IGII2 1156 Honours for ephebes

Honours for ephebes

IG II² 1156 Date: 334/3 BC

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^[1] . . . (16) - son of -mokritos - son of -krates [From Halai Aixonides?] -nos son of Phyromachos (20) Chairestratos son of Chairion -otos son of Demetrios -genes son of Sabon Antisthenes son of Antiphates From Daidalidai (25) Philoxenos son of Philonomos

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. . . [From Melite?] - son of -os - son of -es - son of -nippos - son of -ades (5) - son of Mnesitheos - son of Hegesiphanes -machos son of Glauketes -anodoros son of Lysistratos Kallias son of Kalliades (10) Antiphon son of Epitropos Chremes son of Smikythos From Aixone Eukles son of Eukleides Melanthios son of Aristeides (15) Theotimos son of Theopompos Amphistratos son of Philemonides Demokleides son of Demeas Theodotos son of Aischron Epikrates son of Eukrates (20) From Xypete Nikias son of Euktaios Xenophon son of Mnesiades From Pithos Teisamenos son of Kiros (25) Autokles son of Charippos

Decree 1 (tribe Kekropis) Kallikrates of Aixone proposed: since the ephebes of Kekropis^VII in the archonship of Ktesikles (334/3) show good discipline (eutaktousin) and do everything that the laws require of them, and obey their controller (sōphronistei), who was elected by the People, praise (30) them and crown them with a gold crown of 500 drachmas for their good order (kosmiotētos) and discipline (eutaxias); and praise their controller (sōphronistēn), Adeistos son of Antimachos of Athmonon, and crown him with a gold crown of 500 drachmas because he managed (epemelēthē) well and with love of honour (philotimōs) the ephebes of the Kekropid tribe^VII; and inscribe this decree (35) on a stone stele and stand it in the sanctuary of Kekrops.

Decree 2 (Council) Hegemachos son of Chairemon of Perithoidai proposed: since the ephebes of Kekropis^VII marshalled (tachthentes) at Eleusis manage (epimelountai) well and with love of honour (philotimōs) the things that the Council and People require of them, and show themselves well-disciplined, praise them for their good order (kosmiotētos) (40) and discipline (eutaxias) and crown each of them with a foliage crown; and praise their controller (sōphronistēn), Adeistos son of Antimachos of Athmonon, and crown him with a foliage crown when he has rendered his accounts; and inscribe this decree on the dedication which the ephebes of Kekropis^VII are dedicating.

Decree 3 (Deme Eleusis)^[2] (45) Protias proposed: the demesmen shall resolve, since the ephebes of Kekropis^VII and their controller (sōphronistēs), Adeistos son of Antimachos of Athmonon, manage (epimelountai) the guarding (phulakēs) of Eleusis well and with love of honour (philotimōs), praise them and crown each of them with a foliage crown; and inscribe this decree on the dedication which (50) the ephebes of Kekropis^VII of the archonship of Ktesikles (334/3) are dedicating.

Decree 4 (Deme Athmonon)^[3] Euphronios proposed: the demesmen shall resolve, since the ephebes enrolled in the archonship of Ktesikles (334/3) show good discipline (eutaktousin) and do everything that the laws require of them, and their (55) controller (sōphronistēs), elected by the People, declares that they are obedient and do everything else with love of honour (philotimōs), praise them and crown them with a gold crown of 500 drachmas for their good order (kosmiotētos) and discipline (eutaxias); and praise their controller (sōphronistēn), Adeistos son of Antimachos of Athmonon, and crown (60) him with a gold crown of 500 drachmas, because he managed (epemelēthē) well and with love of honour (philotimōs) the demesmen and all the others of the Kekropid tribe^VII; and inscribe this decree on the dedication which the ephebes of Kekropis^VII and their controller (sōphronistēs) are dedicating.

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In painted crown?^[4] The tribe

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In painted crown? The Council

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In painted crown? The Eleusinians

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In painted crown? The Athmoneis

Previous - RO 88 Next - RO 91

References:

IG II² 1156 (Translated text) (PHI)

SEG 65.19

Reinmuth, Ephebic Inscriptions 2

RO 89

IALD 46 no. 28

IALD II 210, 233

Friend T2

Henderson, Springtime, T1.2

Russo, Ripartizioni, TR143

Translation by: Stephen Lambert

Images: Krateros - (1)

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: Decree 1 (Tribe Kekropis), Decree 2 (Council), Decree 3 (Deme Eleusis), Decree 4 (Deme Athmonon)

Original location: Acropolis (Sanctuary of Kekrops)

Findspot: Acropolis (EM 7743)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This inscription and the others noted below stand at the head of a long series, extending over five hundred years, which commemorate the "national service" of the young men known as ephebes, their "controllers" (sophronistai, one for each tribal contingent at this period), their overall superintendent (kosmetes), and their trainers. These officials and the two-year ephebic programme, are described by Ath. Pol. 42 (written in the 320s):

