάσε̣[ω]ς τοῖ̣ς̣ δεομένοις ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ μέλ-
7λοντος ἥκιστα χρὴ δεδιέναι τοῖς γὰρ ἐλευθέροις οὗ πλεῖστον με[τέ]χετε μόνος ἐστὶν πρὸς τὰ το[ι]α̣ῦτα
8 vac. νόμος τὸ ἑκούσιον stop . ἐπρέσβευον Αὐρήλιος Κτησίας καὶ Α[ἴ]λιος Καλλικράτης εὐτυχε[ῖτε]
9 vac. θεῖα ἀντιγραφὴ κ̣ατὰ Λαοδικ̣εῖς ἡ προτεταγμένη vac.
1ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡΚΑΙΣΑΡΜΑΡΚΟΣΑΝΤΩΝΙΟΣΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟΣΕΥΣΕΒΗΣΕΥΤ·[······]ΑΣΤΟΣΑ[····]ΡΕΥΣΜΕΓΙΣΤΟΣΔ·[·····]
2ΚΗΣΕΞΟΥΣΙΑΣΤΟϚΥΠΑΤΟΣΤΟΒΠΑΤΗΡΠΑΤΡΙΔΟΣΑΝΘΥΠΑΤΟΣΑΦΡΟΔ[······]···[··]··[··]·ΣΙΚΑΙΤΗΒΟΥΛΗΚΑΙΤΩΔΗΜΩ
3ΧΑΙΡΕΙΝ ΤΟΤΗΣΑΣΙΑΣΒΟΥΛΕΥΜΑΤΟΚΑΙΥΜΑΣΚΑΤΑΣΤΗΣΑΝΕΙΣΚΟ[·····]ΑΝΤΗΣ··[··]····ΑΤΥΧΗΣΑΝΤΑΣ
4ΕΠΙΚΟΥΡΙΑΣΟΥΚΕΠΙΤΑΓ·ΑΗΝΟΥΔΕΓΑΡΟΙΟΝΤΕΕΠΙΤΑΓΜΑΤΙΧΡΗΣ·ΑΙΠ[·····]··ΕΛΕΥ··ΡΟΥΣΑ··ΑΠΟΛΕΙΤΕΥΜΑ
5ΧΡΗΣΤΟΝΕΝΜΕΤΟΥΣΙΑΚΑΘΙΣΤΑΝΥΜΑΣΦΙΛΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΥΠΡΑΞΕΩΣΚΑΙΟ[··]ΣΚΑΙΚΑΘ’ΥΜΑΣΠΡΑΤΤΕΤΕΕΝ[··]ΤΑ
6ΣΚΕΥΗΤΙΝΟΣ··ΚΟΔΟΜΗΜΑΤΟΣΣΥΝΕΠΙΛΑΜΒΑΝΟΜΕΝΟΙΤΗΣΑΝΑΣΤΑΣ·[·]ΣΤΟ··ΔΕΟΜΕΝΟΙΣΥΠΕΡΔΕΤΟΥΜΕΛ
7ΛΟΝΤΟΣΗΚΙΣΤΑΧΡΗΔΕΔΙΕΝΑΙΤΟΙΣΓΑΡΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΙΣΟΥΠΛΕΙΣΤΟΝΜΕ[··]ΧΕΤΕΜΟΝΟΣΕΣΤΙΝΠΡΟΣΤΑΤΟ[·]·ΥΤΑ
8   ΝΟΜΟΣΤΟΕΚΟΥΣΙΟΝ stop ΕΠΡΕΣΒΕΥΟΝΑΥΡΗΛΙΟΣΚΤΗΣΙΑΣΚΑΙΑ[·]ΛΙΟΣΚΑΛΛΙΚΡΑΤΗΣΕΥΤΥΧΕ[···]
9   ΘΕΙΑΑΝΤΙΓΡΑΦΗ·ΑΤΑΛΑΟΔΙ·ΕΙΣΗΠΡΟΤΕΤΑΓΜΕΝΗ   
<ab>
<lb n="1" />
αὐτοκράτωρ
Καῖσαρ
Μᾶρκος
Ἀντώνιος
Γορδιανὸς
Εὐσεβὴς
Εὐτ
<unclear reason="damage" >
υ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
χὴς
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
Σεβ
</supplied>
αστός
<supplied reason="lost" >
ρχιε
</supplied>
ρεὺς
μέγιστος
δ
<unclear reason="damage" >
η
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
μαρχι
</supplied>
<lb n="2" type="worddiv" />
κῆς
ἐξουσίας
τὸ
<num value="6" >
Ϛ
</num>
ὕπατος
τὸ
<num value="2" >
β
</num>
πατὴρ
πατρίδος
ἀνθύπατος
Ἀφροδ
<supplied reason="lost" >
εισιέω
</supplied>
<unclear reason="damage" >
ν
</unclear>
<unclear reason="damage" >
το
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ῖς
</supplied>
<unclear reason="damage" >
ἄρ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
χο
</supplied>
<unclear reason="damage" >
υ
</unclear>
σι
καὶ
τῇ
βουλῇ
καὶ
τῷ
δήμῳ
<lb n="3" />
χαίρειν
<space extent="1" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
τὸ
τῆς
Ἀσίας
βούλευμα
τὸ
καὶ
ὑμᾶς
καταστῆσαν
εἰς
κο
<supplied reason="lost" >
ινωνί
</supplied>
αν
τῆς
<unclear reason="damage" >
πρ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ὸς
</supplied>
<unclear reason="damage" >
τοὺς
</unclear>
ἀτυχήσαντας
<lb n="4" />
ἐπικουρίας
οὐκ
ἐπίταγ
<unclear reason="damage" >
μ
</unclear>
α
ἦν
οὐδὲ
γὰρ
οἷόν
τε
ἐπιτάγματι
χρῆσ
<unclear reason="damage" >
θ
</unclear>
αι
π
<supplied reason="lost" >
ρὸς
</supplied>
<supplied reason="lost" >
το
</supplied>
<unclear reason="damage" >
ὺς
</unclear>
ἐλευ
<unclear reason="damage" >
