IGII2 6 + Add. p. 655 Restoration to Thasians of proxeny destroyed by Thirty

Restoration to Thasians of proxeny destroyed by Thirty

IG II² 6 + Add. p. 655 Date: Shortly after 403 BC

Gods. Of Amyntor, Eurypylos, Argeios, Lokros, Alkimos. The Council decided. Oineis^VI (5) was the prytany; Dexitheos was secretary; Demokles was chairman. Monippides proposed: for Amyntor and Eurypylos and Argeios and Lokros and (10) Alkimos the sons of Apemantos, since the stele was destroyed under the Thirty on which was their proxeny, the secretary of the Council (15) shall inscribe the stele at the expense of Eurypylos; and to invite Eurypylos also to hospitality in the city hall (prutaneion) tomorrow.^[1]

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Greek text

References:

IG II² 6 + Add. p. 655 (Translated text) (PHI) (AIO)

Syll.³ 119

OR 177B

IALD II 145 no. 1

Translation by: Stephen Lambert, Robin Osborne

Images: Aleshire - (1)
Krateros - (1)
Ohio - (1)

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: Decree (Council)

Findspot: Acropolis (EM 6896)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] When the Athenians who were planning an oligarchic coup in Athens in 411 decided to replace democracies among their allies by oligarchies, they sent Dieitrephes to Thasos in the summer of 411, and on his arrival he abolished the democracy there (Thuc. 8.64.2, cf. IG I³ 101). Shortly after his departure, the Thasians revolted (Thuc. 8.64.3), and set about rebuilding their walls which had been demolished back in ca. 462 on the settlement of their original revolt (Thuc. 1.101.3). IG XII Suppl. p. 151 = OR 177A is an inscription from Thasos recording confiscation of property, among others from Apemantos son of Philon, apparently in the context of the initial replacement of democracy by oligarchy on Thasos imposed by Dieitrephes. Apemantos, therefore, was a pro-Athenian democrat, and from our inscription it is apparent that his five sons had been awarded the Athenian proxeny. It is possible they had inherited this from their father, but if not, a plausible context for the award is the recapture of Thasos by the Athenians in 407, on which occasion the Athenians insisted on the restoration of exiles (Diod. 13.72.1-2) and restored the democracy once again. After the Athenian defeat by Sparta at the battle of Aigospotamoi in 405 the Spartan commander Lysander gained control of Thasos and butchered those sympathetic to Athens (Polyainos, Strat. 1.45.4, cf. Nepos Lysander 1–2). Apemantos’ sons clearly escaped, but our decree shows that, under the regime of the Thirty which then took power at Athens with Lysander’s support, their proxeny decrees had been destroyed (like other stelai that recorded laws, cf. IG I³ 104, and decrees honouring supporters of democracy, OR 157, 161, IG II² 1, cf. IG II² 9 and 52). In our decree the proxeny is renewed by the restored democracy at Athens after 403 BC. Later one of the sons of Apemantos, Amyntor, was honoured with tax privileges in IG II² 33 among a group of Thasians who had been exiled ‘for pro-Athenian behaviour’ (ep’ attikismōi, 6–7). Later inscriptions honouring Thasians are SEG 45.42, providing in the late 380s or early 370s for Thasians whose property had been confiscated; M. Osborne, Naturalization D9 with vol. 2, 48–57, awarding citizenship to Archippos and Hipparchos for services rendered in the context of Thrasyboulos’ activities around Thasos at some point in the early 380s; and IG II³ 1, 333 for a related Archippos in 334. These cases indicate how successfully the Athenians retained the long-term friendship of some individuals and families by the care they took of them (cf. in this context Dem. 20 Against Leptines, 59–62, referring to Ekphantos of Thasos, whose name also appears in IG II² 33). Unusually, this is a decree of the Council only, perhaps to be explained by the fact that it is a mere reinscription of a decree already passed by the democratic Assembly. Cf. OR 173 with n. 2.

Added: 30 Sep 2016
Updated: 15 Jun 2019
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