8.115. Building dedication by M. Aurelius Menestheus Skopas
- Description:
- Three white marble orthostats.
- Text:
- Inscribed on a surface roughly smoothed for teh purpose, which is now chipped, particularly at the edges of the stones..
- Letters:
- Early third century; 0.055. Ligatured ΤΗ twice in l. 3, ΗΝ in l. 4. Erasure in l. 1.
- Date:
- Early third century (reign, titulature)
- Findspot:
- Theatre: part of the veneering of the wall surrounding the orchestra after it had been deepened, on the west side, approximately opposite the centre of the stage, and below the tribunal.
- Original Location:
- Findspot
- Last recorded location:
- Findspot
- History of discovery:
- Recorded by the NYU expedition (Theatre 23).
- Bibliography:
- Published by Reynolds, Aph.Papers 2, 15-28, no. C, whence SEG 1991.912.
- Text constituted from:
- Transcription (Reynolds). This edition Reynolds (1991).
- 1 [[Θ̣ε̣ᾷ̣ ̣Ἀ̣φ̣ρ̣ο̣δ̣ε̣ί̣τ̣ῃ̣]] καὶ Αὐτοκράτορι Καίσαρι Μάρκῳ Α[ὐρη]λίῳ
- 2Ἀντωνείνῳ εὐσεβεῖ εὐτυχε[ῖ] Σεβαστῷ καὶ τῷ συν v.
- 3παντι οἴκῳ καὶ γένει αὐτοῦ [κ]αὶ τῇ γλυκυτάτῃ πατρίδι
- 4τὴν μετασκούτλωσιν τοῦ πεδαλίου τοῦ θεάτρου
- 5Μᾶρκος Αὐρήλιος Μενεσθεὺς δ´ τοῦ Ἀπολλωνίου
- 6 vac. Σκόπας καθὼς ὑπέσχετο vacat
- 1 [[············]]ΚΑΙΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΙΚΑΙΣΑΡΙΜΑΡΚΩΑ[···]ΛΙΩ
- 2ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΩΕΥΣΕΒΕΙΕΥΤΥΧΕ[·]ΣΕΒΑΣΤΩΚΑΙΤΩΣΥΝ
- 3ΠΑΝΤΙΟΙΚΩΚΑΙΓΕΝΕΙΑΥΤΟΥ[·]ΑΙΤΗΓΛΥΚΥΤΑΤΗΠΑΤΡΙΔΙ
- 4ΤΗΝΜΕΤΑΣΚΟΥΤΛΩΣΙΝΤΟΥΠΕΔΑΛΙΟΥΤΟΥΘΕΑΤΡΟΥ
- 5ΜΑΡΚΟΣΑΥΡΗΛΙΟΣΜΕΝΕΣΘΕΥΣΔΤΟΥΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΟΥ
- 6 ΣΚΟΠΑΣΚΑΘΩΣΥΠΕΣΧΕΤΟ
Translation:
To the goddess Aphrodite and to Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Felix Augustus and his whole household and family, also to his very dear country; Marcus Aurelius Menestheus Skopas (son of Menestheus, grandson of Menestheus, great grandson of Menestheus) the son of Apollonios (gave and dedicated) as he promised.
Commentary:
The titles Pius and Felix were not helfd by Marcus Aurelius, and show that the emperor here is Caracalla (A.D. 211-217); the date is surely latr than the murder of Geta early in 212, and almost certainly than the Antonine edict, giving Roman citizenship widely throughout the Empire, which is usually dated late in the same year.
For Skopas himself there is at present no other evidence, but a member of his family, also a public donor but apparently without Roman citizenship, figures on Aphrodian coins along with honours to Julia Domna; see MacDonald, Greek and Roman Coins from Aphrodisias, no. 204; cf also 1.177 (= MAMA 513)
- Photographs:
- none.
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