French translation

Translation source: Laronde, 1987

Année 34. Sous le prêtre d'Apollon Lysis. Exemplaire du décret. Attendu qu'Apollodôros fils de Pankratès, qui fait partie des citoyens issus d'ancêtres illustres, se comporte lui aussi d'une façon noble envers la patrie en toute circonstance difficile, et que d'abord aussitôt après la mort du roi alors que la chôra était assiégée par les brigands en raison de l'absence des magistrats, comme il avait été invité à prendre le commandement des néaniskoi, et comme il avait assumé tous les dangers, il rétablit nos affaires dans le plus grand état de paix, et toute la gratitude de la cité lui accorda sur le champ les honneurs prévus pour lui ; après cela, comme la cité était en difficulté, dépourvue de rempart et que, déjà, elle fut ravagée à deux reprises par les flottes des pirates qui avaient fait une attaque contre elle, comme il avait été commis avec les pleins pouvoirs de la cité et de la chôra, pour l'ensemble des affaires il a conservé fidèlement la concorde de toute la cité en apportant à tous un jugement équitable, ...

English translation

Translation by: Charlotte Roueché

Year 34. While Lysis was priest of Apollo. Copy of decree. Since Apollodoros, who is among the true citizens by original descent, also also contributes to the fatherland in every time of difficulty: firstly, when shortly after the death of the King, Berenike was besieged by brigands because of the prevailing state of anarchy, summoned to take command of the young men and confronting every danger he brought matters to profound peace and the thanks of the city awarded him the directly the prime honours of the people. After that, the city being without fortifications, and having twice already been ravaged by the attacks of pirate fleets, ?being entrusted with authority on behalf of the city and the territory over all matters, he ensured the concord of ? the city, providing just judgement to everyone. (From here a series of fragmentary phrases) And having . . . built a wall round ? . . . receiving . . for all time . . glory for the homeland the common . . . by land and sea . . . common hope . . . Having sailed . . . the Senate . . . then going on an embassy hehaving given back the expenses . . . his own life . . . preferring to enhance ?the affairs of the city, writing that possession of money is insecure, yet for all men (i.e. honour? Good conduct?) brings an immortal possession . . .

Arabic translation

Translation by: Muna Abdelhamed

السنة 34. بينما كان ليسيس كاهنًا لأابوللو. نسخة من المرسوم. نظرًا لأن أبوللودوروس، الذي هو من بين المواطنين الحقيقيين من السلالة الأصلية، ويسهم من أجل الوطن الأم في كل وقت عصيب: أولاً، بعد وقت قصير من وفاة الملك ، حاصر قطاع الطرق برنيكي بسبب حالة الفوضى السائدة، واستدعى (أو تطوع) لتولي قيادة الشباب ومواجهة كل خطر، هدأ الأمور(جلب) السلام العميق والشكر للمدينة التي منحته بشكل مباشر التكريم الكبير من الشعب. بعد ذلك ، كانت المدينة بدون تحصينات، وبعد أن تعرضت بالفعل مرتين لهجمات من أساطيل القراصنة؟ حيث أوكلت إليه السلطة نيابة عن المدينة والأرياف (الاقليم) في جميع الأمور، كلف بضبط (إدارة)؟ المدينة؟ ، لتقديم حكم عادل للجميع. (من هنا سلسلة من العبارات المتقطعة) وامتلاك. . . بنى جدارًا حول؟ . . . استلام . . في كل الأوقات. . المجد لأارض الوطن المشترك. . . عن طريق البر والبحر. . . أمل مشترك. . . بعد أن أبحر. . . مجلس الشيوخ . . . ثم الذهاب إلى السفارة بعد إعادة النفقات. . . حياته الخاصة . . . مفضلاً التحسين؟ قضايا المدينة، كاتباً (مشيراً) أن حيازة المال غير آمنة، الآن لجميع الرجال (أو الشرف؟ السلوك الجيد؟) يجلب ملكية خالدة. . .

Commentary

Line 1 gives the date by a local era and by the name of an eponymous priest of Apollo (not identifiable); line 6 refers to the death of a king, who must be Ptolemy Apion, the last king of Cyreanica, who died in 96 BCE. Reynolds considered that the era must be one which began from the death of the king, so that year 34 would be 62/1 BC. Such an era is not otherwise attested or paralleled, and Laronde read this as an Actian date, 3/4 CE.

This is the only long document so far known from Berenike to give the language of the full citizens of the city. It shows institutions (the eponymous priest of Apollo), dialect forms and local usages (e.g. ἅδημα) preserved from the earlier city of Euhesperides and, in many cases at least, shared with Cyrene (which always claimed to be the mother-city of this colony), despite its Hellenistic refoundation under the patronage of the Ptolemies.

