Inscribed Block (reused as threshold in a modern house): Inscription Commemorating Contributions

Date
Probably Hellenistic., Hellenistic
Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
Uninv. M14 No.569
Material
Marble, Stone
Object Type
Architecture, Inscription
Inscription Type
Varia
Inscription language
Greek
Inscription Text
			(col. I)				(col. II)
		-     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -
		[ . . ]Ο[ . ]ΑΠΟ Ε [ . . . . . ]Σ[ . ]ΤΟΣ[					  ]
		Ἄρατος Ἡρακλείδου		    Μενεκράτου το[		  ]
		ἀργυ [ . . ] Ε			    [ . . ]σος ὁ ἀφειμένος ἐλεύθε-
	4	Ἡραῖος Ἀράτου τοῦ Ἀττά-	    ρος κατὰ διαθήκην ὑπὸ Σωσι-
		λου ἀργυ[				]   γέν[ους] Μενεκλήους [ . . . ]
		Μένιππος Κρα[			]   οἶνο[ν . ]ΜΕΛ[			  ]
		Ἀρτεμιδ[ωρ				]   [ . . . . ] Μητρόδωρος Ἡραί-
	8	Πρωτογ[ένης Πρωτογ]ένο[υς]  [ου] καὶ Λυσίμαχος
		τοῦ Διον[υσίου			]   [Μη]τροδώρου τοῦ
		Διονύ[σιος				]   [Ἠρα]ίου καὶ Ἡραῖος
		τοῦ Δι[ον]υσ[ίου			]   [Μη]τροδώρου εἰς [		  ]
	12	Πυθοκ[				]   [ . . . . . ]ΚΡ[ . ]ΙΟ[		  ]
		ἀργυ[				]   Διογέ[νη]ς Ἑρμογένου
		Στρα[τ . . . . . ]γένο[		]   ἀργυ[				  ]
		Πρωτογέν[….]ΕΡΑΤ[….]ΡΕΚ	    [Μ]έντωρ Διονυσίου
	16	Ἀπολλώνιος [Μ]ατρέο[υ	]   οἶνον Α
		Ἀπολλώνιος ἀργυ[		]   Ἀπ[ο]λ[λ]ωνίδης
		Ἄτταλος Ἀπολλωνίου		    Ἀπολλωνίδου
		τοῦ Ἀττάλου ἀργυ[		]   ὁ νεώτερος ἀργ-ρε´.
	20	Ἡρακλείδης Ἀττάλου
		τοῦ Ἀπολλωνίου εἰς
		τὴν θυσίαν προβάτων [	         ]
		Ἡφαιστίω[ν Μ]ηνᾶδο[ς]
Inscription Translation
Inscription Comment
Findspot
Present whereabouts unknown.
Description

Marble, at the time of the original publication, serving as threshold in a house. - “ἐν χωρίῳ Τατάρ”, cf. 683, lemma.

Dimensions
H. 0.60, W. 0.50, Th. 0.10.
Comments

It is unclear whether the contributions listed here were of public or private nature. The mention of the aim of the donation col. I, 21–22, “for the sacrifice of cattle,” seems to point to a sacred context; the contributions of “wine” (col. II, 6 and 16) might point in the same direction. Apart from the latter contribution in kind, there are repeated mentions of “silver” (abbreviated ἀργυ [col. I, 3, 5, 13, 17, 19; col. II, 14] or ἀργ [col. II, 19]). These probably refer to donations in cash. Col. II, 19 has ἀργ followed apparently by the number ρε´ (“105”), which may indicate the sum in drachmai; the fragmentary entries ἀργυ [ . . ] Ε (col. I, 3) and [….]ΡΕΚ (col. I, 15) may have had a comparable significance.

1 From the publication it is not evident whether the first preserved line belongs to a headline or was, like the following lines, split into two columns.

col. I, 16–17 Perhaps to be corrected to Ἀπολλώνιος [Μ]ατρέο[υ τοῦ / Ἀπολλωνίο<υ> ἀργυ?

col. II, 3–5 Special mention is made of the fact that [- -]sos had been set free by Sosigenes, son of Menekles, in his testament.

Persons for whose names and father’s names parallels can be found in approximately contemporaneous inscriptions from Sardis or its neighborhood, cannot safely be identified with each other as their names are too common:

col. I, 16: IGSK 63, no. 1a, 52 (Metropolis, 132 BC): Ἀπολλώνιος Ματρέου; cf. IGSK 17, 1, no. 3293 (Thyaira, Imperial period?).

col. I, 18–19: TAM, V, 2, 1229, 10–11 (Apollonis, 28/27 BC): Ἄ[τ]ταλον Ἀπολλωνίου. ΙGSΚ 17, 2, no. 3863a, 8–9 (near Hypaipa, late first century BC–early first century AD?): Ἀττάλου τοῦ Ἀπολλωνίου.

col. I, 20: LGPN VA, s.v. Ἡρακλείδης (no. 184, territory of Hypaipa), quotes a Ἡρακλίδης, whose father’s name was Ἄτταλος (unpublished; no date).

col. II, 17–18: Sardis VII 1, no. 5, 22 (ca. 100 BC): Ἀπολλωνίδης Ἀπολλωνίδ[ου].

See Also
Bibliography
After a copy by A. M. Fontrier: Μουσεῖον καὶ Βιβλιοθήκη τῆς Εὐαγγελικῆς Σχολῆς, III 1–2 (1878–80), p. 184, no. τογ´. The inscription is mentioned as “possibly Sardian” in Sardis VII 1, p. 166.
Author
GP