Description of Monument

A white marble panel, with a simple moulding (0.035) on all sides (0.815 × 0.89 × 0.075); the upper left corner and the lower part are lost, and the stone is broken across the centre.

Description of Text

Inscribed on the face.

Letters

Average 0.014; some red paint in the trenches.

Date

119-125 (titulature)

Edition ἐπὶ Κλαυδίας Παυλεινῆς τὸ α Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ, θεοῦ Τραιανοῦ Παρθικοῦ ὑὸς, θεοῦ Νέρουα υἱωνὸς, Τραιανὸς Ἁδριανὸς Σεβαστὸς ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ τρίτον ὕπατος τὸ γ Ἀφροδεισιέων τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ χαίρειν καὶ τῷ ψηφισ ματι ὑμῶν ἐντυχὼν καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων πρεσβέων ἀκούσας περὶ τῶν χρηματικῶν δι κων, συγχωρῶ ὑμεῖν εἰ μὲν Ἕλλην, Ἀφροδεισιεὺς φύσει ἢ τῶν παρ´ὑμεῖν πολει τευομένων τις ἐγκαλεῖται ὑφ'Ἑλληνος Ἀφροδεισιέως κατὰ τοὺς ὑμετέρους νόμους καὶ παρ'ὑμῶν καθίστάσθαι τὰς δίκας εἰ δὲ τοὐνανάντιον Ἕλλην παρ'ἄλλης πόλεως, κατὰ Ῥωμαίων νόμους καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπαρχείᾳ τοὺς μέντοι χρεώστας τῆς πόλεως ἢβεβαιωτὰς ἢ ὅλως συνβεβληκότας τῷ δημοσίῳ ὑμῶν, παρ' ὑμεῖν τὴν δίκην ὑπέχειν ἐπεὶ δὲ στεφανοῦτε με στεφάνῳ χρυσῷ ἀπὸ λίτρῶν ἴστε ὅτι παρῃτησάμην αὐτὸν μὴ βουλόμενος ἐπιβαρεῖσθαι ὑμετέραν πόλιν ἐμοῦ γε ἕνεκα εὐτυχεῖτε ἐπὶ Κλαυδίας Παυλεινῆς. Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ, θεοῦ Τραιανοῦ Παρθικοῦ υἱὸς, θεοῦ Νέρουα υἱωνὸς Τραιανὸς Ἁδριανὸς Σεβαστὸς, ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος, δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ τρίτον ὕπατος τὸ τρίτον, Ἀφροδεισιέων τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ χαίρειν τὴν μὲν ἐλευθερίαν καὶ αὐτονομίαν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ ὑπάρξαντα ὑμεῖν τὰ παρὰ τε τῆς συνκλήτου καὶ τῶν πρὸ ἐμοῦ αὐτοκρατόρων, ἐβε βαίωσα προσθεν. ἐντευχθεὶς δὲ διὰ πρεσβείας περὶ τῆς τοῦ σιδηρου χρήσεως καὶ τοῦ τέλους τῶν ἥλων, καίπερ ἀμφισβητησίμου τοῦ πράγματος ὄντος διὰ τὸ μὴ νῦν πρῶτον τοὺς τελώνας ἐπικεχειρη κέναι καὶ παρ' ὑμῶν ἐγλέγειν ὅμως εἰδὼς τὴν πόλιν τά τε ἄλλα τει μῆς οὐσαν ἀξίαν, καὶ ἐξῃρημένην τοῦ τῆς ἐπαρχείας τύπου, ἀπαλλάσσω αὐτὴν τοῦ τελέσματος καὶ γέγραπφα Κλαυδίῳ Ἀγριππείνῷ τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ μου, παρανγεῖλαι τῷ μεμισθωμένῳ τὸ ἐν Ἀσίᾳ τοῦ σιδήρου τέλος ἀπέχεσθαι τῆς ὑμετέρας πόλεως. εὐτυχεῖτε ἐπὶ Κλαυδίου Ὑψικλέους ἥρωος. Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ, θεοῦ Τραιανοῦ Παρθικοῦ υἱὸς, θεοῦ Νέρουα υἱωνὸς, Τραιανὸς Ἁδριανὸς Σεβαστὸς, ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος, δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ ἔνατον, ὕπατος τὸ τρίτον. Ἀφροδεισιέων τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ χαίρειν τοὺς πόρους οὓς ἀπετάξατε εἰς τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος καταγωγὴν βεβαιῶ ἐπεὶ δὲ ἦσαν τινες πολεῖται ὑμέτεροι λέγοντες εἰς ἀρχιερωσύνην ἀδύνατοι ὄντες προβεβλῆσθαι ἀνέπεμψα αὐτοὺς ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἐξετάσοντας πότερον δυνατοι ὄντες λειτουργεῖν δια δύονται, ἢ ἀληθὴ λέγουσιν. εἰ μέντοι φαίνοιντό τινες αὐτῶν εὐπορωτέροι, προτέρους ἐκεινοὺς ἀρχιερᾶσθαι δικαῖον συνχωρῶ ὑμεῖν παρὰ τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἀντὶ μονομαχίων ἀργύριον λαμβάνειν καὶ οὐ συνχωρῶ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαινῶ τὴν γνώμην. οἱ αἱρεθησόμενοι ὑφ'ὑμῶν ἐπιμεληταὶ τοῦ ὔδραγωγίου περὶ ὧν ἂν γνώμης δέονται καὶ συλλήψεως δυνήσονται τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ μου Πομπηίῳ Σεβήρῳ ἐντυγχάνειν, ᾧ κἀγω γέγραπφα εὐτυχεῖτε ἐπὶ στεφανηφόρου Τιβερίου Κλαυδίου Ὅπλωνος υἱοῦ Ὑψικλέους Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ, θεοῦ Τραιανοῦ Παρθικοῦ υἱὸς, θεοῦ Νέ ρουα υἱωνὸς, Τραιανὸς Ἁδριανὸς Σεβαστὸς, ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος, δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ η, ὕπατος τὸ γ, Ἀφροδεισιέων τοῖς ἄρ χουσι καὶ τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ χαίρειν ὡς ὑπε κα ἀθρόοι προσαγορεύσαντες με ὕδατος καταγωγὴν τυχεῖν Διογένους ὃν πρεσβεύτην ὑμετερ

