Dedication to Apollo Augustus
created: Transcription (Reynolds).
source date: Probably Augustan
language: ar; en; fr; de; grc; grc-Latn; el; he
availability: Creative Commons licence Attribution UK 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/uk/) All reuse or distribution of this work must contain somewhere a link back to the URL http://inslib.kcl.ac.uk/

Bibliography

[...], 213 and pl. XXXVI.2 also fig. opp. p. 212 and fig. 132; [...], 28 and fig. 211.

Apollini Augusto sacrum

Translation

Sacred to Apollo Augustus

Commentary

See the companion text for Diana Augusta, C.106; two other fragmentary texts, C.108 and C.109 appear to be related, but the divinities cannot be identified. Gasperini reckoned that there might have been at least ten.

The use of Latin for these dedications probably indicates an officially sponsored cult which would appeal in the first place to the Italian immigrants resident in Cyrene.

It is likely that both texts belong to the reign of Augustus who, after Actium, especially favoured Diana and Apollo, cf. their appearance on coins of 29-27 (RIC I Augustus 272, at OCRE), and again in 16-14 BCE, e.g for Apollo, RIC I Augustus 366, at OCRE, and for Diana, RIC I Augustus 172, at OCRE. His successors were not particularly concerned with this cult.

The earliest known instance of Augustus as a title for Apollo seems to be CIL VI.33 of 3-2 BCE, and for Diana as Augusta CIL VI.128 (EDR134390) probably of 8 BCE.