Description of Monument

An octagonal white marble statue base shaft (1.05, on a plinth 0.21; 0.495) with two inscriptions. The first, probably dating from the first or early second century A.D., has been partially erased, and the base placed so that it faces the wall.

Description of Text

i. inscribed on the reverse face, now against the wall, the letters at the right ends of the lines being partially erased; ii. occupies two faces, diametrically opposite the first text.

Description of Letters

i. ave. 0.026, standard forms of the first to second centuries A.D., moderately well designed and cut; diairetic dots on initial Ι, l. 4; ii. ll. 1-3, 0.04; ll. 4-8. 0.035; l. 9, 0.045; clearly cut, irregular; lunate in l. 9, otherwise square.

Date

i. probably second century A.D. (lettering); ii. Late fourth or fifth century (lettering, content).

Edition

Apparatus

i. ll. 1, 3, possibly Εὐδάμου in both cases, but the stone is in an extremely awkward position for a reader.

ii. l. 5, there is a line cut over the first Α.

ii. l. 6, There is a cross-bar in the first Ο, making a Θ; Π has been corrected from Η.

ii. l. 7, Π has apparently been corrected from Τ.

Translation

i. Zenon son of Euthymos (Eudamos), natural son of Zenon son of Agathas the son of Euthymos (Eudamos) with his brother Iulius (?) having had this made (?) in company with Claudius Adrastos son of Hierax, dedicated it, together with all the decorative features round it, to the fatherland.

ii. A stone image of the just Alexander the mother of Phrygia sent here to the mother of Caria, (as) an undying mark of his god-like rule; but all words fall short of the man's good cheer. With good fortune!

Commentary

i.The second name in line 1 (cf also lines 3/4) is uncertainly read - perhaps Eudamos.. The adte is probably in the first half of the second century, judging by the letter forms. The purpose is to record a gift to the city of an undefined but clearly visible object which was feminine in gender, and apparently surrounded, in some sense, with decorative features; possibly an ornament of the Bouleuterion/Odeon, but not necessarily so.

The persons involved are not at present identified although most of their names are well-attested at Aphrodisias; for an Adrastos whose geneaology include also a Hierax see name index. They were clearly men of wealth and status and of families interested in the Roman connection, since Adrastos was of one which receive citizenship in the reign of Claudius, when it was rare in the city, and Zenon's brother had a Roman name (if Iulius is rightly read). It is possible that Adrastos was himself the first recipient of Roman citizenship in his family, since his patronymic is not cited in the Roman manner by reference to a praenomen; but some Aphrodisians were inclined to retain the local custom of citing a father's full name even when he had Roman citizenship, so that this is uncertain. It is of interest that at least one of the two brothers named had been adopted, and that , since the adoptive father apparently had the same name as the natural father's grandfather, the adoption was quite probably within two branches of the same family - an example of the kind of family strategies in use at Aphrodisias.

ii. For the text, see discussion at III.35. For the statue and the monument as whole, see Smith (1999) 165-7.

Locations

Standing against the north wall of the north stoa of the North Agora some way west of 3.8. Findspot. Findspot (1994)..

History of Recording

Excavated by the NYU expedition in 1965 (65.396; SBI 108). The statue accompanying ii, whose head is lost, was found lying beside the base, and is now in the Museum.

Bibliography

i. forthcoming by Reynolds in publication of Bouleuterion Odeon. ii. Published by Roueché, no. 32 whence McCabe 713, C. P. Jones, 125 (1997), 212-14, 02/09/02.

Statue: K. T. Erim in 15.1 (1966), 61, 66; Smith (1999), 165-7.

Text Constituted From

Transcription (Roueché, Reynolds).

Photographs

i. Squeeze (1978)

i. Squeeze (1978)

Face ii. (1973)

Face ii. (1994)

ii. Left panel (1972)

ii. Left panel (1994)

ii. Right panel (1973)

Monument (1994)

Monument (1994)

Top of base (1994)

Representations

ii: Statue and base: Drawing: K. Gorkay, from Smith (1999)