Description of Monument

A statue base shaft apparently with moulded panels. A fragment from the base capital survives (0.25 x 0.25 x 0.22).

Description of Text

Inscribed on three faces: a (Text i, 7 ff.), b and c (Text ii) (from left to right). i, ll.1-6 are on the base capital fragment, inscribed on three fasciae of the moulding (ll.1-2, l.3, l.4) which are broken away at both ends, and on the face below (ll.5-6) which is broken to the right. While it cannot be proved beyond doubt that this is the opening of i, it seems overwhelmingly likely. It is implied, at least in Fellows' description, that l.7 was the first line of the base; if so, the last line of the capital can be considered to precede it immediately. The opening letters of ll.19, 27, 29-32 appear to have been cut on the moulding

Letters

The letters on the shaft are reported to be standard forms, slightly irregular 0.01-0.015. Those on the capital are standard second-/third-century forms, ll.1-2, 5-6, 0.015; ll.3-4, 0.02; dot for stop. Diairetic dots flanking initial Η, ll.23, 25, 31, 35 , first Η of ΑΝΗΡΗΣΘΑΙ, l.35, initial Α, l.41, of ΑΜΟΙΒΑΣ, l.30, initial I, ll.1, 32; ligatures: i: ΝΜ, l.13, ΗΝ, l.15, ΗΝ, l.16, ΗΝ, l.2, 19, ΜΗ, ΗΝ, l.20, ΝΗΜ, l.32, ΗΝ, l.33, ΗΜ, l.38, ΗΜ, l.41, ΜΗ, l.47. ii: ΗΝ, l.6, ΜΗ, ΗΝ, l.21

Date

A.D. 138-69 (emperor).

Edition

Apparatus

i. a. ll.7-10 were omitted by Fellows, perhaps among the lines which he describes as written on 'the cornice and mouldings'. The fullest text is that of Franz, from Loew, some of whose readings were omitted by MAMA.

i. a. l. 7, ΙΣΑΜΕΝΟΥ Deering, Franz, ἐπιψηφ]ισαμένου edd. prr.; but if the connection with the capital is correctly restored, there will not have been sufficient space to name a proposer and a seconder. ΤΑΙΜ.ΟΥ Loew.

i. a. l. 9, It is not clear whether there is room for the initial of a praenomen after the space required for ΕΠΕΙ at the beginning of the line.

i. a. l. 10, ΔΟΞΟΥΣ Deering, ΔΟΞΟΣ Fellows.

i. a. l. 13, ΤΟΥΤΟΝ Deering, ΣΟΥΤΟΝ Fellows, MAMA. ΜΕΝ omitted by Fellows, MAMA.

i. a. l. 19, ΚΑΙ Deering, Κ[ΑΙ] Fellows, MAMA.

i. a. l.21/2: ΠΡΟ//ΙΟΙΑ Deering, ΠΡΟ//.ΟΙΑ Loew, Ε[Υ//Ν]ΟΙΑ Fellows, MAMA; see Robert, Hellenica XIII,150-1.

i. a. l.33/4: ΕΝΑΓ//ΚΟΣ Deering.

i. a. ll.34/5: ΝΟ//ΜΙΖΕΙΝ MAMA.

i. a. l. 44, ΑΙΩΝΙΟΥΣ Fellows, MAMA, ΑΙΔΙΟΥΣ Deering, Loew; see Robert, Hell. XIII, 150.

i. a. l. 49, ΘΗΡΑΙΩΝ Fellows, MAMA; ΘΗΒΑΙΩΝ Deering, Loew; see Robert, Hell. XIII, 148-9.

ii. l. 4, καὶ ἐπιμελῶς is the restoration based on the decree of the synod (i, l.6) proposed by Franke in CIG, and adopted by all subsequent editors; it makes a line of thirty-one letters, in contrast to the normal line length (twenty-three to twenty-six letters); but this is not the only longer line.

ii. l. 5, Deering read ΠΑΝΚΡΑΤΙΝ, Fellows ΠΑΝΚΡΑ.

ii. l. 8, ΑΓ Fellows, ΑΠ Deering.

ii. l. 9, Deering copied the first three letters, then moved to the second letter of l.10.

ii. l. 41, Deering's copy shows a space on the stone before EIAN, and no space at the right end of the line.

ii. ll.42-5: the letters at the left printed in his transcription by Leake were in fact added as a supplement by Deering, who shows the break in his drawing.

Translation

i.a [It was resolved] by the sacred xystic [?travelling synod under] Herakles and the agonistic one (i.e. Hermes) [and the emperors M(arcus) Aur(elius) Anto]ninus and L(ucius) Au[r(elius) Verus, of sacred and crowned victors] from the whole world [?at Antioch] Caesaria Co[lonia ?on the occasion of the contest worth ?one] talent: [Proposer ....] seconded by T(itus) Aelius M[...], wrestler, extraordinary: since Aelius Aurelius Menandros, (10) extraordinary, and xystarch for life of the contests in Colonia Antiochia, who practised as an athlete with honour and with concern, has reached such honour that, firstly, he has won with good fortune so many contests and has brought honour at each contest to his splendid homeland by proclamations and crowns and especially also in the time of the divine Antoninus, so that he was not only crowned at his hands, but also honoured with (20) particular honours; meanwhile, having become xystarch, he cared with such forethought and concern, and with all zeal, for our interests, exercising his office excellently well; for these reasons both on many other occasions and now praising the man and bearing witness to him we have sent resolutions to the lords emperors, considering that (these would be) the greatest and (30) appropriate returns to him for his goodwill towards us, and because with sufficient expenditure and much effort he succeeded in arranging that the recent contest was conducted among the people of Antioch, so that we think that the prizes were obtained from his own resources. Therefore it has been decreed, with good fortune to thank Menandros before the most sacred Council and the most splendid People of the Aphrodisians concerning what has been described, (40) and to honour him with the erection of statues and the dedication of images in the most distinguished location of his homeland; the honours are to be inscribed with the publication of this decree, in order that his honours from us should be perpetual.

