IGII2 2087 List of two ephebic teams, 163/4 AD

List of two ephebic teams, 163/4 AD

IG II² 2087 Date: 163/4 AD

In shield For good fortune

Left of shield In the archonship of (5) Philisteides of Piraeus (163/4 AD)

Right of shield The superintendent being (kosmēteuontos) Claudius Herakleides (5) of Melite

Aurelius Demosthenes of Sphettos and Eleutheros (son of Eleutheros) of Kyrteidai inscribed their own teams (sustrem-).^[1] Team (sustremma) of Aurelius Demosthenes, having been gymnasiarch for the month of Thargelion and competition director (agōnothetēsantos) of the Hadrianeia and king (basileōs).^[2]

col. 1

Eukarpos son of Achoristos of Paiania (10) Epagathos son of Theodoros of Melite Ulpius Epagathos of Alopeke Olympos son of Olympos of Lamptrai^[3] Agathokles son of Athenion of Eitea Epigenes son of Epigenes of Acharnai (15) Daphnos son of Hierax of Phaleron Aphrodeisios son of Alexandros of Ph(aleron) Agathopous son of Aktios of Kephisia Arisemos son of Karpodoros of Gargettos Zosimos son of Karpodoros of Gargettos (20) Alexis son of Karpodoros of Gargettos^[4] Controllers (sōphronistai)^[5] Athenion son of Hygeinos of Eitea Kleon son of Paramonos of Sphettos Herodes son of Alexis of Skambonidai (25) Claudius Stephanos

col. 2

(29) Crowned:^[6] (30) Aurelius Demosthenes at the Antinoeia in the city for the encomium, at the Antinoeia in Eleusis (35) for the wrestling, at the Germanikeia for the wrestling. Epagathos at the Antinoeia for the long race (dolichon), (and) at the Hadrianeia (and) (40) at the Germanikeia. Achoristos at the Antinoeia (in the city) for the stadium race, at (the Antinoeia) in Eleusis for the stadium race. Eukarpos for poetry at the Antinoeia, the same for the poem at the Germanikeia. (45) Arisemos for the long race at the Antinoeia at Eleusis.

col. 3

(26) Team of Eleutheros son of Eleutheros of Kyrteidai,^[7] having been gymnasiarch in the month of Poseideon (28) and herald. Epiktetos^[8] (46) Sostratos son of Theodoros of Acharnai Claudius Leon of Besa Eutychides son of Prosdokimos of Philaidai Mystikos son of Satyros of Myrrhinoutta (50)Eisidotos son of Epigonos of Sphettos Antonius Priscus of Eiresidai Dareios of son of Eunomos of Semachidai Artemidoros son of Eukarpos of Sounion Hermeias son of Hermeias of Oa (55)Theotimos the Milesian Telesphoros the Milesian Leonax the Milesian^[9]

Controllers^[5] Eleutheros son of Eleutheros of Kyrteidai (60)Epaphrodeitos Euelpistos son of Syntrophos of Euonymon Prosdokimos son of Prosdokimos of Philaidai

Below columns Eleutheros was crowned at the Hadrianeia for the encomium, at the Hadrianeia for wrestling, for the encomium at the Antinoeia in Eleusis. Sostratos at the Hadrianeia for heraldry, (65)at the Hadrianeia for the pankration, at the Antinoeia in Eleusis for the pankration. Epiktetos for the stadium race at the Antinoeia in the City, at the Antinoeia in Eleusis for the stadium race, at the Hadrianeia for the stadium race in the City. Mystikos at the Antinoeia in the City for the double stadium race (diaulon), at the Hadrianeia for the double stadium race, at the Antinoeia in Eleusis for the double stadium race. (70)Leon for the wrestling at the Germanikeia. Hermeias at the Antinoeia in the City, playing the trumpet. Dionysios^[10]

Relief of five ephebes in a warship

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References:

IG II² 2087 (Translated text) (PHI)

Wilson, Ephebic Inscriptions E.211

Translation by: Chris de Lisle

Images: Wikimedia Commons - (1)

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: List of names (ephebes)

Original location: [Diogeneion]

Findspot: Athens, St. Demetrios Katephores (NM 1466)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] For an excellent photograph of this inscription see N. Kaltsas, Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens (2002), p. 337 no. 712. See also the images linked to above on Wikimedia Commons.

