Description: Panel of white marble, from one of
five pilaster-bases, of which three survive with C.93, C.94,
C.95.
Text: Inscribed on one face.
Letters: Early, probably first cent BCE; not measured.
Date: Probably first century BCE
Findspot:
Cyrene:
Nomophylakeion: in the Hall in 1919.
Original location: Findspot.
Last recorded location:
Cyrene Museum: a fragment of lines 1-4 seen by C. Dobias-Lalou.
(Inv. no. 574)
English translation
Translation by: Editors
The nomophylakes in the time of the priest Posidonios, Pratomedes (scil. son) of Philammon; Eukarpos (scil. son) of Aigyptos; Aristonymos (scil. son) of Nikaios; Rhythmos (scil. son) of Artemidoros; Rhodon (scil. son) of Apollonios; Deinarchos (scil. son) of Hippokles; Philoxenos (scil. son) of Eukles; Anapyxis (scil. son) of Peithagoras; Hagesarchos (scil. son) of Timonax; they set up (scil. the image of) Apollo of the Law.
Commentary
One of a series of lists recording nomophylakes: C.94, C.96, C.95, C.97, GVCyr 26, all describing a series of dedications, and another list, C.98; cf also C.99. For the institution see the Ptolemaic constitution, IGCyr010800, paragraph 5. In general it is noticeable that the names of nomophylakes recorded here and in similar texts do not normally recur in the lists of Priests of Apollo.
Line 10: These names suggest a family devoted to Pythagoreanism; the only examples of Ἀνάψυξις, 'refreshment, recovery', in LGPN are pre-Roman. In Cyrene it is attested in the late fourth or early third century BCE, IGCyr 102400 and again in about 180 BCE IGCyr 065210, col. II, line 120. For another Cyrenaean use of names to express philosophic interests, see C.217,with C.224.
Line 12: Apollo of the Law: see also GVCyr 26 another dedication by Nomophylakes, and Callimachus, Hymn to Apollo, line 477 - Φοῖβον καὶ νόμιον κικλήσκομεν (available at Perseus). The title must originally have indicated a god of herdsmen but Cicero, de Nat. Deorum II. 23 speaks of an Arcadian cult in which Apollo is called Nomius 'because they say they received their laws from him', 'quod ab eo se leges ferunt accepisse'; The link with Arcadia recalls the activity of the Arcadian lawgiver Demonax in Cyrene, Herodotus, Histories IV, 161 (at Perseus). Connection with laws was presumably what the nomophylakes had in mind.
Bibliography: Ghislanzoni, 1925, 419 and fig 7, whence SEG 9.132, PHI 323985; a fragment of lines 1-4 published as SECir, 1961-1962, 245; see Marengo, 1985, on which Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique, 1988.1011.
Text constituted from: Read from photograph (Reynolds).
Images
Fig. 1. Lines 1-4, Squeeze (C. Dobias-Lalou, 1977: MFA est CD 121bis)