"..... (2) [boys registered in demes at age of 18, then ....] their fathers meet by tribes and choose on oath three members of the tribe over 40 years old whom they consider the best and most suitable to take charge of the cadets: from these the People elect one man from each tribe as sophronistes, and from the citizen body as a whole they elect a single kosmetes as supreme superintendent of the whole force. (3) The cadets assemble under these officers, and first make a tour of the sanctuaries, then proceed to the Piraeus, where some do guard duty at Mounichia and some at Akte. The people also elect two trainers (paidotribai) for them, and instructors (didaskaloi) to teach them infantry fighting, archery, javelin-throwing and catapult-firing. For maintenance one drachma each is provided for the sophronistai and four obols for the ephebes: each sophronistes takes the funds of his tribe members, buys a common stock of provisions for all of them (for they eat by tribes), and takes charge of everything else. (4) That is how the first year is spent. The following year there is an Assembly in the theatre, at which the ephebes display to the People the manoeuvres which they have learned and receive a shield and a spear from the state. Then they patrol the frontiers of the country, and spend their time in the guard-posts. (5) These two years they spend on guard duty, wearing short cloaks. They are free from all obligations; and so that they shall have no reason for absence they are not allowed to appear in lawsuits either as prosecutor or as defendant, except in cases concerning an inheritance or an heiress. Absence is allowed if a man holds a genos priesthood. At the end of the two years the ephebes join the rest of the citizen body."

Harpocration, a late lexicographer, refers to a certain Epikrates, "whom Lykourgos, in his speech on his administration, mentions, saying that a statue was erected to him because of his law about the ephebes." (e 101 s.v. Epikrates). This suggests that the training programme for the ephebes was radically strengthened at this time, though some form of training for this age group may have existed before (cf. IG II³ 4, 278 with notes; on the ephebic oath and its likely archaic origins see RO 88). For the "Eutaxia" liturgy, most likely connected with the ephebate, see IG II³ 1, 550. For ephebic dedications datable to the period before 321 BC, see IG II³ 4, 329 - 352 together with those listed in the notes to IG II³ 4, 329. In addition the following inscriptions carrying tribal or deme decrees relating to ephebes are datable to this period: Friend T1 = SEG 23.78 = Reinmuth no. 1; Friend T3 = IG II² 1189 = Reinmuth no. 3 = I Eleusis 84; Friend T9 = SEG 21.513 = Reinmuth no. 9; Friend T17 = SEG 36.155 (relevance to ephebes uncertain). On the ephebate between 322/1 and the beginning of the third century see Friend, 172-84, who argues that it did not exist at this period, except for a brief revival under the restored democracy of 307/6-300 BC. This, however, set the pattern for the Hellenistic ephebate in which many fewer young men served as ephebes and their period of service was reduced to a year. Evidence remains patchy until, after the ephebes' distinguished service in the Chremonidean War, it became customary to honour them with inscribed Assembly decrees, see IG II³ 1, 917, 957, 981, 986, 1003, etc.; AIO Papers 4, 20-21, 25-26. On the later Hellenistic ephebic decrees see E. Perrin-Saminadayar, Education, culture et société à Athènes: les acteurs de la vie culturelle athénienne (229-88): un tout petit monde (2007); on the post-Sullan decrees, the same author's essay in S. Follet ed., L’Hellénisme d’époque Romaine: noveaux documents, nouvelles approches (I^er s. a. C. - III^e s. p. C.) (2004), 87-103. For an overview of the military aspects of the ephebate from its inception to the 2nd cent. BC see D. Knoepfler, in J. Jouanna et al. eds., La Grèce et la guerre (2015), 59-104, emphasising (in contrast to Perrin-Saminadayar) the continuing military character of the institution after 229 BC (= SEG 65.19). For texts and translations of the five post-Sullan decrees see AIO 1798, 1836, 924, 1838, 1837. For the ephebic dedications of the Hellenistic and Roman periods see IG II³ 4, 357 with n. 1. For the Athenian ephebate in the Roman period see AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 10 and AIO Papers 12. [2] For the deme Eleusis, its garrison and its numerous decrees see I Eleusis 68. [3] Decree 4 is one of two extant decrees of the deme Athmonon. For the other one and in general on this deme see IG II² 1203. [4] The citations at the bottom of this decree are of a type which are usually encircled by inscribed crowns, symbolising the crowns awarded by the bodies named. In this case there is no trace of the crowns, but they may well originally have been painted in. The names in the citations help to identify the bodies awarding the decrees inscribed above. The second decree on this stone is the only example in the period 352/1-322/1 BC of a decree of the Council inscribed alongside tribal and deme decrees, but with no accompanying decree of the Assembly. IG II² 1155 was previously thought to be another example, but the discovery of a new fragment has shown that the first decree on that inscription was passed not by the Council, as was previously believed, but by the soldiers of the tribe Kekropis.

Added: 8 Apr 2013
Updated: 24 Jan 2024
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ID: AIO_287