AIUK11 no. 6 Herm (?) listing ephebic officials

Herm (?) listing ephebic officials

AIUK 11 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford) no. 6 Date: 108/9 AD

Face A (front)

Having produced this image of Nymphodotos the superintendent (kosmētou), Potheinos set it up amidst the euphebes in the wrestling-ground (palaistrai), in the archonship of Gaius Julius Casius of Steiria (108/9) ^[1] superintendent of the ephebes: (5) Aulus Pontius Nymphodotos of Azenia, and deputy superintendents (hypokosmētai) Aulus Pontius Demetrios of Azenia and Chariton Iatrokles of Melite.^[2] Gymnasiarchs and when they served as gymnasiarchs:^[3] Boedromion: Nymphodotos (son of Nymphodotos) of Azenia (10) Pyanopsion: Demetrios son of Nymphodotos of Azenia^[4] Maimakterion: Sympheron (son of Sympheron) of Azenia Posideon: 1: Antiochos son of Menandros of Melite Posideon: 2: Claudius Nikon of Marathon^[5] Gamelion: Epiktetos son of Zosimos of Lamptrai (15) Anthesterion: Makreinos son of Zosimos of Lamptrai Elaphebolion: Licinius Polyainos of Kollytos Mounichion: Titus Flav(ius) Alypos of Marathon Thargelion: Titus Flavianus of Marathon Skirophorion: Anthos and Panchares, the sons of Anthos of Lamptrai (20) Hekatombaion: Aulus Pontius Nymphodotos of Azenia, the younger Metageitnion: Ptolemaios son of Heron of Oa. Potheinos son of Herakleides of Erikeia (dedicated) this Herm. Archelaos son of Apollonios of Piraeus, Agathon of Melite,^[6] Simonides son of Pylades of Marathon, Semnos son of Hyginos of Marathon (25) Pappos son of Zoster of Gargettos, Pomponios son of Zoster of Gargettos Dionysios son of Euphrosynos of Leukonoion, Epaphrodeitos son of Zosimos of Paionidai Epaphrion son of Seuthes of Gargettos Eleusinios son of Demetrios of Piraeus, Philotikos son of Attikos of Halimous Trainer (paidotribēs): Ariston son of Aphodisios of Rhamnous.^[7]

Face B (left)

(30) -sos son of Nikostratos . . . . . . son of Aristeas Stephanos son of Praxiteles -ios (son of -ios) (35) -on (son of -on) -ios son of Isidotos . . . son of Athenagoras . . . son of Zenon (40) . . . son of Demetrios . . . son of Chrysogonos [Agathop]ous (son of Agathopous) . . . son of Agathopous -mos son of Titos (45) -itos son of Glaukos . . . son of Glaukos -rios son of Sokrates -s son of Phokion . . . son of Soteridas (50) . . . son of Hygeinos . . . son of Pylades . . . son of Zosimos -on son of Dionysios -os son of -os uninscribed space Sotas son of Parianos (55) . . . son of Parianos -ios son of Isidotos -es son of Diogenes -os son of Staphylos [Euphros]ynos son of Eleusinios (60) . . . son of Straton . . . son of . . . -r (son of -r) . . . son of Nikias . . . son of Antipatros -eos son of Ethikos (65) -os son of Archelaos -nios (son of -nios) . . . son of Kallimachos . . . son of Epaphroditos . . . son of Mousaios

Face C (right)

(70) Tutors (paideutai):^[8] Licinius Polyainos of Kollytos Leader (hēgemōn): Epiktetos son of Prosdektos . . . Secretary: Dionysios (son of Dionysios) of Melite Herakleides son of Potheinos of Erikeia (75) Weapons trainer (hoplomachos): Asklepiades of Azenia Ploutianos son of Agathemeros of Sphettos Menophilos son of Aphrodisios of Marathon Dionysios son of Aphrodisios of Oion Paion son of Diomedes of Pallene (80) Sextius Nikanor of Sphettos Pistokrates son of Philostratos of Halai Abaskantos son of Eumolpos of Kephisia Hermias son of Tryphon of Marathon Kestrophylax: Pythikos son of Eudoros uninscribed space (85) Doorman (thurōros): Aischines, also called Psiax^[9] uninscribed space

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Greek text

References:

AIUK 11 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford) no. 6 (Translated text) (AIO) (AIUK)

IG II² 2037 (PHI)

Wilson, Ephebic Inscriptions E.140

Translation by: Chris de Lisle

AIO Images: 1 2

Monument type: Herm?

Inscription type: Herm (Ephebic)?

Original location: [Diogeneion]

Findspot: Athens (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford ANChandler 2.54)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This is one of ten inscriptions acquired by George Wheler on his visit to Athens in 1676 and donated to the University of Oxford 1683. He bought it from the English consul in Athens, Jean Giraud (cf. AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 4).

