AIO 3566 Decree of Rhamnous and Athenian residents honouring Apollonios

Decree of Rhamnous and Athenian residents honouring Apollonios

AIO 3566 Date: ca. 260-255 BC

Archedemos son of Euphron of Rhamnous proposed:^[1] since Apollonios, having been appointed by . . . Asklepiades . . . has managed both the guarding, doing what was beneficial (5) for the deme and for those citizens residing in the fortress . . . in the countryside well-disciplined . . . and himself or them . . . and good discipline, for good fortune, the demesmen (10) and the resident citizens shall decide to praise Apollonios . . . and crown him with a gold crown according to the law for the excellence and love of honour (philotimias) which he continues to have towards both the king and . . . Asklepiades (15) [and towards the Athenian People?]; and praise also . . . and crown him with a foliage crown for his excellence and love of honour; and to inscribe this decree on a stone stele and stand it wherever might seem to him best (20) . . .

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Greek text

References:

AIO 3566 (Translated text) (AIO)

R. Osborne, The demos and its divisions, no. 18

I Rhamnous 2 (PHI)

Oetjen, Athen im dritten Jahrhundert, no. 16

Knoepfler, Trésor documentaire, 50-54, 207.10a

Translation by: Stephen Lambert

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: Decree (Deme Rhamnous and Athenian residents)

Findspot: Rhamnous (Rhamnous Fortress 1045 + 1094 Φ)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] Textual note. AIO's text follows in its main points that of Oetjen, who attractively identified the honorand Apollonios with the Apollonios who was father of Dikaiarchos of Thria , honorand of I Rhamnous 17, of 235/4 BC, and his superior in this decree, Asklepiades , as perhaps an official of king Antigonos Gonatas appointed in the aftermath of Athens' defeat in the Chremonidean War to take charge of Athenian affairs or perhaps rather more specifically of the Attic maritime fortresses (see further below). 2 fin. The title held by Asklepiades is uncertain (τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, "general", Petrakos, left unrestored by Oetjen), as is 3 fin. the description of his (or Apollonios'?) responsibilities ἐπὶ τὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ φρουρίου, τῆς, "appointed by Asklepiades .... in charge of guarding the fort" Gauthier, Bull. Ep. 2001, 197, after Petrakos. 7 cf. I Rhamnous 17, 8, εὔτακτον παρέχων αὑτόν, "showing himself well-disciplined". 11 cf. 3. 14 Oetjen inadvertently retains in his printed text τὸν στρατηγὸν as the title of Asklepiades (cf. 2, where he leaves the title unrestored). 16 τὸν ἐπιμελητὴν, "manager" Petrakos (for this as the title of the manager of the fortress under Antigonos, cf. I Rhamnous 9), Δικαίαρχον, i.e. honorand of I Rhamnous 17 and son of Apollonios, Oetjen (but to introduce Dikaiarchos by name only, without further identification or title, would be a little surprising, and in I Rhamnous 17 he is said to have received a gold crown like his father, whereas here a foliage crown is awarded).

The date and context of this decree depends on the identification of the two main persons named in it:

The primary honorand is Apollonios, identifiable as Apollonios father of Dikaiarchos of Thria honoured by I Rhamnous 17. It appears from this decree that he was appointed by Asklepiades to a post which entailed management of the fort at Rhamnous (2-4), in which post he apparently benefited the deme and citizen soldiers there (4-6) ensuring good discipline (6-9). For this he is praised and crowned with a gold crown, in recognition of his excellence and another quality, most likely love of honour (philotimia) or good will (eunoia), towards the king (i.e. Antigonos Gonatas), Asklepiades and (albeit completely restored, and uncertain) the Athenian People. From I Rhamnous 17 we learn that Dikaiarchos was appointed with his father Apollonios by king Antigonos to be in charge of the guarding of the fort and those living in it, and because of their performance the Rhamnousians and the Athenians living in the fort crowned both of them with a gold crown. We also learn that he was crowned similarly with his father when the latter was in charge of the fort at Eleusis. Whether or not he was formally described as such, it seems Apollonios in our decree performed the functions of a phrourarch, or commander of the fortress at Rhamnous.

The other key figure in this decree is Asklepiades , by whom Apollonios was appointed to his position at Rhamnous. Oetjen initially (no. 16 with pp. 67-70) speculated that Asklepiades was the agent of Antigonos Gonatas appointed to be in charge of Athenian affairs in the aftermath of the Chremonidean War. C. Chrysaphis, Tyche 32, 2017, 317, suggested that he was the father of Herakleitos son of Asklepiades of Athmonon, partisan of the king honoured by IG II² 1225 and IG II³ 1, 1034 (where, however, nothing is said about any actions of Herakleitos' father). Building on this, Oetjen has more recently suggested (Philia 7, 2021, 103-8) that Asklepiades exercised on behalf of the king an overall command of the coastal forts, based in the Piraeus, similar to the function attested explicitly for his son, Herakleitos, and possibly in succession to Hierokles the Carian (Diog. Laert. 2.126, cf. Knoepfler p. 53). It should be borne in mind, however, that Asklepiades was a common name at this period and we can not be certain about an identification based on the name as it is preserved in our decree, without patronym, or demotic or ethnic. For the uncertainty over the official title held by Demetrios of Phaleron the elder, who controlled Athenian affairs in the interests of Kassandros between 317 and 307 BC see IG II² 1201, with notes. On the question of the title(s) held by his homonymous grandson, see IG II³ 4, 281, with notes.

On the deme Rhamnous in general and its inscriptions see I Rhamnous 182.

Added: 2 Apr 2026
Updated: 2 Apr 2026
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ID: AIO_3566