Line 2 describes the document as a copy of a decree, using for decree a word otherwise only attested in Hesychios: ἅδημα, ἅδος· ψήφισμα, δόγμα; the related verb ἁνδάνω, however was used for the act of making a decree in Euhesperides (IGCyr064000). The copy omits the preamble so that we have no information about the organs of civic government.

The decree honours Apollodoros son of Pankrates, for services to his city, particularly during a period that began shortly after the death of Ptolemy Apion (lines 6/7) when the Romans inherited the kingdom but left the Greek cities free. In Cyrene the literary sources indicate that civil strife, intervention by Libyan tribesmen and quarrels with other Greeks followed; it is now clear that something similar occurred at Berenike (lines 7/8). From c. 90 BC pirates, encouraged by Mithridates of Pontus, organised themselves into fleets whose actions led eventually to the appointment of Cn. Pompeius and the Pirate War of 67 BC; Pompey is known to have sent a legate to Cyrenaica during this war and piratical attacks there were, in consequence, deducible, but this is the first clear proof (lines 14/15). Probably in 75 BC the Romans decided to establish closer control over Cyrenaica, although whatever was done at this date was seriously overhauled and extended by Pompey's legate in the aftermath of the Pirate War; the process of annexation therefore falls within the period of Apollodoros' activity, which very probably involved, at its latter end, negotiations with the Romans (line 32). See Laronde (op cit), 468-9

A detailed commentary on the language and restorations is not given here, but the following points should be observed:

Line 7 gives the city name in the form Βερενίκα.

Line 8: κακοῦργοι is an imprecise term; Robert opts for 'brigands', but this is in itself imprecise - perhaps hostile Libyan tribesmen?; a dissident Jewish group would presumably be named but a faction within the city remains a possibility, for the ἀναρχια should surely indicate that no regular magistrates had been elected and suggests a context of civil strife, requiring the re-establishment of ὁμονοία (Line 17).

Line 9: We are not told who invited Apollodoros to intervene. The young men whom he led should be ex-ephebes and the reference is evidence for the existence of an ephebic system at Berenike, as also for a genuine military purpose in the training provided (see C. A. Forbes, ΝΕΟΙ (1933) 61 f., Laronde, op.cit., 467). These young men might be expected to have an oligarchic bias while Apollodoros himself was clearly of the old aristocracy of the city (lines 3/4); so the opposition may have been proposing democracy or a popularly supported tyranny.

Line 13: The unwalled state of the city is surprising.

Line 15: The pirates are described in terms hitherto known only from the much later Appian, Mith.9. 63, στόλοις ἐοικότα μᾶλλον ἢ λῃσταῖς, at Perseus.

Lines 15-16: Moretti must be right in seeing here an appointment with absolute powers; but exactly what Apollodoros did is obscure, though it apparently involved just judgements and led to civic harmony.

Line 19 may indicate that he built a city wall, but the reading is uncertain.

Lines 20 ff. are so fragmentary as to give little clear information. Line 28 suggests that Apollodoros went on a voyage; line 32 that he was in touch with the senate at Rome (for if a local institution were intended the form used would surely be the Doric σύγκλατος); Moretti's [μεγάλας ἀπο]/δοχᾶς καί πίστ[εως ἀξιωθείς for the end of this line is very attractive; line 35 certainly refers to an embassy and while the reading remains uncertain in detail, Moretti is likely to be right with the sense of his τοῖς τε πρεσ[βευσαμένοις διὰ παντὸς τῶ χρό]/νω μεθόδιον ἀποδιδόμενος: μεθόδιον - the money provided for his travel expenses.. In lines 37 ff the thought was perhaps that he chose to increase his personal income for the purpose of assisting the city, for he regarded the possession of money as an unstable possession (for ἀβέβαιος ἡ κτῆσις see, e.g. John Chrysostom) and continued to give an immortal example of civic virtue in lavish public expenditure.

We have no means of telling how much is lost by the mutilation of the stone below, but perhaps not very much more than the instruction to copy the decree on stone and erect it in a prominent public place.

Images

   Fig. 1. View of the monument

   Fig. 2. Squeeze

   Fig. 3. Text detail lines 1-10

   Fig. 4. Text detail lines 5-21

   Fig. 5. Text

   Fig. 6. Text

   Fig. 7. Text

   Fig. 8. Text

   Fig. 9. Text

   Fig. 10. Text

   Fig. 11. Text

   Fig. 12. Text

   Fig. 13. Text

   Fig. 14. Text

   Fig. 15. Text

   Fig. 16. Text