IGI3 1465 Athenian (?) dedication on the façade of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi

Athenian (?) dedication on the façade of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi

IG I³ 1465 Date: End of the sixth or first half of the fifth cent. BC

[ . . . the Athenians and] the allies . . . to consult the oracle . . . their own . . . enemy or enemies^[1] uninscribed space?

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References:

IG I³ 1465 (Translated text) (IG Online) (PHI)

F.Delphes III 4 190 (PHI)

Translation by: Giacomo Aresi

Monument type: Orthostate

Inscription type: Dedication (public)

Findspot: Delphi (south-west corner of the terrace of the Apollo’s temple) (Delphi Museum 565)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This inscription is engraved on a marble orthostate which was found reused in the foundations of the fourth-century Temple of Apollo at Delphi (cf. J.-F. Bommelaer and D. Laroche, Guide de Delphes², 2015, 204-15, no. 422; on Attic inscriptions at Delphi, see IG II³ 4, 17 with notes). Originally, it was probably part of the façade of the late sixth-century temple (cf. M. F. Courby, F.Delphes II 1, 1915, 105-7, followed by most scholars, but note P. Amandry, BCH 102, 1978, 585 n. 46). The inscribed surface takes up only the left part of the front of the stone. On the right there are two holes where the actual offering was fastened to the wall. Therefore, the extant portion of the inscription corresponds to the end of the lines, which started on another stone to the left, now lost. It is not certain how far the text extended to the left, nor whether it continued below (F.Delphes assumes so; IG suggests not).

The mention of an “enemy" or "enemies” in l. 4 shows this was the dedicatory inscription of a thank-offering for a military victory, likely consisting of spoils. Its Athenian origin cannot be conclusively proven (cf. Amandry, 1978 585 n. 46) but is highly likely because it displays features that were characteristic of the Attic alphabet in the Archaic period. These include the use of chi + sigma rather than xi, the letter phi (not present in all archaic Greek alphabets), and the L-shaped lambda (on the Attic alphabet, see AIUK 4.2 (BM, Decrees), pp. 12-13). It is also notable that the inscription is engraved in stoichedon format (with a shift to the left of the letter columns in ll. 3 and 4), in which the letters are arranged in vertical columns, since this is largely an Attic phenomenon.

Based on the palaeographic features of the inscription, scholars have proposed a wide range of possible dates: the late sixth century BC (Courby, 1915; A. Jacquemin, Offrandes monumentales à Delphes, 1999, 84; M. Scott, Delphi and Olympia², 2014, 77 and 318, no. 82), the early fifth century BC (F.Delphes and Amandry, 1978) or between 480 and 460 BC (W. G. Forrest, RBPh 34, 1956, 541-42 and IG). The extant portion of the dedication suggests that the victory this thank-offering commemorated followed a consultation of the oracle (l. 2), involved the dedicators’ territory or property (l. 3), and was won with the help of allies (l. 1; cf. Forrest, 1956). The Battle of Marathon would satisfy the last two conditions, since it was fought in Attica with the support of a contingent provided by Plataia (cf. F.Delphes and Amandry, 1978, suggesting that the offering might have consisted of a Persian wicker shield), but no oracle is attested beforehand (on Athenian commemoration of the Persian Wars, see IG I³ 503/4, 1463 and probably 1464). All three criteria are met by Kimon’s recovery of the bones of Theseus from Skyros, in the mid-470s (cf. Forrest, 1956; E. Walter-Karydi in M. Meyer and G. Adornato eds., Innovations and Inventions in Athens, 2020, 99-111). This accomplishment involved the subjugation of Skyros and was recommended to the Athenians by the Pythia (Plut. Thes. 36.1-3, Cim. 8.3-7, according to whom a bronze spear and a sword were found in Theseus’ coffin, which Forrest speculates might have been the object dedicated at Delphi). On this view, “the Athenians and the allies” (l. 1) refers to the Delian League.

A further option may be the Battle of Salamis, which involved Athenian territory and a famous oracle predicting that the city would be saved by a wooden wall (cf. Hdt. 7.141-43). Forrest rejected this on the grounds that the other Greeks who fought at the battle would not have accepted being reduced to the subordinate position of allies, but this could be a separate dedication by the Athenians alone; the Hellenic League collectively commemorated the Battle of Salamis at Delphi with the dedication of a colossal statue, probably of Apollo, holding the stern ornament of an enemy ship (Jacquemin, 1999, no. 309; cf. Hdt. 8.121.2 with Paus. 10.14.5; Choix de Delphes 16). The Aiginetans also dedicated a separate offering at Delphi commemorating Salamis (Jacquemin, 1999, no. 277; cf. Hdt. 8.122 with Ephoros, FGrH 70 F 188; Aristodemos, FGrH 104 F 1.1.6; Plut., Mor. 871c-d; Asheri and A. Corcella, Erodoto. Le Storie. Libro VIII, 2003, 323-24). The Battle of Plataia in 479 was also commemorated at Delphi with a collective dedication by the Hellenic League (the famous Serpent Column; Jacquemin, 1999, no. 310; cf. ML 27 and Choix de Delphes 17) and at least one separate dedication by the Plataians (Jacquemin, 1999, no. 412; cf. Paus. 10.15.1).

Added: 5 Jun 2023
Updated: 18 Aug 2023
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