This stele contains a catalogue of the members of two ephebic teams (systremmata), from the year 163/4 AD (for the date, see Byrne RCA, p. 509). The official ephebic catalogue, including all the ephebes of this year also survives, as IG II² 2086. The systremmata were subdivisions of the ephebic cohort, which are attested from the 120s AD until 254 AD. They were directed by ephebes called team leaders (systremmatarchai). The teams seem to have varied in size depending on the size of the overall ephebic cohort from the thirteen or fourteen individuals in this inscription, up to thirty-six in IG II² 2124. IG II² 2086 shows that there were a total of 136 ephebes enrolled in this year, so it appears that there were ten systremmata (cf. IG II² 2245 with eleven). J. H. Oliver Arch. Eph. 1971, 66-74 proposed that the systremmata were constituted solely for the ephebic “sea-battle” (naumachia, see AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 10), which appears to be depicted in the relief at the bottom of the stele, but the references to ephebic victories at a variety of ephebic games (ll. 29-45, 64-73) suggests that the systremmata existed throughout the year. See AIO Papers 12 sect. 1.5. [2] Aurelius Demosthenes also appears in these positions in IG II² 2086, ll. 16-17 (for the nature of these roles, see AIO Papers 12 sect. 2.3). He went on to serve as a member of the Council of 500 in 180/1 AD (Agora XV 359, l. 7), the only ephebe in this list who is attested after completing the ephebate. The members of Demosthenes’ systremma follow in col. 1 and the athletic victories won by them are listed in col. 2. [3] In IG II² 2086, l. 44, Olympos of Lamptrai is listed as “son of Apollonios,” while Olympos son of Olympos is listed as an “additional enrollee” (epengraphos) without a deme (l. 110). This is different from this inscription. Among the possible explanations is that there was an inscribing error in one or other of these texts. [4] These three ephebes are brothers, but despite the nominal age restriction on entry into the ephebate it is unlikely that they were triplets. See IG II² 1963 n. 2. [5] For the Controllers (sophronistai), see IG II² 2044 and AIO Papers 12 sect. 2.1. They also appear in other systremma lists (e.g. IG II³ 4, 419, ll. 19-21), suggesting that they oversaw the systremmata. Controllers had to have a son in the ephebic cohort – Athenion (l. 22) is the father of Agathokles (l. 13). Kleon, Herodes, and Euelpistos (ll. 23-24, 62) were actually deputy controllers, who were younger and did not have a son among the ephebes. The full board of six controllers and six deputy controllers is listed at IG II² 2086, ll. 116-30, but Claudius Stephanos and Epaphrodeitos (ll. 25, 61) are not listed there. Both lack demotics and patronymics and thus might be freedman assistants to the controllers (cf. Byrne, RCA, p. 185, “unofficial (?) sophronist”). [6] For these ephebic athletic contests, see AIO Papers 12 sect. 3.5.iii. [7] The listing of Team 1 begins in l. 7 (heading, naming team leader Aurelius Demosthenes), the members of the team and their Controllers are then listed in col. 1 (ll. 9-25), and the team's victories in col. 2 (ll. 29-45). Team 2 begins at l. 26 (heading, naming team leader Eleutheros) at the top of "col. 3". The members are then listed, beginning with Epiktetos (l. 28), but then continuing with Sostratos etc. at ll. 46. The slightly confusing line numbering is caused by the fact that the listing of "team 2" ("col. 3") begins immediately above col. 2, with the same left margin. After l. 28, col. 3 continues on the right-hand side of col. 2 with the remaining members of team 2 (ll. 47-58), followed by the team's Controllers (58-62). The athletic victories of team 2 are listed in ll. 63-72, located below all three columns and spanning the full width of the stele. [8] Epiktetos’ patronymic and demotic omitted, presumably due to lack of space. IG II² 2086, l. 179 names him as the son of Athenodoros of Tyrmeidai. [9] On “Milesians,” a large group of non-citizens with some civic privileges, see AIUK 2 (BSA), no. 13 and AIO Papers 12 sect. 4.1. Theotimos and Telesphoros appear in IG II² 2086, ll. 107 and 194 as “additional enrollees” (epengraphoi), thus confirming that the two terms refer to the same people. “Leonax” does not appear at all in IG II² 2086, but is perhaps the same as the epengraphos “Kleonas” in l. 181. See n. 3, 5, 8, and 10 for other disparities between the two inscriptions. [10] This name does not appear in the list above among the members of either systremma, perhaps in error. He might be identified with the ephebe Dionysios son of Maximus of Hagnous named in IG II² 2086, l. 178. The head of the middle ephebe in the relief at the bottom of the stele divides this name in two. This might be due to lack of space, or intended as a label.

Added: 14 Jan 2021
Updated: 29 Mar 2024
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ID: AIO_2126