• m14-375-10
    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Unpublished; the inscription is mentioned in BASOR 203 (1971), p. 14; and SPRT, pp. 145, 277 n. 75; Herrmann, ms.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