IRCyr   Inscriptions of Roman Cyrenaica

C.688. Decree by an association of Roman citizens

Description: Fragment from the lower left corner of a marble block with a hole below probably for attachment to a lower block or base (w: 0.18 x h: 0.23 x d: 0.17)
Text: Inscribed on one face.
Letters: First century BCE : 0.012.

Date: 67 BCE

Findspot: Cyrene: photographed in 1936; findspot unrecorded.
Original location: Unknown.
Last recorded location: Cyrene Museum.

Interpretive

[ - - - - - - - - - - ]
[c. 10]ΘΩΠΛ [---]
[c. 9κ]λ̣οποὶ ( vac. 1)[---]
[c. 4] ( vac. 3) Λε[ντολ---]
( vac. 1 line)

[c. 4] Cornelio ((stop)) Lentulo [Marcellino legatus pro pr(aetore) --- Apollinis?]
5[sac]erdotium ((stop)) agente ((stop)) Ca[---]
[pri]oris ((stop)) decreti Alexs(is) ((stop)) Alex[sandri --- qui Cyr-]
[e]nis negotiantur ((stop)) ei q̣ui [---]
Quom Alexsis Alexsan[dri ---]
Romanos ((stop)) amauerit sẹq[ue ---]
10 senserit ((stop)) quo quid ((stop)) in qu[---]
seṃpẹrque ((stop)) se ((stop)) non ((stop)) alienu[m --- a-]
ḍịerit ((stop)) nunc ((stop)) uero etiaṃ [---]
regionem Cyṛenensiuṃ [---]
[------]

Diplomatic

[ - - - - - - - - - - ]
[··········]ΘΩΠΛ[---]
[·········.].ΟΠΟΙ  [---]
[····]      ΛΕ[....---]
     vacat

[····]CORNELIO LENTULO[......................---.........]
5[...]ERDOTIUM AGENTE CA[---]
[...]ORIS DECRETIALEXS ALEX[......---......-]
[.]NISNEGOTIANTUR EI.UI[---]
QUOMALEXSISALEXSAN[...---]
ROMANOS AMAUERITS.Q[..---]
10SENSERIT QUOQUID INQU[---]
SE.P.RQUE SE NON ALIENU[.---.-]
..ERIT NUNC UEROETIA.[---]
REGIONEMCY.ENENSIU.[---]
[------]

English translation

Translation by: Editors

(Greek) . . . ]? brigands [ . . . ] Le[ntulus? [ . . .

(Latin) [ . . . ] for Cornelius Lentulus [ . . . ] while Ka- was holding the priesthood [ of Apollo . . . ] of the earlier decree, Alexis (scil. son) of Alexander [ . . . ] they do business in ?Cyrene who [ . . . ] Since Alexis (scil. son) of Alexander [ . . . ] he should have loved the Romans [ . . . ] he may have felt [ . . . ] always himself not alien from [ . . . ] he would now also really [ . . . ] the region of the Cyrenaeans [ . . . ]

Arabic translation

Translation by: Muna Abdelhamed

(إغريقي). . . ]؟ قطاع الطرق [··؟ ··] لي[نتولوس؟ ·· ؟] (لاتيني) [··؟ ··] لكورنيليوس لينتولوس [··؟ ··] بينما كا- كان في فترة الكهانة [لأبولو···] للمرسوم السابق، ألكسيس (بن) الإسكندر [···] هم يقومون بأعمال تجارية في؟ كيريني الذي [···] بما أن ألكسيس (بن) الكسندر [···] كان قد أحب الرومان [···] ربما شعر بـ [···] دائمًا بأنه ليس غريبًا عن [· ··] هو سيكون الآن أيضًا حقًا [· ··] إقليم الكيرينيين [· ··]

Commentary

Line 2: Perhaps κ]λοποί, referring either to brigands on Cyrenaican roads or to pirates.

Line 4: The space at the beginning of the line is rather large for P and rather small for Publio; the subject, therefore, is more likely to be Cn. Lentulus, Pompey's legate in 67 BCE than P. Lentulus, the quaestor of 75; see Reynolds, art. cit. and DPRR Corn2082. The position of the name in the ablative case at the beginning of the Latin text suggests that it is used as a date; and if that is correct line 3 should perhaps be restored [ἐπὶ] Λε[ντόλου]. Such a usage, if the subject really is Pompey's legate, would indicate how completely the governor had been ousted by Pompey's exercise of his powers under the Lex Gabinia.

Line 4: Probably the name of the eponymous priest of Apollo, given in order to date the document[; ... Apollinis] / [sac]erdotium agente Ca[...]

Line 6: These business men were no doubt ciues Romani, but may have called themselves Italici. There is no clue to their grammatical relation to the sentence, but it may well be that the decree is theirs.

Line 9: For the sentiment cf. C.269, lines 3-5.

Line 13: For the phrase see Pliny, N.H., V.31, Cyrenaica, eadem Pentepolitana regio; but it may be used here for the territory of the city of Cyrene.

Bibliography: Reynolds, 1962, 4, whence SEG 20.715, PHI 324476, Robert, Bulletin Épigraphique, 1964.560. Mentioned, Reynolds, 1972, 44.
Text constituted from: Transcription (Reynolds).

Images

None available (2020).