Apparatus

Line 34: εξετασαντασπροτερον

Translation

In the first stephanephorate of Claudia Pauleina:

Letter 1 (Lines 1-13): The imperator Caesar, son of divine Trajan Parthicus, grandson of divine Nerva, Trajan Hadrian Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician power for the third time, consul for the third time (A.D. 119) greets the magistrates, the council and the people of the Aphrodisians. Having received your decree and heard from your ambassadors about the financial [cases I concede to you that if a Greek] who is a citizen of Aphrodisias either by birth or by adoption into the citizen body [is prosecuted by a] Greek who is a citizen of Aphrodisias the trial is to be heard under your [laws and at Aphrodisias], but if, on the contrary, a Greek [from another city (is prosecuted by a Greek Aphrodisian) the trial is to be held under] Roman law and in the province; those, however, who are [in debt to the city or stand surety for such a debt] or in short have a financial involvement with your public [treasury] are to undergo [trial in Aphrodisias]. Since you crown me with a crown [of gold? weighing? pounds], you should know that I have declined it because I do not wish your city to be burdened as far as I am concerned. Farewell

Letter 2 (Lines 13-27): The imperator Caesar, son of divine Trajan Parthicus, grandson of divine Nerva, Trajan Hadrian Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician power for the third time, consul for the third time (A.D. 119) greets the magistrates, the council and the people of Aphrodisias. Your freedom, autonomy, and other privileges given to you by the Senate and the Emperors who have preceded me I confirmed earlier. But having been petitioned by an embassy about the use of iron and the tax on nails, although the matter is controversial, since this is not the first time that the tax-collectors have undertaken to collect it from you too, nevertheless knowing that the city is in other respects worthy of honour and is removed from the formula provinciae, I release it from payment of the tax and I have written to Claudius Agrippinus my procurator to instruct the contractor for the tax on iron in Asia to keep away from your city. Farewell.

Letter 3 (lines 27-41): In (the stephanephorate of) Claudius Hypsikles, heros.

The imperator Caesar, son of divine Trajan Parthicus, grandson of divine Nerva, Trajan Hadrian Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribinician power for the ninth time, consul for the third time (A.D. 125) greets the magistrates, the Council and the People of Aphrodisias. The funds which you have reserved for the aqueduct I confirm. And since there are certain of your citizens who say that they have been nominated for the high priesthood when they are incapable of undertaking it, I have referred them to you to examine whether they are able to undertake the liturgy and are evading it, or are telling the truth; if, however, some of them were to appear to be better off, it is fair that they should hold the high priesthood first. I concede that you should take money from the high priests instead of gladiatorial shows; not only do I concede but I praise your proposal. The supervisors who will be chosen by you for the water-channel will be able to get advice and help on those matters on which they need them from my procurator Pompeius Severus, to whom I have written. Farewell.

Letter 4 (lines 41-end): In the stephanephorate of Tib. Claudius Hypsikles son of Hoplon.

The imperator Caesar, son of divine Trajan Parthicus, grandson of divine Nerva, Trajan Hadrian Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribυnician power for the eighth time, consul for the third time (A.D. 124) greets the magistrates, the council and the people of Aphrodisias. As [ .. ? .. ] they, being gathered in a body, addressed ?me [ .. ? .. ] aqueduct (accusative case) to get [ ? help .. ? .. name (accusative case) son of Diogenes whom [ ?you had appointed as] ambassador [ ...

Commentary

See Reynolds, (2000) for a detailed discussion of the text and its contents.

Locations

City, South-west: re-used in the paving of the road between the Basilica and the Baths Unknown Museum (1994)

Text Constituted From

Transcription (Reynolds)

History of Recording

Recorded by the NYU expedition in 1994 (94.46)

Bibliography

Published by Reynolds, (2000), nos 1-4, whence 50 2000.1096. Comments by D. Campanile, 135 (2001) 136-138, whence 51 2001.1491

Photographs

View (1994)

View (1994)

Upper part (1994)

Lower part (1994)