Description:
A re-used white marble ?statue base (W. 0.99 × H. 0.52 × D. 0.515) originally intended for architectural decoration; the rear face has elaborate mouldings at each side. The stone is broken at the top left corner and the right side, and the surface is worn.
Text:
Inscribed on the face, which is very slightly concave as seen from the sides.
Letters:
0.03-0.04; slightly elongated, simple: l.1, Κscroll; l.4, apostrophe after ΤΟΝΔ; between ll. 4 and 5 there is a short horizontal line in the left margin, apparently demarcating the two stanzas.
Date:
Late fifth century (prosopography).
Findspot:
City, Village: 'In muro apud Turcam domum in orientali pagi parte' (Picenini); 'built into a village house, which has since been demolished' (NYU).
Original Location:
Unknown.
Last recorded location:
Museum (2004).
History of discovery:
Apparently copied in the Byzantine period; copied by Picenini (BL Add. 10102, 20v, no. 39) whence Sherard (BL Add. 10101 f. 31); recorded by Gaudin (9); by the MAMA expedition; by J and L. Robert; recorded by the NYU expedition (SBI 70).
Bibliography:
Lines 5-8 published in Anthologia Palatina 9.704; the full text published by •Boeckh, CIG 2851, from Sherard papers, whence Welcker, ''Inedita et nuper primum edita'' RhM 4 (1836), 393-423, 416-418, no. 31, Kaibel EG 889; by •Reinach, no. 84, from Gaudin; by •Robert, Hellenica 4, 115-126, whence BE 1949.178; by Cormack, MAMA 8, no. 486, from the MAMA records, whence Robert, Hellenica 13, 170-1; by •Roueché, Aphrodisias in Late Antiquity no. 53 and plate xiii whence McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 730, Steinepigramme 02/09/05.
Text constituted from:
Transcription (Roueché); Publications. This edition Roueché (2007).
1[λ]άμπει κ(αὶ) φθιμένοις ἀρετῆς φάος, οἳ περὶ πά̣τ̣ρη̣[ς] |
2   πολλὰ πονησάμενοι ξυνὸν ἔθεντ' ὄφελ̣[ος]. |
3Ἀσκληπιοδότωι λόγος ἥρμο̣σεν, ὧι πόλις ἥ̣[δε] |
4   οἷάπερ οἰκιστῆι τόνδ' ἀνέθηκε τύπο[ν].
4a dash
5(5) Τήκει καὶ πέτρην ὁ πολὺς χρόνος: ἀλ̣λ̣' ἀ̣[ρετάων] |
6   Ἀσκληπιοδότου τὸ κλέος ἀθάνατον, |
7ὅσσα καὶ οἷα πόρεν γέρα πατρίδι τοῖς ἐπὶ π[ᾶσιν] |
8   καὶ τόδε μετρείσθω ξυνὸν ἔρεισμα θό̣[λου].
1[·]ΑΜΠΕΙΚΦΘΙΜΕΝΟΙΣΑΡΕΤΗΣΦΑΟΣΟΙΠΕΡΙΠ··Ρ·[·]
2ΠΟΛΛΑΠΟΝΗΣΑΜΕΝΟΙΞΥΝΟΝΕΘΕΝΤ'ΟΦΕ·[··]
3ΑΣΚΛΗΠΙΟΔΟΤΩΙΛΟΓΟΣΗΡΜ·ΣΕΝΩΙΠΟΛΙΣ·[··]
4ΟΙΑΠΕΡΟΙΚΙΣΤΗΙΤΟΝΔ'ΑΝΕΘΗΚΕΤΥΠΟ[·]
4a dash
5ΤΗΚΕΙΚΑΙΠΕΤΡΗΝΟΠΟΛΥΣΧΡΟΝΟΣ:Α··'·[······]
6ΑΣΚΛΗΠΙΟΔΟΤΟΥΤΟΚΛΕΟΣΑΘΑΝΑΤΟΝ
7ΟΣΣΑΚΑΙΟΙΑΠΟΡΕΝΓΕΡΑΠΑΤΡΙΔΙΤΟΙΣΕΠΙΠ[····]
8ΚΑΙΤΟΔΕΜΕΤΡΕΙΣΘΩΞΥΝΟΝΕΡΕΙΣΜΑΘ·[···]
<lg>
<lb n="1" />
<l n="1" met="hexameter" >
<supplied reason="lost" >
λ
</supplied>
άμπει
<expan>
<abbr>
κ
</abbr>
<supplied reason="abbreviation" >
αὶ
</supplied>
</expan>
φθιμένοις
ἀρετῆς
φάος
,
οἳ
περὶ
π
<unclear reason="damage" >
άτ
</unclear>
ρ
<unclear reason="damage" >
η
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ς
</supplied>
</l>
<lb n="2" />
<l n="2" met="pentameter" >
πολλὰ
πονησάμενοι
ξυνὸν
ἔθεντ'
ὄφε
<unclear reason="damage" >
λ
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ος
</supplied>
.
</l>
<lb n="3" />
<l n="3" met="hexameter" >
Ἀσκληπιοδότωι
λόγος
ἥρμ
<unclear reason="damage" >
ο
</unclear>
σεν
,
ὧι
πόλις
<unclear reason="damage" >
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
δε
</supplied>
</l>
<lb n="4" />
<l n="4" met="pentameter" >
οἷάπερ
οἰκιστῆι
τόνδ'
ἀνέθηκε
τύπο
<supplied reason="lost" >
ν
</supplied>
.
</l>
</lg>
<ab>
<lb n="4a" />
<g type="dash" />
</ab>
<lg>
<lb n="5" />
<l n="5" met="hexameter" >
Τήκει
καὶ
πέτρην
πολὺς
χρόνος
:
<unclear reason="damage" >
λλ
</unclear>
'
<unclear reason="damage" >
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
ρετάων
</supplied>
</l>
<lb n="6" />
<l n="6" met="pentameter" >
Ἀσκληπιοδότου
τὸ
κλέος
ἀθάνατον
,
</l>
<lb n="7" />
<l n="7" met="hexameter" >
ὅσσα
καὶ
οἷα
πόρεν
γέρα
πατρίδι
τοῖς
ἐπὶ
π
<supplied reason="lost" >
ᾶσιν
</supplied>
</l>
<lb n="8" />
<l n="8" met="pentameter" >
καὶ
τόδε
μετρείσθω
ξυνὸν
ἔρεισμα
θ
<unclear reason="damage" >
</unclear>
<supplied reason="lost" >
λου
</supplied>
.
</l>
</lg>

Apparatus

There are no significant differences between the modern copies. In line 8, for ξυνὸν, AP has κοῖλον. The Byzantine copyist perhaps chose to 'improve' the text, and wrote κοινὸν which was subsequently corrupted to κοῖλον (as editors since Boeckh have conjectured); but see commentary, ala2004 V.8.

Translation:

The light of virtue shines even for dead men, who, undertaking many labours for their country, established general benefits. The saying fits Asklepiodotos, for whom this city has dedicated this statue as for a founder.

Long time wears away even stone; but the fame of Asklepiodotos' virtues is immortal, the number and kind of privileges which he obtained for his country. In addition to all these, let this adjacent structure of the vaulted chamber be counted as well.

Commentary:

For Asklepiodotos see also 11.69; see discussion at ala2004 V.8 following.

Photographs:

Face and top (1973)
 Face and top (1973)
Face and right end (1993)
 Face and right end (1993)
Underside (1993)
 Underside (1993)
Underside and right end (2004)
 Underside and right end
(2004)

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