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Inscribed Altar (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Inscribed Altar: Honorific Inscription for Emperor Hadrian
- Date
- Between 128/29 and 132 AD (ll. 1–5); after 138 AD (l. 6)., Roman
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- IN70.004
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Altar, Inscription
- Inscription Type
- Honorific Inscription
- Inscription language
- Greek
- Inscription Text
[Ὁ δῆμος κ]αὶ̣ [ἡ βουλ]ὴ Αὐ̣- [το]κ̣ράτορι 4 [Ἁ]δριανῷ Ὀ- λυμπίῳ vac.? Ἀντωνείνῳ.
- Inscription Translation
- “[The People] and [the Council] (have dedicated this altar) to Hadrianus Olympios – Antoninus.”
- Inscription Comment
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- RT
- Trench
- Syn 70
- Locus
- Monumental Arch (area of)
- B-Grid Coordinates
- E124 / S11 *97
- Findspot
- Road Trench, Monumental Arch, among collapsed blocks.
- Description
Altar of white marble; top broken off, molding below. In order to be reused, the bottom and the right edge have been removed.
- Dimensions
- H. 0.70, W. 0.37, Th. 0.29, H. of letters 0.035.
- Comments
Herrmann’s text and restorations. Summary of his commentary:
Herrmann follows A. Ramage’s interpretation (in the Final Report of 1970) that the name of Antoninus had been added later (the form of A diverges from the preceding lines). Originally, the altar was dedicated to Hadrian (like no. 374); after Antoninus Pius’s accession to the throne he became the addressee.
Herrmann refers to the honorary inscriptions for Antoninus Pius and Faustina the Younger: Sardis VII 1, nos. 58 and 59 (see no. 378, 3–5 comm.).
5 -ΜΠ- changed from -ΝΠ-. - Perhaps [καί] instead of vacat (the surface is damaged).
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Unpublished; the inscription is mentioned in BASOR 203 (1971), p. 14; and SPRT, pp. 145, 277 n. 75; Herrmann, ms.
- Author
- GP