This block supported an honorific image of the year’s superintendent (kosmetes) and was set up by one of the ephebes, Potheinos, in the headquarters of the ephebes, the Diogeneion (referred to poetically as “the wrestling-ground,” l. 2). The stone is described as a herm in l. 22. Portrait herms were regularly set up by the ephebes to honour their superintendents in the second and third centuries AD (see IG II² 3739 and AIO Papers 12, sect. 1.4). The shaft is very short for a herm and there are no traces of a phallus of a bust. Perhaps it was cut up into separate blocks at a later date. If it is a portrait herm, it would be the earliest attested example of the genre (the next is IG II² 2023, 112-114 AD). Potheinos’ father, Herakleides, is one of the ephebic instructors (l. 74); his son and grandson were Councillors in the mid-second century AD. They thus appear to have been a family of moderate (and increasing?) rank. Setting up this inscription may have been a way for Potheinos to assert his wealth and social prestige. The inscription opens with an elegiac couplet intended to demonstrate his education and culture (paideia). For metrical reasons, Potheinos invents the word euphebos, a portmanteau of eu (“well, good”) and ephebos (“ephebe”). This would probably have been considered poor style (cf. AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 15). [2] For the role of the superintendent (kosmetes) in the Roman period, see IG II² 3739 and AIO Papers 12, sect. 2.1. This is the last occurrence of the two deputy superintendents (hypokosmetai), who were replaced by a single deputy superintendent (antikosmetes) in the reign of Hadrian (first attested in IG II² 2001+2046+2248). [3] On the ephebic gymnasiarchs, see IG II² 1990 and AIO Papers 12, sect. 2.3. [4] Nymphodotos and Demetrios are brothers (apparently relatives but not sons of the superintendent). There are at least six other sets of brothers in this catalogue. On these “ephebic twins,” see AIO Papers 12, sect. 0.2). [5] The intercalary month “Posideon 2” was added to the Athenian year in a regular pattern known as the Metonic cycle. Along with two inscriptions from Delos listing the Athenian archons of 95/6-108/9 AD (ID 2535-2536), this allows the inscription to be dated to 108/9 AD. See Byrne, RCA, pp. 501-7. [6] Eleven ephebes are listed at the bottom of Face A (front) and another thirty on Face B (left side). There is a similar group of ten or eleven privileged ephebes in IG II² 1990, ll. 16-18 (called “partners” and “Areopagites”) and IG II² 1996, ll. 24-34). It is unclear whether these individuals are singled out because they held some special position (e.g. cohort magistrate or team leader, see AIO Papers 12, sect. 2.3) or because they were friends of Potheinos (cf. lists of ephebic friends, like AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 5). The list probably does not include all of the year’s ephebes, since other cohorts of this period are much larger; see AIO Papers 12, sect. 1.3. [7] On the trainer (paidotribes), see IG II² 3737. His placement on the front of the stone rather than on Face C with the other ephebic staff reflects his higher standing. For Ariston’s career, see IG II² 2030. [8] The ephebic staff, here called “teachers” (paideutai), were the ones who actually instructed the ephebes and managed the ephebate on a day-to-day basis. In the Classical period, these were annual offices, but in Hellenistic and Imperial times the ephebic staff was increasingly professionalised, with staff often holding office for many years and passing their positions on to relatives. The leader (hegemon, l. 72) may have been responsible for keeping the ephebes in order and organising the gymnasium’s schedule (cf. I Beroia 1, A ll. 11-16, B ll. 1-5). The secretary (l. 73) was presumably responsible for compiling the lists of ephebes in the ephebic catalogues and other records. The weapons trainer (hoplomachos, l. 75) trained the ephebes in the use of weapons. The kestrophylax (l. 84) trained them in the use of a sling to fire a special barbed missile called a kestros. The officeholder, Pythikos, appears to be a non-citizen, since he lacks a demotic; this is common for the kestrophylax and some other junior positions on the staff. The nature of the untitled teachers on Face C is uncertain. The arrangement of the list suggests that first two, Polyainos (l. 71) and Herakleides (l. 74) might be the deputy trainer and deputy secretary respectively. The other eight (ll. 76-83) might be precursors of the twelve Controllers (sophronistai) introduced in the reign of Hadrian to supervise subgroups of the ephebes (see IG II² 2044 and AIO Papers 12, sect. 2.1). Alternatively, they might be the tutors in grammar, geometry, rhetoric, and music who are mentioned by Plutarch in a scene set in the Diogeneion in the mid-first century AD (Table Talk 9.1). Similar “teachers,” usually four in number, appear in other ephebic inscriptions from the late first century until ca. 120 AD (e.g. IG II² 1996, l. 139, IG II² 2026, ll. 7-11). Most of the ephebic staff in this inscription are not otherwise attested, but Abaskantos (l. 82), would go on to be trainer from 136/7 to 169/70 AD (see IG II² 3737). For more detailed discussion of the ephebic staff, including further positions established after the date of this inscription, see AIO Papers 12, sect. 2.2. [9] The doorman (thyroros) ranked lower than other members of the staff and is therefore listed at the very end of the stele. He lacks both demotic and patronymic and may have been a freedman. His second name, Psiax (“Droplet”) is not suggestive of high status. For the phenomenon of double-naming in Roman Athens, see AIUK 3 (Fitzwilliam), no. 9.

For more detailed discussion of the inscription see AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 6. For a general discussion of the ephebate in Roman Athens see AIO Papers 12.

Added: 14 Jan 2021
Updated: 27 Jun 2024
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