IRCyr   Inscriptions of Roman Cyrenaica

C.95. Dedication of a statue of Aphrodite by nomophylakes

Description: Rectangular panel of white marble (w: 0.24 x h: 0.34) from one of five pilaster-bases, of which three survive with C.93, C.94, C.95.
Text: Inscribed on one face.
Letters: Augustan; L for ἔτους; slanting stroke for patronymic in line 15; the letters in lines 16 and 17 spaced out in order to fill the line.

Date: 17/16 BCE

Findspot: Cyrene: in the Hall of the Nomophylakeion: first recorded in 1919.
Original location: Findspot
Last recorded location: Cyrene Museum: fragments from the left edge of lines 1-3, 5-9 seen by C. Dobias-Lalou. (Inv. no. 592, 576)

Interpretive

(ἔτους) ιε´ ( vac. 2) ἐπὶ ἱερέ( vac. 1)ως
Φιλίσκω Εὐφάνευς
Αὐτοκράτορος δὲ Καίσα-
ρος Θεῶι υἱῶ Σεβαστῶ
5Βαρκαίω τῶ Θεοχρήστω
Νομοφύλακ<ε>ς
Ἀπολλώνιος Εὐίππω
Θεόδωρος Ἀρίστωνος
Ἀπολλώνιος Εὐδαίμονος
10Ἀρτεμίδωρος Ἁγεμάχω
Ἀμμώνιος Σωφάνους
Μένανδρος Ἀντιπάτρω
Σεραπίων Π<ο>λυμνάστω
Ὕρατθις Διονυσίω
15Αλέξανδρος (Ἀλεξάνδρω) τῶ Ἀλεξάνδρω
Ἀφρ<ο>δείταν
Νομοφυλακίδα
( vac. 2) ἀνέθηκαν ( vac. 2)

Diplomatic

L ΙΕ    ΕΠΙΙΕΡΕ  ΩΣ
ΦΙΛΙΣΚΩΕΥΦΑΝΕΥΣ
ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΟΣΔΕΚΑΙΣΑ
ΡΟΣΘΕΩΙΥΙΩΣΕΒΑΣΤΩ
5ΒΑΡΚΑΙΩΤΩΘΕΟΧΡΗΣΤΩ
ΝΟΜΟΦΥΛΑΚΣ
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΟΣΕΥΙΠΠΩ
ΘΕΟΔΩΡΟΣΑΡΙΣΤΩΝΟΣ
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΟΣΕΥΔΑΙΜΟΝΟΣ
10ΑΡΤΕΜΙΔΩΡΟΣΑΓΕΜΑΧΩ
ΑΜΜΩΝΙΟΣΣΩΦΑΝΟΥΣ
ΜΕΝΑΝΔΡΟΣΑΝΤΙΠΑΤΡΩ
ΣΕΡΑΠΙΩΝΠΛΥΜΝΑΣΤΩ
ΥΡΑΤΘΙΣΔΙΟΝΥΣΙΩ
15ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ / ΤΩΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΩ
ΑΦΡΔΕΙΤΑΝ
ΝΟΜΟΦΥΛΑΚΙΔΑ
    ΑΝΕΘΗΚΑΝ    

Apparatus

6: ΝΟΜΟΦΥΛΑΚΑΣ, lapis.
15: The slanting stroke for the patronymic first identified by Catherine Dobias-Lalou

English translation

Translation by: Catherine Dobias-Lalou, Joyce M. Reynolds, Charlotte Roueché

Year 15, in the time of the priest (scil. of Apollo) Philiskos (scil. son) of Euphanes, and (scil. the priest) of Emperor Caesar, son of a divinity, Augustus, Barkaios (scil. son) of Theochrestos, the nomophylakes, Apollonios (scil. son) of Euippos, Theodoros (scil. son) of Ariston, Apollonios (scil. son) of Eudaimon, Aretimidoros (scil. son) of Hagemachos, Ammonios (scil. son) of Sophanes, Menandros (scil. son) of Antipatros, Serapion (scil. son) of Polymnastos, Hyratthis (scil. son) of Dionysios, Alexander (scil. son) of Alexander, set up (scil. the image of) Aphrodite the Guardian of Law.

Italian translation

Translation source: Vitali, 1932

Nell'anno 15 dell'era cyrenaica (= 16 a, C.) sotto il sacerdozio di Filisco, figlio di Eufane, e sotto quello di Barceo, figlio di Theochresto, (addetto al culto) dell' imperatore Cesare Augusto, figlio del divino (Cesare), i nomofylaci... dedicarono una immagine di Afrodite, Custode delle leggi.

Arabic translation

Translation by: Muna Abdelhamed

السنة 15 ، في زمن الكاهن (أبوللو) فيليسكوس (بن) إيفانيس، (كاهن) الامبراطور قيصر، ابن المؤله أغسطس، باركيوس (بن) ثيوخريستوس، النوموفلاكيس (حماة القانون)، أبوللونيوس (بن) إيبوس، ثيودورس (بن) أريستون، أبوللونيوس (بن) إيفدايمون، أرتيميديوس (بن) آغيماخوس، أمونيوس (بن) سوفانيس، ميناندروس (بن) إنتيباتروس، سيرابيون (بن) بوليمناستوس، إراثيس (بن) ديونسيوس، الإكسندر (بن) الإكسندر، أهدوا (تمثال) لأفروديت راعية القانون.

Commentary

One of a series of lists recording nomophylakes: C.93, 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; see further on C.93.

Line 1: year 15 of the Actian era = 17/16 BCE

Line 2: For Philiskos see C.41 and references there.

Line 5: Barkaios: honoured in C.276.

Line 6. The earliest dated reference so far to the imperial cult at Cyrene, listed by Ross Taylor, The divinity of the Roman Emperor, p.270

Line 17: For the dedication to Aphrodite here and in C.97, line 6, see Robert, loc.cit., who discusses these texts, among the numerous dedications to Aphrodite made by magistrates of Greek cities and suggests that this "civic Aphrodite" can be explained as arising from her character as a goddess of concord, in which, naturally, all officials were interested, cf. C.96, line 13.

Bibliography: Ghislanzoni, 1925, 420 and fig 8, whence AE 1927.143, SEG 9.133, PHI 323986, Vitali, 1932, 10; see also Robert, Bulletin Épigraphique, 1959.325; see also Ferri, 1925, 18.
Text constituted from: Transcription (Reynolds).

Images

   Fig. 1. Lines 1-3, squeeze (C. Dobias-Lalou, 1977: MFA est CD 122)

   Fig. 2. Lines 5-9, squeeze (C. Dobias-Lalou, 1977: MFA est CD 123)