The Archaeological Exploration of Sardis

Inscribed Block (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

Inscribed Block from Anta of the Metroon (reused in Synagogue): Decree Honoring Heliodoros

Monograph 14: Sardis: Greek and Latin Inscriptions, Part II: Finds from 1958 to 2017 (2019) Cat. 302

Date

First half of the 2nd century BC., Hellenistic

Sardis or Museum Inv. No.

IN63.119

Material

Marble, Stone

Object Type

Architecture, Inscription

Inscription Type

Decree or Other Decision

Inscription language

Greek

Inscription Text

		Γνώμη βουλευτῶν· ἐπειδὴ Ἡλιόδωρος Διοδώρου τοῦ
		Λέοντος πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας χρείας παρείσχηται
		τῶι δήμωι κοινῆι τε καὶ ἰδίαι ἕκαστον τῶν πολιτῶν εὐεργετῶν
	4	καὶ πρεσβεύων πολλὰ συνκατεσκεύακεν τῶν πρὸς δόξαν
		καὶ τιμὴν ἀνηκόντων, ἅμα δὲ καὶ λυσιτελῶν, οὐ μόνον παρ᾿ ἡμῖν
		ποιούμενος τὰς ἀποδείξεις τῆς αὑτοῦ καλοκαγαθίας,
		ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πεμπομένοις δικαστηρίοις ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου
	8	εἰς τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις δυνατῶς καὶ ἐπιεικῶς ἐν ἑκάστοις
		ἀναστρεφόμενος, δι᾿ ὃ καὶ τέτευχεν στεφάνων καὶ τιμῶν
		ἐνδόξων· ἵνα δὲ καὶ οἱ πολῖται φαίνωνται τιμῶντες τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς
		τῶν ἀνδρῶν, δεδόχθαι τῆι βουλῆι καὶ τῶι δήμωι· στεφανῶσαι αὐτὸν
	12	χρυσῶι στεφάνωι καὶ εἰκόνι χαλκῆι· ἀναγράψαι δὲ καὶ τὸ ψήφισμα·
		τὴν δὲ ἐπιμέλειαν τούτων ποιήσασθαι τοὺς στρατηγούς.

Inscription Translation

“Motion of the councilors: Heliodoros, son of Diodoros, the son of Leon, has done numerous and significant services jointly to the People and separately to individuals, providing benefits to each of the citizens; and as ambassador he contributed by undertaking activities that yielded glory and honor and at the same time were of benefit; not only did he deliver proofs of his own excellence amongst us, but also in the law-courts that were sent by the People to the other cities: in each (court) he showed himself to be competent and equitable; for this reason, too, he obtained wreaths and glorious accolades. Consequently, and in order to let it be seen that also our citizens honor the good ones amongst the men, be resolved by Council and People to crown him with a golden wreath and (honor him) with a bronze statue; furthermore to have the decree inscribed; and that the strategoi will take care of the decree’s implementation.”

Inscription Comment

Site

Sardis

Sector

Syn

Trench

Syn 63

Locus

Syn MH Spolia

B-Grid Coordinates

E45.5 / N6.2 *98.42

Findspot

Synagogue, Main Hall, reused in one of the piers at the western end, see Gauthier, pl. XIV; originally belonging to an anta of the late Classical or Hellenistic Metroon (see no. 308, 4–5 comm.).

Description

Block of grayish-white marble, upper left corner damaged. Below the inscription there is a blank space of 0.115 m; separated by a blank space of 0.16 m, it is preceded by no. 310. For further details, see Gauthier, pl. XII (drawing of the stone).

Dimensions

H. 0.64, W. 0.71, Th. 0.76, max. H. of letters 0.018.

Comments

For details see Gauthier’s commentary.

The end of each line corresponds to the end of a word, making the lengths of the lines irregular.

2 παρείσχηται: see Schweizer, Gramm. pergamen. Inschr., pp. 171, 188.

12 The left vertical stroke of H in ΧΑΛKHI was not written.

See Also

Related Artifacts