RoussetDelphes 4 Document (decree?) at Delphi related to the Athenian boundary settlement between Delphi and Phlygonion-Ambryssos

Document (decree?) at Delphi related to the Athenian boundary settlement between Delphi and Phlygonion-Ambryssos

Rousset, Le territoire de Delphes 4 Date: ca. 140 BC

. . . . . . . . . of the land under (?) . . . in the archonship of . . . at Athens (5) . . . at Ambryssos^[1] . . . . . . of the Athenian People and . . . the . . . of the proconsul (anthypatos)^[2] and of Lucius . . . [should be inscribed? next to] the decree of the People.^[3]

Previous - Rousset, Le territoire de Delphes 3

References:

Rousset, Le territoire de Delphes 4 (Translated text) (AIO)

F.Delphes III 2 142 (PHI)

Translation by: Niklas Bettermann

Monument type: Block (Wall)

Inscription type: Decree (People) ?

Fr. a - Findspot: Delphi (Athenian Treasury, pronaos, left of entrance) (Delphi Museum 6733)
Fr. b - Findspot: Delphi (terrace south of Athenian Treasury) (Delphi Museum 958)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] Textual note: AIO follows the plausible text of Rousset, who restores the end of l. 8 as a publication clause: ἀναγράψαι ? παρ]ὰ τὸ ψήφισμα τοῦ δήμου "[should be inscribed? next to] the decree of the People" which is reasonable given its position at the end of the text. Rousset and AIO exclude hypothetical reconstructions at ll. 6-8: τὸ ψήφισμα ? του δήμο]υ̣ τ̣οῦ Ἀθηναίων, | κα[ὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τὴν γραφεῖσαν ὑπὸ - ] ἀ̣νθυπάτου καὶ τὴν Λευκίο[υ "the decree of the People] of the Athenians, and [the letter written by - ] the proconsul and the (letter) of Lucius" (J. Bousquet, BCH 66-67, 1942-43, 124-25). and at l. 8: κατ]ὰ τὸ ψήφισμα "in accordance with] the decree" (H. Pomtow, Klio 18, 1923, 305 no. 21). Both of these reconstructions would have a major impact on the interpretation of the text (see below).

The inscription is composed of two fragments. Since one of the fragments was found at the pronaos of the Athenian Treasury at Delphi, the first editors of the inscription suggested that it was originally displayed there. However, it seems more likely that it was carved in the southern wall of the Athenian Treasury – where most inscriptions were inscribed – and then removed or reused (cf. Rousset, 78). On the Treasury, see F.Delphes III 2, 3 and on Attic inscriptions at Delphi, see IG II³ 4, 17 with notes.

The mention of Ambryssos and an Athenian archon (l. 6) makes it very likely that this inscription is connected with the Athenian arbitration of the territorial dispute between Delphi and Phlygonion-Ambryssos (F.Delphes III 2, 136 with notes), but the exact content of the inscription must remain unclear as it greatly depends on the restoration of ll. 6–8 (see textual note). The text of Rousset, preferred here, does not allow any precise statement about the nature of the document. By contrast, Bousquet's restorations of ll. 6–8 would mean that the inscription contained the decision to publish a dossier consisting of an Athenian decree and two letters, one from the Roman proconsul (l. 7) and the other from a certain Lucius (l. 8). A completely different interpretation follows from Pomtow's suggestion for l. 8 ‘according to the decree’ since the inscription would thus be an Athenian decree, perhaps the resolution to send judges to Delphi to carry out the arbitration in F.Delphes III 2, 136. [2] The proconsul (anthypatos) is most likely the Roman governor of Macedonia whose office was established between 148 and 146 BC (see Rousset, 127 with n. 405). As Rousset (17 with n. 407) points out, this is clear evidence of Roman activity at Delphi, which may also lie behind F.Delphes III 2, 136

Added: 3 Dec 2023
Updated: 3 Dec 2023
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ID: AIO_2830