IRCyr: P.111. Civic decree for defense of city

Description: Five adjoining fragments of a marble stele (w: 0.25 x h: 0.35 x d: 0.16).
Text: Inscribed on one face.
Letters: First century BCE - first century CE; 0.01.

Date: Probably 61 BCE

Findspot: Ptolemais: Square of the Cisterns; found in 1935.
Original location: Unknown.
Last recorded location: Tolmeita Museum.

Interpretive

------
[---]ΟΙΣΤΗ[---]
[---]αλόντων̣ [---]
[--- κ]αὶ τοὺς κα[---]
[---] καὶ ποιμνίοις Λ̣[---]
5[---] ἅμα τῆι πρὸς αν̣[---]
[---] π̣έμψας καὶ δοὺς [---]
[---]ων ἀξίαν τῆς ἐπιΙ̣[---]
[---]μισται τὴν παράτ[αξιν?---]
[---]χ̣εν βαρβάρων διατρ̣[ιβόντων? ---]
10[--- ἡ]γεμόνων καὶ στρα[τηγῶν? ---]
[--- παν]τ̣ὶ τρόπωι̣ θέντων τ[---]
[--- φ]υλαχθεί̣σης ( vac. 1) ἀγα[θῆι τύχηι δέδοχθαι]
[Πτολεμ]α̣ιεῦσι το[ῖ]ς Βαρκαίοις [---]
[---]ω̣ν πάντα συ̣[ντ]υχήμ[ατα ---]
15[---] τ̣οῖς γ[εγ]ενημένοις [---]
[---]ίου Λατερα̣[νοῦ ---]
[--- στρα]τ̣ηγοῦ ( vac. 1) απ[---]
[---] τῶι Ἀμμω[νίωι]- [---]
[---]ΝΙΚΑΙΠΟΙ[---]
20[---]Ι̣Ο̣Ν̣Κ̣[---]

Diplomatic

------
[---]ΟΙΣΤΗ[---]
[---]ΑΛΟΝΤΩ.[---]
[---.]ΑΙΤΟΥΣΚΑ[---]
[---]ΚΑΙΠΟΙΜΝΙΟΙΣ.[---]
5[---]ΑΜΑΤΗΙΠΡΟΣΑ.[---]
[---].ΕΜΨΑΣΚΑΙΔΟΥΣ[---]
[---]ΩΝΑΞΙΑΝΤΗΣΕΠΙ.[---]
[---]ΜΙΣΤΑΙΤΗΝΠΑΡΑΤ[....---]
[---].ΕΝΒΑΡΒΑΡΩΝΔΙΑΤ.[.......---]
10[---.]ΓΕΜΟΝΩΝΚΑΙΣΤΡΑ[.....---]
[---...].ΙΤΡΟΠΩ.ΘΕΝΤΩΝΤ[---]
[---.]ΥΛΑΧΘΕ.ΣΗΣ ΑΓΑ[................]
[......].ΙΕΥΣΙΤΟ[.]ΣΒΑΡΚΑΙΟΙΣ[---]
[---].ΝΠΑΝΤΑΣ.[..]ΥΧΗΜ[...---]
15[---].ΟΙΣΓ[..]ΕΝΗΜΕΝΟΙΣ[---]
[---]ΙΟΥΛΑΤΕΡ.[...---]
[---....].ΗΓΟΥ ΑΠ[---]
[---]ΤΩΙΑΜΜΩ[....---]
[---]ΝΙΚΑΙΠΟΙ[---]
20[---]....[---]

5: Pugliese read the last letter as P, which is also possible.
8: [πολε]μισταί SECir, 1961-1962
9: Χ might be Υ; Pugliese simply indicated an upright
10: Perhaps στρα[τηγῶν
11: ἐ]πιτρόπωι SECir, 1961-1962; παν]τὶ τρόπωι Laronde, 2010
16: Τ. Σεξ]τίου Λατερα[νοῦ SECir, 1961-1962; Μ.Ἰουεντίου Μάρκου] ὑιοῦ Λατερη[νσίου Laronde, 2010 Τhe first surviving stroke in the line appears to be an upright, more probably N than T, or the seriph of Υ; and the final stroke has a slope to it.

English translation

Translation by: Charlotte Roueché

. . . ] and flocks [ . . .] together with [ . . . ] having sent and given [ . . . behaviour? ] worthy of the [ . . . ] ?while the barbarians were spending time [ . . . ] commanders and generals [ . . . ] in every way placing [ . . . t?the city/the homeland] protected. With Good [Fortune: The Ptolem]aeans the Barkaians [ decided [ . . . ] all the chances [ . . . ] by the things events [ . . . ] of ? Latera[nus . . . ] for Ammonios [ . . .

Commentary

The text is clearly part of a civic decree concerned with measures taken against barbarian invaders, presumably the Marmaridae of the Augustan period; it seems likely to be honouring a local citizen who had worked with the Romans

Line 10: these should be the local commanders, and the Roman generals (so Laronde).

Line 16. The earliest instance so far of this nomenclature for the city.

Line 17: Laronde read a reference to M. Iuventius (M.f.) Laterensis, DPRR 2308, who was active in Cyrenaica; but the restoration is difficult.

Line 18. Probably a man with the name Ἀμμώνιος rathrr than the god Ammon

Bibliography: SECir, 1961-1962, 211, fig. 154, whence Robert, Bulletin Épigraphique, 1964.590, Reynolds, 1972, 45; see Laronde, 1988 1013 n.46, whence Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique, 1989.821, SEG 38.1904, and discussion by Reynolds, 1990, 68-69; republished Laronde, 2010, whence Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique, 2011.660, SEG 60.1845, AE 2010.1765; discussed Struffolino, 2014, 367, n.66.
Text constituted from: Transcription (Reynolds).