8.114. Letter of Traianus Decius and Herennius Etruscus to Aphrodisias
- Description:
- White marble block (W. 1.61 x H. 0.78 x D. 0.33)
- Text:
- Inscribed on the face.
- Letters:
- Third century, ave 0.025. Ligatures ΗΜ, ll.5, 7, 11 ΗΝ l.8 (twice), ΤΗ, ll.8, 9, 10, ΤΗΝ ll.9, 12 (twice), ΝΗ l.9. Bars above the figures, ll. 3; arabesques twice in l.7, once in l.16.
- Date:
- December 250- January 251 (reign, titulature, lettering)
- Findspot:
- Walls, South (west part).
- Original Location:
- Theatre: north parodos wall
- Last recorded location:
- Findspot
- History of discovery:
- Copied by Picenini in 1705 (10102, 30v), whence Sherard (10101, 41); by Wood (14, f45v); by Fellows; by Raoul-Rochette. Perhaps by Bailie; copied by Loew; by Waddington; recorded by Gaudin (142); by the MAMA expedition; by the NYU expedition in 1965.
- Bibliography:
- Published by Boeckh from Sherard and Raoul-Rochette, CIG 2743 and, from Fellows, p. 1109; by Fellows, p. 302. no. 16; from these, Texier, As. Min. iii 154. by Bailie, ? from these, Fasc. ii 14-16 and 269-272, no. 44; by Franz, from Loew, no. a.9; by Waddington, LBW 1624; by Reinach, from Gaudin, no. 2, whence Abbott & Johnson no. 145; by Cormack, from the MAMA records, MAMA 8.424; Published by Reynolds, Aphrodisias & Rome, doc. 25, whence SEG 1982.1097, BE 1983.384 AnnEpig 1984.877, McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 61 . Discussed: Millar, Emperor in the Roman World, 417
- Text constituted from:
- Transcription (Reynolds) This edition Reynolds (1982).
- 1 αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ Γάϊος̣ Μέσ̣σ̣ι̣ο̣ς̣ Κόϊν̣τ̣ος̣ Τ̣[ραϊα]ν̣ὸς̣
- 2Δ̣[έκ]ι̣ος̣ Εὐσεβὴς Εὐτυχὴς Σεβαστός δημαρχικῆς
- 3 ἐξουσίας τὸ γ´ ὕπατος τὸ β´ ἀποδεδειγμένος τὸ τρίτον
- 4 πατὴρ πατρίδος ἀνθύπατος καὶ Κόϊν̣τ̣ος̣ Ἑ̣ρ̣έν̣ν̣ι̣ος̣ Ἐ̣τ̣ρ̣οῦσ̣κ̣ο[ς]
- 5Μέσ̣σ̣ι̣ος̣ Δ̣έκ̣ι̣ος̣ ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας
- 6 τὸ πρῶτον ὕπατος ἀποδεδειγμένος Ἀφροδεισιέων τοῖς
- 7 arabesque ἄρχουσιν καὶ τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ χαίρειν
- 8 εἰκὸς ἦν ὑμᾶς καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐπώνυμον τῆς πόλεως θεὸν καὶ
- 9 διὰ τὴν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους οἰκειότητά τε καὶ πίστιν ἡσθῆναι
- 10 μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ καταστάσει τῆς βασιλείας τῆς ἡμετέρας
- 11 θυσίας δὲ καὶ εὐχὰς ἀποδοῦναι δικαίας καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ
- 12 τήν τε ἐλευθερίαν ὑμεῖν φυλάττομεν τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν
- 13 καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δὲ σύνπαντα δίκαια ὁπόσων παρὰ τῶν πρὸ ἡ-
- 14μῶν αὐτοκρατόρων τετυχήκατε συναύξειν ἑτοίμως
- 15 ἔχοντες ὑμῶν καὶ τὰς πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐλπίδας arabesque
- 16 v. ἐπρέσβευον Αὐρήλιοι Θεόδωρος καὶ Ὀνήσιμος
- 17 vac. εὐτυχεῖτε vac.
