IGII34 3 Dedication of a statue of Democracy by the Council, 333/2 BC

Dedication of a statue of Democracy by the Council, 333/2 BC

IG II³ 4 3 Date: 333/2 BC

Democracy.^[1] [The Council] in the archonship of Nikokrates (333/2) dedicated, having been crowned by the People for its excellence and justice.

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References:

IG II³ 4 3 (Translated text) (IG Online)

IG II² 2791 (PHI)

SEG 46.245

Translation by: Stephen Lambert

Monument type: Base

Inscription type: Dedication (Council), Dedication (Democracy)

Findspot: Unknown (fr. b) (EM 3913)
Findspot: Agora (Church of St. Nicholas Blastaros, north of Royal Stoa, fr. a) (Lost)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] Though "Democracy" existed as a personified abstraction from at least the late-fifth century the earliest evidence for her as a cult figure dates to the late 330s. In the records of the sales of animal skins from public sacrifices a sizeable sacrifice to Democracy, conducted by the generals, is recorded for Boedromion 332/1 (IG II² 1496, ll. 131-32, also 331/0, ll. 140-41) and the Council of 333/2 made this dedication of a statue of Democracy, perhaps in the Agora (it is no longer thought that part of the statue itself survives, see O. Palagia, in W. Coulson et al., Archaeology of Athens, 1994, 113-22 = SEG 46.245). It may not be coincidental that it was on 12 Boedromion that a sacrifice took place giving thanks for freedom, marking the day on which the democrats returned from Phyle in 403 (Plut. De Glor. Ath. 7.349f). The "festival of Democracy" of the skin sale records may be identical with, or a development of, that offering. It is also not coincidental that this flurry of activity connected with the cult of Democracy coincides with a period when, following the Athenian defeat at the battle of Chaironeia in 338/7, democracy was felt to be under threat; see especially IG II³ 1, 320; and in general on Democracy as a cult figure, R. Parker, Athenian Religion (1996), 228-29, 236-37, 244. One connotation of "Democracy" was that the "People", the term used here, as commonly, of the citizen Assembly of all adult male citizens, should "rule", and an important aspect of this concerned the relations between the Council and the Assembly (see e.g. Hdt. 3.80; Ar. Pol. 1299b 34, 1300a 3-4; Ath. Pol. 33.2; IG I³ 105). This dedication explicitly celebrated the fact that the "People" recognised that the Council of 333/2 had performed its duties in proper "democratic" fashion.

Dedications such as this might have been associated with a list of the whole Council, or those who contributed to the cost of the dedication, cf. AIO 2776, with notes.

Added: 12 Jul 2017
Updated: 21 Aug 2024
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ID: AIO_875