<rs type="textType">Letter</rs> of Octavian to Ephesus

Joyce M. Reynolds1982

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Originally published in Reynolds (1982).

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Description of Monument

Archive wall, column 3, middle courses.

Description of Text

Inscribed area 0.955 x 0.655. The final letter of l. 1 is cut on the ridge which divides columns 2 and 3.

Letters

Second to third centuries A.D.; ll.1-4, ave 0.02, ll. 5 ff, ave 0.018. Ligatures: ΗΜ ll.2, 7, 17, 18, ΗΜΗ ll.4, ΤΗ ll.4, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, ΝΗ ll.6, 9, ΗΠΕ l.6, ΝΕ ll.11 (twice), 12, 15, ΗΕ l.12, ΤΕ ll.12, 14, 16, ΝΚ l.16, 18, 19, ΗΝ l.6, ΜΒ l.12, ΝΤ l.12, ΠΗΝΤ. l.13, ΝΗΝΕ l.15, ΝΤΕ l.17, ΜΕ l.18, ΗΓ l.19, ΠΡ l.19, ΤΗΚ l.20, ΗΝΚ l.20. Apices in ll. 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 13. Arabesque at the end of l. 12.

Date

Inscription: second to third centuries A.D. (lettering, context). Document: 39/38 B.C. (content, prosopography).

Edition αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ θεοῦ Ἰουλίου υἱὸς Ἐφεσίων ἄρχουσι βουλῇ δήμῳ χαίρειν εἰ ἔρρωσθε εὖ ἂν ἔχοι ὑγιαίνω δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ τοῦ στρατεύματος Σόλων Δημητρίου υἱὸς πρεσβευτὴς Πλαρασέων καὶ Ἀφροδεισιέων ἐνεφάνισέν μοι ὅσα ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τῷ κατὰ Λαβιῆνον ἡ πόλις αὐτῶν πέπονθεν ὅσα τε διηρπάγη δημόσιά τε καὶ ἰδιωτικά περὶ ὧν πάντων Ἀντωνίῳ τε τῷ συνάρχοντι ἐντολὰς δέδωκα ὅπως ὅσα ποτὲ ἂν δύνηται ὃ ἂν εὕρῃ ἀ ποκαταστήσῃ αὐτοῖς ὑμεῖν τε ἔκρεινα γράψαι ἐπεὶ ἔχετε πόλιν εὔκαιρον ἐπιβοηθεῖαν αὐτοῖς ἐὰν σώματος ἢ ἑτέρου τινὸς τῶν ἰδίων ἐπιλαμβάνωνται ἀπηνγέλη δέ μοι ὅτι ἐκ τῆς διαρπαγῆς Ἔρως χρυσοῦς ὅ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς τῇ Ἀφροδείτῃ ἦν ἀνατεθεὶς εἰς ὑμᾶς ἀνενήνεκται καὶ ὡς ἀνάθημα τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι τέθειται ὑμεῖς οὖν καλῶς ποιήσετε καὶ ἀξίως ὑμῶν ἀποκαταστήσαντες τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός μου ἀνάθημα τῇ Ἀφροδείτῃ δεδομένον καὶ γὰρ οὐ χαρίεν ἀνάθημα Ἔρως Ἀρτέμιδι ἀνάνκη γάρ μοι Ἀφροδεισιέων ποιεῖσθαι πρόνοιαν οὓς τη λικαῦτα εὐεργέτηκα ἣν καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀκούειν νομίζω
Translation

Imperator Caesar, son of divine Julius, to the Magistrates, Council and People of the Ephesians, greetings:

If you are well, it would be well; I myself am in good health, together with the army.

Solon, son of Demetrios, ambassador of the Plarasans and Aphrodisians has reported to me how much their city suffered in the war against Labienus and how much property , both public and private, was looted. About this I have given a commission to my colleague Antonius, that as much as he can find; he should restore to them and I decided to write to you, since you have a city well-placed to help them if they lay claim to any slave or other piece of private property. I was also informed that out of the loot a golden Eros, which had been dedicated by my father to Aphrodite, has been brought to you and set up as an offering to Artemis. You will do well and worthily of yourselve if you restore the offering which my father gave to Aphrodite. In any case Eros is not a suitable offering for Artemis. For concerning the Aphrodisians, upon whom I have conferred such benefits, I should take the care about which I think you too have heard.

Commentary

See Aphrodisias and Rome, 102-103.

Locations

Theatre: north parodos wall Theatre: north parodos wall Findspot

Text Constituted From

transcription (Reynolds)

History of Recording

Recorded by the NYU expedition in 1967.

Bibliography

Published by Reynolds, A&R 12, whence SEG 32, 1982.1097, BE 1983.373, AnnEpig 1984, 866, SEG 34, 1984.1044, McCabe PHI Aphrodisias 40 . Discussed by F. Millar, JRS 63 (1973), 56, no. 10.

Photographs

View, below 8.34, above 8.30 (1977)
View, below 8.34, above 8.30 (1977)
Archive Wall view (1994)