AIUK11 no. 4 Dedication by ephebes, 36/7 AD

Dedication by ephebes, 36/7 AD

AIUK 11 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford) no. 4 Date: 36/7 AD

Those who were ephebes in the year that King Rhoimetalkas the younger^[1] was archon (36/7 AD) (dedicated this) to Hermes, the trainers being (paidotribountōn) Thebagenes and (5) Theodoros, the sons of Irenaios of Hermos, the deputy trainer being (hupopaidotribountos) Demosthenes son of Myron of Kydathenaion:^[2] Aulos son of Bassos of Pallene^[3] (10) Leontiskos son of Dionysios of Sounion Bassos (son of Bassos) of Pallene Lenaios (son of Lenaios) of Gargettos Athenais (son of Athenais) of Oion Philemon (son of Philemon) of Myrrhinoutta (15) Chabreas son of Timokrates of Piraeus Aristoteles son of Timokrates [of Piraeus] Eumedes son of Demetrios . . . Naukydes son of Isidotos . . . Aphrodisios son of Philemon . . . (20) Kallixenos son of Dionysios . . . Epiktetos son of Isidoros . . . Dionysios son of Me- . . . Demetrios son of Dis- . . . . . . traces . . .

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Greek text

References:

AIUK 11 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford) no. 4 (Translated text) (AIUK) (AIO)

IG II² 1967 (PHI)

IG II³ 4 389 (IG Online)

SEG 56.214

SEG 21.619

Wilson, Ephebic Inscriptions E.081

Henderson, Springtime, T9.19

Translation by: Chris de Lisle, Sjoukje M. Kamphorst

AIO Images: 1 2 3

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: Dedication (ephebes), Dedication (Hermes)

Fr. a - Findspot: Athens (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford ANChandler 2.55)
Fr. b - Findspot: Athens (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford G1223)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This is one of ten inscriptions acquired by George Wheler on his visit to Athens in 1676 and donated to the University of Oxford 1683. The others are AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 5-10, 12-14. He bought most or all of them from the English consul in Athens, Jean Giraud. The inscription now consists of two fragments and this was already the case when it was included in R. Chandler, Marmora Oxoniensia (1763), but transcriptions by Wheler and his fellow traveller Jacob Spon indicate that the break had not yet occurred when Wheler acquired the stone.

This is the first securely dated ephebic inscription since IG II² 1963 of 13/2 BC. The gap in ephebic inscriptions has been seen as evidence for a downturn in the fortunes of the ephebate in the early Julio-Claudian period, but there are relatively few inscriptions of any kind from Athens in this period, so this may simply be part of a wider shift in the Athenian epigraphic habit. The listed ephebes, none of whom are otherwise attested, are probably not the whole cohort but a sub-group who wished to commemorate their friendship (cf. AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 5). The dedication was made at the end of the ephebes’ year of service. Hermes was an appropriate god for the dedication, since he was one of the patron deities of the gymnasium, along with Herakles (cf. IG II³ 4, 338). On the ephebic dedications of the Hellenistic and Roman periods, see IG II³ 4, 357 with n. 1 and AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 10. This dedication was made in the archonship at Athens of Rhoemetalces III, king of the Thracians. See PIR², R 68 and Schmalz, pp. 61-62; cf. IG II³ 4, 606. [2] For the trainer (paidotribes) and deputy trainer (hypopaidotribes), see IG II² 3737. It is very unusual for there to be multiple trainers. In other cases (e.g. IG II³ 4, 391 and 395, IG II² 2024), joint tenure occurs in a transitional period, when a trainer who had served for many years was handing the position over to a relative. That may also be the case here, though neither individual is otherwise attested. [3] There are two pairs of brothers in this inscription (ll. 9, 11, 15-16). On such “ephebic twins,” see IG II² 1963 n. 2.

For more detailed discussion of the inscription see AIUK 11, no. 4. For a general discussion of the ephebate in Roman Athens see AIO Papers 12.

Added: 21 Oct 2019
Updated: 24 Sep 2022
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ID: AIO_1868