θέ
</unclear>
ρους
<unclear reason="damage" >
λλ
</unclear>
πολείτευμα
<lb n="5" />
χρηστὸν
ἐν
μετουσίᾳ
καθιστᾶν
ὑμᾶς
φιλανθρώπου
πράξεως
καὶ
ο
<supplied reason="lost" >
ἵη
</supplied>
ς
καὶ
καθ’
ὑμᾶς
πράττετε
ἐν
<supplied reason="lost" >
κα
</supplied>
τα
<lb n="6" type="worddiv" />
σκευῇ
τινος
<unclear reason="damage" >
οἰ
</unclear>
κοδομήματος
συνεπιλαμβανόμενοι
τῆς
ἀναστάσ
<unclear reason="damage" >
ε
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ω
</supplied>
ς
το
<unclear reason="damage" >
</unclear>
<unclear reason="damage" >
ς
</unclear>
δεομένοις
ὑπὲρ
δὲ
τοῦ
μέλ
<lb n="7" type="worddiv" />
λοντος
ἥκιστα
χρὴ
δεδιέναι
τοῖς
γὰρ
ἐλευθέροις
οὗ
πλεῖστον
με
<supplied reason="lost" >
τέ
</supplied>
χετε
μόνος
ἐστὶν
πρὸς
τὰ
το
<supplied reason="lost" >
ι
</supplied>
<unclear reason="damage" >
α
</unclear>
ῦτα
<lb n="8" />
<space extent="3" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
νόμος
τὸ
ἑκούσιον
<g type="stop" />
.
ἐπρέσβευον
Αὐρήλιος
Κτησίας
καὶ
Α
<supplied reason="lost" >
</supplied>
λιος
Καλλικράτης
εὐτυχε
<supplied reason="lost" >
ῖτε
</supplied>
<lb n="9" />
<space extent="3" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
θεῖα
ἀντιγραφὴ
<unclear reason="damage" >
κ
</unclear>
ατὰ
Λαοδι
<unclear reason="damage" >
κ
</unclear>
εῖς
προτεταγμένη
<space extent="3" unit="character" dim="horizontal" />
</ab>

Translation:

Imperator Caesar M. Antonius Gordianus, Pius, Felix, Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, holding the tribunician power for the sixth time, consul for the second, father of his country, proconsul, to the Magistrates, Council and People of the Aphrodisians, greetings.

The resolution of Asia which associated you too with those assisting the victims of misfortune was not a command, for it is not possible to issue a command to those who are free, but a good administrative act placing you among those who take part in beneficent activity of a type which you undertake also among yourselves when you help with preparations for the erection of a house for those in need. And for the future there is no necessity for fear; for among free men, and you have a very great share of freedom, the only law in such matters is what you are willing to do. Aurelius Ktesias and Aelius Kallikrates carried out the duties of ambassadors. Farewell.

The above (?) is the divine (imperial) reply in the matter of (?) the Laodiceans.

Commentary:

See Aphrodisias and Rome, 133-5.

Photographs:

Left end in situ, view below 8.35, 8.36, 8.37, 8.99, (1977)
 Left end in situ, view below 8.35, 8.36, 8.37, 8.99,  (1977)
Left end in situ, view below 8.36, 8.37, 8.99 (1977)
 Left end in situ, view below 8.36, 8.37, 8.99 (1977)
Archive Wall view (1994)
 Archive Wall view (1994)

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