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Inscribed Base (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College) -
Inscribed Base, In Situ (reused in late antique spolia wall), Lower right stone (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Inscribed Base (reused in late antique Spolia Wall): Honorific Inscription for Melitine, former Priestess of Artemis
- Date
- 1st–2nd century AD., Roman
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- S13.149
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Statue Base, Inscription
- Inscription Type
- Honorific Inscription
- Inscription language
- Greek
- Inscription Text
[Ἡ β]ουλὴ ἐτείμησεν [Μ]ε̣λιτίνην Μενάνδρου τ̣ο̣ῦ ἀγορανόμου καὶ ἱε- 4 ρέως τοῦ Διὸς καὶ γραμμα- τέως τοῦ δήμου θυγατέ- ρα, καυειν, τὴν γενομένη[ν] ἱέρειαν τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος [ ] 8 δοῦσαν καὶ κρατῆρα τῇ β[ου]- λῇ τῆς ἱερωσύνης καὶ τὰ ἔ[θι]- μα ἐκ πλήρους παρασχο- μένην τῇ θεῷ. leaf 12 Ὑπὲρ ἧς Μένανδρος ὁ πα- τὴρ ἀνέθηκεν εἰς θυσίας τῶν Σεβαστῶν καὶ κρατῆ- [ρα τ]ῇ βουλῇ κατ᾿ ἐνιαυτὸν 16 [δη]νάρια ἑξακισχίλια.
- Inscription Translation
- “The Council has honored Melitine, daughter of Menandros, the agoranomos and priest (4) of Zeus and secretary of the People, kaueis, the former priestess of Artemis, (8) who has also given to the Council the bowl (a symposion) of the priesthood and fully offered to the goddess what is customary. - (12) Her father Menandros dedicated on her behalf for yearly offerings/sacrifices of the Augusti and for a bowl (symposion) for the Council (16) 6,000 denarii.”
- Inscription Comment
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- F55
- Trench
- F55 13.1
- Locus
- F55 13.1 Locus 3
- B-Grid Coordinates
- E772.8 / S182.4 *127.188
- Findspot
- Field 55, east side of Wadi B Temple terrace, built into late antique Spolia Wall.
- Description
Base of marble, broken on the right and partly damaged on the left upper corner and the lower part.
- Dimensions
- H. 1.32, max. W. 0.54, H. of letters, ll. 1–11, 0.025; ll. 12–16: 0.02.
- Comments
4–5 γραμματεὺς τοῦ δήμου: cf. Sardis VII 1, no. 48, 5–6; no. 337, a6.
6 καυειν: see the commentaries on nos. 337, b3 and 393, 18–19.
6–7 cf. Sardis VII 1, no. 52, col. 2, 4–5.
7–8 [ἐπι]/δοῦσαν?
8–9 and 14–15 κρατήρ is probably to be understood as a “drinking-bout,” to which Melitine invited the βουλή in connection with her priesthood, and, on her behalf, Menandros in connection with “the offerings of the Augusti.” Petzl, Beichtinschriften, no. 1, 1–2 runs as follows: Μείδων Μενάνδρου κρατῆρα ἐπόει ἐπὶ τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Τρωσου, which is translated by J. and L. Robert, BE 1970, 511, p. 438: “Meidôn faisait une beuverie…dans le sanctuaire de Zeus Trôsou (par-devant le dieu), ce que bien des inscriptions de panégyries paysannes, en Bithynie, Mysie et Phrygie, notamment sur le Haut Méandre, appellent οἰνοπόσιον.”
9–11 cf., e.g., J. and L. Robert, Hellenica VI, pp. 77–78 on TAM V 2, 1001, 3–9: ἀγωνοθετή[σαντα]…[τὴν ἀγ]ομένην το[ῖς Σεβαστοῖς κ]αὶ Ἀπόλλω[νι Τυρίμ]νῳ πρὸ τῆς πό[λεως πανή]γυριν πάντ[α ποιήσα]ντα τὰ ἔθι[μα]; and F. Sokolowski, Lois sacrées des cités grecques, no. 103, frg. B, 15–16: τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ἔστω τῆς ἱε[ρείας] κατὰ τὰ ἔθιμα.
12–16 written by a second hand.
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Unpublished.
- Author
- GP