Description of Monument

Left-hand face of the white marble pilaster which carries 8.2 on its front face.

Description of Text

The upper course consisted of one block; the top, badly chipped, and the left hand side survive (0.625 x 0.67 x 0.83), together with nine further fragments. The lower course, which includes the dado, consisted of two adjacent blocks; at least 10 fragments survive.

Letters

second to third centuries A.D., very similar to those of 8.3, 8.2, slightly different to those of 8.25-8.114. ll. 1-3, 0,025; ll. 4 ff., ave. 0.02. ligatures: ΤΗ, ll. 8, 14, 15, 24; ΤΗΝ l.15; ΗΜ l.18; ΜΕ ll.18, 30; ΝΕ l.20; ΗΝ l.24; ΗΜΕ l.27; circular stops, ll. 5, 31; apices ll.4, 5, 7, 8, 17, 26, 27.

Date

Document; text: Second to third centuries A.D.

Edition βασιλεὺς ΒιθυνῶνΝικομήδης Πλαρασέων καὶ Ἀφροδεισιέων τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμω χαίρειν σθεικαν ὡς βουλόμεθα καὶ αὐ τοὶ ὑγιαίνομεν Ἀρτεμίδωρος καὶ οἱ ἅμα τούτῳ αἱρεθέντες πρεσβευταὶ συν μείξαντες καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι ἡμᾶς παρὰ τοῦ πλήθους ἀπέδωκαν καὶ ἣν γεγράπφειτε ἐπιστολὴν δι’ ἧς ἐδηλοῦτε συνησθῆναι ἐπὶ τοῖς κατὰ λόγον ἡμεῖν προκεχωρηκόσιν καὶ ἐστεφανωκέν αι ἡμᾶς χρυσέῳ στεφάνῳ καὶ εἰκόνι διελέχθησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ πρεσβευταὶ ἀκολούθως τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ κατα κεχωρισμένοις τήν τε θυσίαν παρέστησαν ἀξίαν τῆς ἡμετέρας προαιρέσεως κατειληφότες οὖν τὸν δῆμον ὑμῶν ἐκ πλείονων εὐνοϊκῶς? διακείμενον τὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ σπεύδοντα? vac ἀεὶ ἐπιτυνχάνειν ἡμᾶς ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς προκειμένοις ἀποδεχόμεθα καὶ ἐπῃνέσαμεν? πολὺ μάλιστα τὴν εὔνοιαν ὑμῶν καὶ πειρασόμεθα εὐκαιρήσαν τες χαρισθῆναι ἀξίως καὶ ὑμῶν καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας δόξης Ἀρτεμίδωρον αλεξαμε οὺς υἱοὺς κατὰ τὸ παρὸν συνεέσθαι ἡμεῖν ίουςκςεπαν ουσυαιτου εἶναι ἐκρείναμεν καὶ ὑμεῖν ἐγράψαμεν περὶ τούτων ἔρρωσθε

Apparatus

l. 1, Part of the top of the block survives, and the whole of the crowning capital, which is uninscribed on this face; there is therefore no doubt that this is the first line of the text. Only the bottoms of letters remain.

l. 4, Σ̣ could be Ε̣. An apex on Ι should imply that it was pronounced separately from the preceding vowel, and at first sight suggests ἱκανῶς. Ν is cut over a partially erased Μ.

l. 5, The dotted letters are faint and incomplete, but reasonably certain.

ll. 8, 9, 11-30. Dotted letters are often little more than vestigial traces, but consosnant with the interpretation printed which assumes use of the common formulae of diplomatic interchange in the Hellenistic world.

l. 24, A small space at the base line before ΜΩΝ suggests that the preceding letter was Υ not Η.

l. 25, Σ̣ might be Ε̣, Ζ̣ or Ξ̣; Ξ̣ might be Ε̣, Ζ̣, Σ̣ or possibly Δ̣.

l. 26, Ξ̣ might be Ε̣, Ζ̣ or Σ̣.

l. 27, Ε̣̣ might be Ζ̣, Ξ̣, Σ̣ or possibly Δ̣.

Translation

[? Nikomedes king of the Bithynians] to the Council and People of the [Plarasans and Aphrodisians], greetings.

[? If you are well it would be] as we wish; we too are in good health. Artemidoros and the ambassadors chosen at the same time met and greeted us from the People and gave us the letter you have written, in which you reported that you had rejoiced at the satisfactory progress of our affairs and had crowned us with a golden crown and a statue. Further your ambassadors spoke in terms which accorded with those expressed in the letter and furnished a sacrifice worthy of our conduct. Understanding then from many [things] that your people are [well disposed] to us and [? anxious for our] success in all [our ? undertakings], we approve and have [praised] very highly [your] goodwill and shall try, in our prosperity, to [? do you favours] in a manner worthy both of you and [our own] reputation. [. . . ? . . . ] Artemidoros [.. ? ..] sons [.. ? ..] to be [.. ? ..] with us [ . . . ? . . . we ?decided] and [? have written] to you about these things. Farewell.

Commentary

See , 23-26, and further bibliography, below.

Locations

Theatre: north end of west corner of north parodos Findspot Findspot; fragments in Museum

Text Constituted From

Transcription (Reynolds); publications.

History of Recording

Recorded by the NYU expedition; the main block in situ (67.552) the remaining fragments over several years (67.311 , 67.451 , 67.452 , 67.456 , 67.457 , 67.458 , 67.460 , 67.469 , 67.470 , 67.490 , 67.526 , 67.552 , 69.312 , 69.372 , 69.451 , 76.11 , 76.12 , 76.196.2 , 76.196.12)

Bibliography

Published by Reynolds, A&R 4 whence SEG 1982.1097, BE 1983.365; discussed, with emendations, Jones, EMC 29, 1985, 309-317 (lines 1, 2, 4, 18, 20-21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30-31), whence SEG 1985.1083 ; from all these McCabe 36 .

Photographs

Lines 1-20, right end (1970)

Lines 1-20, right end (1977)

Assembled fragments, lines 21-31, central part (1980)

Lines 21-31, right end (1976)

Lines 21-31, right end, detail (1976)