Honours for king Pharnakes and queen Nysa
IG II3 1 1258 Date: 196/5 BCFragment a
Gods.
In the archonship of Tychandros (196/5), in the ninth prytany, of Oineis,
for which Sosigenes son of Menekrates of MarathonX was secretary.
On the fourth of Elaphebolion, the nineteenth
(5) of the prytany. Principal Assembly in the theatre.
Of the presiding committee Aktaios son of Simon of
Athmonon put to the vote, and his fellow presiding committee members. The Council and the People decided.
- son of - of - proposed: since the ancestors of
king Pharnakes[1] maintained friendship with the People of
(10) the Athenians . . . . . . the previous acts of generosity . . . . . . and the king . . . . . . to deliver the decree . . . . . .
Fragment b
[not only] promised [that he would pay all the money that was in arrears,
(15) but a third of it?] he gave at once to the ambassadors,
[and as for the remainder] he thought they ought to receive it within a short time, and in addition
he made a commitment (sunethēken) to the men who had come in respect of the payment that had become due (?), despite the inconvenience to himself, and
even having made excuses to others on the grounds that his affairs were not yet settled,
and also promised that in future he would send the payment according to the
(20) earlier agreement, for good fortune, the Council shall decide that the presiding
committee allotted to preside at the forthcoming Assembly shall put this matter on the
agenda, and submit the opinion of the Council to the People that it seems good to
the Council to praise king Pharnakes and to crown him with a gold
crown as a prize for excellence (aristeiōi) in accordance with the law and to proclaim this
(25) crown at the city Dionysia at the tragedies in the new competition
and at the Panathenaia and the Eleusinia and the Ptolemaia during the gymnastic
competitions; and since it has also been reported that queen Nysa
daughter of king Antiochos has been married to (sunōikēkenai) king Pharnakes, and it is fitting
that the Athenians demonstrate both that they are heedful of what is good and that they honour
(30) public benefactors and their descendants; to praise
queen Nysa, daughter of king Antiochos and queen Laodike
and crown her with a gold crown in accordance with the law and proclaim
this crown too at the city Dionysia at the tragedies in the new
competition and at the Panathenaia and the Eleusinia and the Ptolemaia
(35) during the gymnastic competitions; and to set up a bronze statue of both
king Pharnakes and queen Nysa and dedicate them in Delos;
and the generals and the treasurer of the military fund shall take
care of the proclamation of the crowns and the statues; and the People shall elect,
from all the Athenians, three men who
(40) shall take care of the construction and dedication of the statues;
and the prytany secretary shall inscribe this decree
on a stone stele and stand it next to the statues; and for the inscribing
and the setting up of the stele the treasurer of the military fund
is to defray the accrued cost; and as this would be a suitable opportunity
(45) for a man to be sent to fetch the payment that falls due to be given according to the king's
choice (hairesei) and orders (prostagmasin), the People shall elect in advance
one man from among all the Athenians who, when he meets
king Pharnakes is to hand the decree to him and to proclaim
it both to him and to the queen on behalf of the People and, if possible, to
(50) obtain the instalment of money due this year; and the elected man is to inform the king
that the People will endeavour to behave to him in a way that is not at all inferior to the way they treat
other kings, but will collaborate (sunkataskeuasei) in every way to enhance
his reputation and memory just as they do for other benefactors
of the city; and the treasurer of the military fund is to defray the travelling expenses of the man elected.
(55) The man who was elected to travel from home to king Pharnakes according to the decree
was Philoxenos of Piraeus. The men elected to be responsible for the
preparation and the dedication of the statues according to the decree were
Leon of Aixone, Philoxenos of Piraeus and Dionysios of Myrrhinous.
The Council, the People (crown)
(60) king
Pharnakes
The Council, the People (crown)
queen
Nysa