He is also citizen of the following cities: of the Pergamenes, of the Antiochenes, Caesarean colonists, and councillor of the Thebans, and councillor of the Apolloniatai, (50) Lycian and Thracian, and councillor of the Milesians, the Pessinuntii, the Claudiopolitai.

Zenon son of Apollonios son of Menandros, his brother, was responsible for the honours.

ii.[?The Council and People] honoured with the [finest] and greatest [?honours] Aelius Aurelius Menandros, who practised as an athlete with distinction [and with diligence], multiple victor, pancratiast, extraordinary, xystarch, of an honourable and [leading family], who was the first and only man of all time to contest over three years in the three categories, as [boy] and (10) as young man and as adult, and who won sacred (contests) and (contests) with prizes to the value of a talent and very many other contests:

(He won) at Neapolis, in the Sebasta, the pancration of the Claudian boys; in the Nemea, the boys'pancration; in the Isthmia, the young men's pancration; at Ephesus, in the Balbillea, the young men's pancration - - a contest with no outright victor; at Pergamum, in the provincial festival of Asia, the men's pancration; at Ephesus, in the Balbillea, the men's pancration; at Smyrna, (20) in the provincial festival of Asia, the men's pancration; on the occasion of the seventh Panathenais in the Panathenaia, the men's pancration, first Aphrodisian (to do so); in the Nemeia, the men's pancration, and in the following Nemeia, the men's pancration - - a contest with no outright victor; in the Olympia at Athens, the men's pancration, the first Aphrodisian (to do so); in the Pythia, the men's pancration; at Rome, in the Capitolia Olympia, the men's pancration, the first Aphrodisian (to do so); (30)[... , the men's pancration, the first] Aphrodisian (to do so); c [ at ? ... , in the provincial] festival of Asia, [the men's pancration;] at Mitylene, [the men's pan]cration; at Adra[myttion, the men's] pancration; [at ? ...], the men's pancration; [at ? ...], the men's pancration; (40) [in the ?], the men's pancration; [at ? Nicomed]ia, the men's pancration; at Nicea, the men's pancration; at Prusias, the men's pancration; at Claudiopolis, twice, the men's pancration; at Ancyra of Galatia, the men's pancration; at Pessinus, the men's (50) pancration; at Damascus, twice, the men's pancration; at Beirut, the men's pancration; at Tyre, the men's pancration; at Caesarea Stratonos, the men's pancration; at Neapolis of Samaria, the men's pancration; at Scythopolis, the men's pancration; at Gaza, the men's pancration; at Caesarea Panias, the men's pancration; at Hieropolis, the men's pancration; at Anazarbus, the men's pancration; (60) at Mopsuestia, the men's pancration; at Tripolis of Syria, the men's pancration; at Philadelphia of Arabia, the men's pancration; at Zeugma by the Euphrates, the men's pancration; at Kibyra, the men's pancration.

Commentary

See commentary in PPA.

Locations

Walls, West: shaft 'outside of the west wall' (Fellows); capital a stray find. Unknown Capital in Museum; shaft at findspot

Text Constituted From

Publications; Deering; transcription (Reynolds, Roueché)

History of Recording

a and b copied (and a squeeze taken) by Fellows; a, b, and c copied by Deering (8v-10, nos. 34, 35 and 36); copied by Loew; by Falkener. A fragment (h. 0.42, w. 0.22, d. 0.26) from the upper left side of I, lines 10-21 copied by Reichel (R I, 38, Abklatsch 56), and by the MAMA expedition.

Bibliography

a and b published by Fellows, as nos 21 and 22 whence CIG 2811b, 2810b; a, b, and c published by Leake, from Deering, nos 12 and 13a & 13b; from these LBW 1620a (i) and 1620b (ii). a and b published (apparently from Fellows) by Bailie, no. 248. Corrections noted by Franz, from Loew, nos a.7 and a.8; observations by Henzen, from Falkener, no.2. From all these i and ii published by Liermann, 15 and 16, ii by Moretti, 72 (both with mistaken line divisions for c). Published by Cormack, from Kubitscheck and Reichel and the MAMA expedition, MAMA VIII. 421, on which see Robert, Hell. XIII, 147-54. Published from all these and surviving fragment, Roueché, PPA 91.

Photographs

i.a, lines 1-6 (1977)

Representations

Deering notebook 8v

Deering notebook 9

Deering notebook 9v

Deering notebook 10

Lines 10-21: Reichel notebook I, 38