AIUK11 no. 5 List of ephebic friends

List of ephebic friends

AIUK 11 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford) no. 5 Date: 41-54 AD

In the reign of Tiberius Claudius Caesar (41-54) ^[1] With Good Fortune. In the archonship of Metrodoros,^[2] the superintendent being (kosmēteuontos) Dionysodoros (son of Dionysodoros) of Phlya, the leader (hēgemonos) Philostratos . . . of Aphidna, the trainer being (paidotribountos) Diodoros son of Antipatros of Kropidai, (5) the secretary being Euphrosynos (son of Euphrosynos) of Phaleron, the weapons trainer (hoplomachou) Nikias son of Antigonos of Pallene, Alexander (son of Alexander) of Azenia (inscribed the names of) his [fierce] friends (philous gorgous) and fellow ephebes.^[2]

In crown at left Aiolion son of Antipatros (10) of Phlya^[3]

In crown at left Theogenes (son of Theogenes) of Kephisia

relief of vase

In crown at right Herakon son of Herakleides (15) of Marathon

[Crown at right]

col. 1

Dionysodoros^[4] Sotas Ariston Eisidoros (20) Zoilos Menandros Antigonos.

col. 2

Skamandros Apollodoros (25) Symmachos Stephanos Dionys- S-

col. 3

Charopeinos (30) Tryphon Eudemos Lenaios Sympheron Athen- (35) Th-

col. 4

not preserved

col. 5

not preserved

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Greek text

References:

AIUK 11 (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford) no. 5 (Translated text) (AIO) (AIUK)

IG II² 1973a (PHI)

SEG 54.228 A

Wilson, Ephebic Inscriptions E.085

Translation by: Chris de Lisle

AIO Images: 1

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: List of names (ephebic)

Original location: [Diogeneion?]

Findspot: Athens (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford ANChandler 2.56b)

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. He bought it from the English consul in Athens, Jean Giraud (cf. AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 4). [2] This is a list of ephebic friends (a philoi list), commemorating a group of friends (philoi) who went through the ephebate together (For the ephebate in the Roman period, see AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 10 and AIO Papers 12, and for its earlier history, see RO 89 and IG II² 1039). Lists of ephebic friends began to be erected in the reign of Claudius. They were the main type of ephebic inscription until the end of the first century AD and continued to be produced until the late second century AD (see AIO Papers 12, sect. 1.2). The exact date of this inscription within the reign of Claudius is uncertain (see Byrne RCA p. 523, Schmalz, pp. 320-25). IG II² 1974 and IG II² 1988=2264 belong to around the same date and AIUK 14 (NMS), no. 1 is another inscription of the same year. The names of twenty-four ephebes are preserved; at least ten more have been lost. The number of ephebes included in contemporary philoi lists varies from nineteen in IG II² 1984 to more than seventy in IG II² 1970, so the number listed in this inscription is within normal bounds. These lists only included a subset of the ephebes, not the whole cohort, as shown by the other surviving list of ephebic friends from this year, AIUK 14 (NMS), no. 1, which was dedicated by another member of the cohort. Several ephebes appear in both lists, but many others appear only in one of them. Other cases where multiple lists of ephebic friends survive from a single year (e.g. IG II² 1969-1971) indicate that the whole cohort likely numbered over a hundred individuals in this period. The ephebes included in the list were thus a select group. The term “fierce friends” (philoi gorgoi) restored here is used in the mid-first century AD lists and emphasised the ephebes' close bonds and martial virtue. Sometimes these lists were inscribed by the whole group together (e.g. AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 9), but they were usually inscribed by an individual ephebe, in this case Alexander of Azenia, who is not otherwise attested. The inscriber emphasised his social prestige by including prestigious ephebes in the list and by the large number of friends presented. The high quality of the inscription and the fine relief also drew the eye and displayed Alexander’s wealth. It is probable that these lists were set up in the ephebes’ headquarters, the Diogeneion gymnasium, since many examples of the genre have been found under St. Demeterios Katephores in the material from the gymnasium that was incorporated into the Post-Herulian wall (e.g. IG II² 1998). For the superintendent (kosmetes) in the Roman period, see IG II² 3739 and AIO Papers 12, sect. 2.1. For the trainer (paidotribes and other ephebic staff, see IG II² 3737, AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 6 and AIO Papers 12, sect. 2.2). Sostratos, the son of the weapons trainer Nikias is attested in the same role ca. 80 AD (IG II² 1993-1994). It was common in the Roman period for families to inherit positions on the ephebic staff in this way. [3] The ephebes named within the crowns had probably performed liturgies for their fellow ephebes during the year, by serving as competition directors (agonothetai) and/or gymnasiarchs (see AIO Papers 12, sect. 2.3). All three of them also appear at the top of the list of names in AIUK 14 (NMS), no. 1, ll. 8-12. Aiolion (ll. 8-10) would serve as archon ca. 75 AD (e.g. IG II² 1998) and belonged to one of the families that had risen to prominence in Athens following Augustus’ victory at Actium in 31 BC. Members of his family are traceable into the mid-second century AD (Byrne, RCA, pp. 423-24, 484-86, and stemma xvi). He held Roman citizenship, but, as is common in Attic epigraphy before the late first century AD, his Latin nomen, Vipsanius, is not given in the inscription. Theogenes (ll. 11-12) was treasurer for Erechtheis in the 90’s AD (Agora XV 312, l. 10), while Herakon (ll. 13-15) and his family are not otherwise known. The ephebe in the lost crown might be Anthos, who is named third in AIUK 14 (NMS), no. 1, l. 10. [4] The majority of the ephebes in the main list cannot be identified, but the first listed, Dionysodoros (l. 16), is probably the son of the superintendent Dionysodoros (l. 3) and might be the same as Dionysas, listed second in AIUK 14 (NMS), no. 1.

For more detailed discussion of the inscription see AIUK 11 (Ashmolean), no. 5 .

Added: 14 Jan 2021
Updated: 9 May 2023
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