- 1ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡΚΑΙΣΑΡΓΑΙΟ·ΜΕ·····ΚΟΙ··Ο··[····]·Ο·
- 2·[··]·Ο·ΕΥΣΕΒΗΣΕΥΤΥΧΗΣΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣΔΗΜΑΡΧΙΚΗΣ
- 3ΕΞΟΥΣΙΑΣΤΟΓΥΠΑΤΟΣΤΟΒΑΠΟΔΕΔΕΙΓΜΕΝΟΣΤΟΤΡΙΤΟΝ
- 4ΠΑΤΗΡΠΑΤΡΙΔΟΣΑΝΘΥΠΑΤΟΣΚΑΙΚΟΙ··Ο···Ε···Ο····ΟΥ··Ο[·]
- 5ΜΕ···Ο··Ε··Ο·ΑΡΧΙΕΡΕΥΣΜΕΓΙΣΤΟΣΔΗΜΑΡΧΙΚΗΣΕΞΟΥΣΙΑΣ
- 6ΤΟΠΡΩΤΟΝΥΠΑΤΟΣΑΠΟΔΕΔΕΙΓΜΕΝΟΣΑΦΡΟΔΕΙΣΙΕΩΝΤΟΙΣ
- 7 arabesque ΑΡΧΟΥΣΙΝΚΑΙΤΗΒΟΥΛΗΚΑΙΤΩΔΗΜΩΧΑΙΡΕΙΝ
- 8ΕΙΚΟΣΗΝΥΜΑΣΚΑΙΔΙΑΤΗΝΕΠΩΝΥΜΟΝΤΗΣΠΟΛΕΩΣΘΕΟΝΚΑΙ
- 9ΔΙΑΤΗΝΠΡΟΣΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣΟΙΚΕΙΟΤΗΤΑΤΕΚΑΙΠΙΣΤΙΝΗΣΘΗΝΑΙ
- 10ΜΕΝΕΠΙΤΗΚΑΤΑΣΤΑΣΕΙΤΗΣΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣΤΗΣΗΜΕΤΕΡΑΣ
- 11ΘΥΣΙΑΣΔΕΚΑΙΕΥΧΑΣΑΠΟΔΟΥΝΑΙΔΙΚΑΙΑΣΚΑΙΗΜΕΙΣΔΕ
- 12ΤΗΝΤΕΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑΝΥΜΕΙΝΦΥΛΑΤΤΟΜΕΝΤΗΝΥΠΑΡΧΟΥΣΑΝ
- 13ΚΑΙΤΑΑΛΛΑΔΕΣΥΝΠΑΝΤΑΔΙΚΑΙΑΟΠΟΣΩΝΠΑΡΑΤΩΝΠΡΟΗ
- 14ΜΩΝΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΩΝΤΕΤΥΧΗΚΑΤΕΣΥΝΑΥΞΕΙΝΕΤΟΙΜΩΣ
- 15ΕΧΟΝΤΕΣΥΜΩΝΚΑΙΤΑΣΠΡΟΣΤΟΜΕΛΛΟΝΕΛΠΙΔΑΣ arabesque
- 16 ΕΠΡΕΣΒΕΥΟΝΑΥΡΗΛΙΟΙΘΕΟΔΩΡΟΣΚΑΙΟΝΗΣΙΜΟΣ
- 17 ΕΥΤΥΧΕΙΤΕ
Apparatus
l. l. The first two letters seen in the eighteenth century (Sherard, Wood) but not later.
ll. 1-2. The erased imperial name was supplied by Waddington where Boeckh and all others after him had restored the name of Diocletian.
l.2. Fellows failed to see ΡΧΙ.
l.3. ΤΡΙΤΟΝ seen by all copyists up to and including Waddington, ΤΡΙΤΟ by the MAMA expedition.
l. 4. εὐεργέτης after καί in the copy transmitted by Raoul-Rochette was rightly omitted in CIG.
ll.4 and 5. The erased prince's name supplied by Waddίngton (but in the form Ἑρρέννιος Τραιανὸς Δέκιος Καίσαρ), where Boeckh had restored the name of Maxιmian.
1.8. ΚΑΙ seen by all copyists up to and including Waddington, ΚΑ[Ι] MAMA.
l.10. ΤΗΙ, A. aηd J.
l.13. σύmπαντα Waddington, σύνπαντα Reinach, final Η recorded by all copyists except Wood and the MAMA expedition - it is very cramped; ΧΟΝΤΕΣ Wood, Fellows, ΕΧΟΝΤΕΣ all other copyists.
l.16. ΕΠΡΕΣΒΕΥΟΝ ΑΥΡΗΛΙΟΣ, all copyists before Fellows, who gave the correct text.
Translation:
Imperator Caesar [[C. Messius Q. Traianus Decius]], Pius, Felix, Augustus, holding tribunician power for the third time, consul for the second time, designated for the third, father of his country, proconsul, and [[Q. Herennius Etruscus Messius Decius]], Pontifex Maximus, holding the tribunician power for the first time, consul designate to the Magistrates, Council and People of the Aphrodisians, greetings.
It was to be expected, both because of the goddess for whom your city is named and because of your relationship with the Romans and loyalty to them, that you rejoiced at the establishment of our kingship and made the proper sacrifice and prayers. We preserve your existing freedom and all the other rights which you have received from the emperors who preceded us, being willing also to give fulfilment to your hopes for the future.
Aurelius Theodoros and Aurelius Onesimos carried out the duties of ambassadors. Farewell.
Commentary:
See Aphrodisias and Rome, 141-143.
Photographs:
- Face (1973)
-
Representations:
- Wood notebook 14, page 45v
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- Deering notebook, page 8
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