English translation

Translation by: Editors

Priests of Apollo. Aristarchos (scil. son) of Theochrestos; Theochrestos (scil. son) of Dionysios; Phaos (scil. son) of Klearchos, the lover of his homeland; Istros (scil. son) of Agathinos; Asklepiades (scil. son) of Epikrates; Euphanes (scil. son) of Isokrates; Pantaleon (scil. son) of Pantaleon; Isokrates (scil. son) of Anchistratos; Philoxenos (scil. son) of Philiskos, natural (scil. son) of Euphanes; Aiglanor (scil. son) of Ptolemaios; Phaos (scil. son) of Karneades; Philippos (scil. son) of Aristandros; Klearchos (scil. son) of Euphanes; Istros (scil. son) of Istros (scil. son) of Agathinos; Praxiαdas (scil. son) of Praxiadas (scil. son) of Philinnas; Eukleidas (scil. son) of Eukleidas; Serapion (scil. son) of Aristandros; Zenion (scil. son) of Sosos; Klearchos (scil. son) of Karnedas; Marcus Klearchos (scil. son) of Phlammas Isokrates; Loukios (i.e. Lucius) Karnedas (scil. son) of Phlamma (i.e. Flamma) Isokrates

Commentary

Gasperini attractively proposed that a cornice block is missing with the inscribed heading θεός Τύχα ἀγαθά, as in C.140, indicating that the text gives a running record of eponymous priests of Apollo, though the spaces left between some of the entries may mean that the record was not kept systematically and that the names are not in all cases consecutive; the date suggested by the names is Augustan to early first century CE; the implications are further developed by Laronde (art.cit.)

Line 2: For the same man see C.770.

Line 3: A Theochrestus of unknown patronymic was priest in CE 19 (C.303, lines 3,4); but the name is very common at Cyrene and it would be unwise, therefore, to assume his identity Gasperini referred to C.769, but the name there is almost certainly a patronymic.

Line 5: Phaos son of Klearchos: clearly to be identified with the priest of Apollo and Augustus who was hero of an episode in the Marmaric War and subject of a laudatory decree (see C.416) where his name can now be correctly restored in b, lines 5;6. unless he was priest twice at a long distance of time, and assuming that his Marmaric War was the one recorded as ending in CE 2), this entry should belong near the turn of the millenium.

Line 12. For other children of a Euphanes adopted by Philiskos, see C.41; they include Pausanias who was priest of Apollo in CE 2, and connected with victory in Marmaric war (GVCyr 27, line 1).

Gasperini suggested that the Γ in the space between lines 17 and 18 is probably be a chance scratch, but could also be a figure; he suggested that it might indicate that this is the third of an adjacent series of stelae (it is clear that the sides of this stele were not meant to be seen). Alternatively, it might be an indication of a space for 3 more names missing or to be added.

Lines 28-31: Marcus Klearchos son of Phlammas Isokrates; Lucius Karnedas son of Phlammas Isokrates: These two men, whose names and patronymic are equally distinctive, must be brothers. If the stele is correctly dated, their first names and that of their father represent the earliest certain influence of Roman nomenclature on the priestly class at Cyrene. The father's first name recurs as that of an undated priest of the early first century CE (C.219) and especially in the family of M. Antonii C.49, C.223, C.141., C.265 very notable at Cyrene in the middle and second half of the century.

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