AIO 3709 Decree of an unknown deme relating to leasing of land and application of proceeds for religious purposes

Decree of an unknown deme relating to leasing of land and application of proceeds for religious purposes

AIO 3709 Date: Late 4th cent. BC

Face A

. . . the cultivated^[1] [trees?] . . . [wine?] and vinegar . . . half in the [month] . . . (5)⟦.⟧ and in war . . . exact . . . the demesmen [wish?] . . . he will plant [figs?] . . . Pythodoros . . . (10) 13 fig trees . . . 4 - trees and the . . .

Face B

. . . . . . . . . provide [sacrificial victims?] . . . [from?] the sacred olives^[2] (5) . . . of Herakles . . . [of wine] six choes^[3] . . . the offerings (thumata), everything . . . in the festival. 3 lines possible traces Uninscribed space

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Greek text

References:

AIO 3709 (Translated text) (AIO)

IG II² 1211 (PHI)

SEG 42.114 (PHI)

SEG 57.132

Russo, Ripartizioni, D108

Translation by: Stephen Lambert, Kazuhiro Takeuchi

Images: Krateros - (1)

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: Decree (unknown deme)

Findspot: Unknown (EM 7722)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] Textual Note. Except in A4-5 and B6, where AIO adopts new readings from autopsy communicated to us by Kazuhiro Takeuchi, and B9-11, where Takeuchi confirms outline traces of letters whose inscription was not completed, first noted by Nemes, ACD 27, 1991, 15-21 (SEG 42.114), we follow the text of N. Papazarkadas, ZPE 159, 2007, 169-71 no. D4 (SEG 57.132), which supersedes previous editions. Pap. notes that, while the hand that cut Face B (non-stoichedon) was different from Face A (stoichedon, on its cutter see below), it is not likely to be significantly later, as previous eds. had supposed. Face A 4-5 Takeuchi, "half (scil. the rent is payable) in the" followed by a short vertical in the lower left of the stoichos, perhaps the initial letter of a month name, cf. IG II² 2497, 12-15, IG II² 2498, 11-15, ις ἐὰν ἐν τῶι ("if in the") Pap. and all previous eds. following Köhler. 6 εἰσπρα- is a form of the verb, εἴσπραττω, "exact", and is probably from provisions for exactions from the leased property in time of war. 7-8 προσέ]|τι, "besides", "in addition" ? Pap. 8-9 πεφύτευ]|κεν, [Pythodoros] "has planted" ? Pap. 10 κα[ὶ, [13 fig trees] "and" ? 10-11 [συκ]|ᾶς, [4] "fig trees" or ἐλά]|ας, [4] "olive trees" Pap. Face B 5 Ἡ]ρακλεῖ ὡς, "for Herakles as", IG, is possible, but in light of the apparent tendency for the sense on this Face not to continue across line breaks, Pap. prefers Ἡ]ρακλείως, "of Herakles." 6 Takeuchi, cf. IG I³ 232, 59-60, SEG 52.48 A fr. 3 col. 1, 1, ο]υ ἐ̣ς χ̣οάς "for cups or jugs" or "for Choes" (name of a day of the festival Anthesteria), Pap. after previous eds. 7 v ἅπαν Pap. per ep. ad SEG.

Papazarkadas argues convincingly that this inscription of an unknown deme contains provisions of a lease of agricultural land on Face A and details of religious rites to which the income from the lease is to be applied on Face B. There are good parallels for this type of arrangement in other deme inscriptions, e.g. IG II² 1358 (sacrificial calendar of Marathonian Tetrapolis on Face A, list of financial contributors on Face B), I Rhamnous 512 (leases by a section of the deme Rhamnous, followed by details of religious rites to which the income from them is to be applied). Face A of this inscription is identified by Tracy, Horos 26-31, 2014-2019, 43 as a work of his "Cutter of IG II² 1262", whose datable output spans the period ca. 320-ca. 290 BC. For other leases by Attic demes see IG I³ 84, with notes; on demes in general see RO 46, with notes; on sacrificial calendars and other inscriptions making provision for religious rites and/or their funding see IG I³ 232, with notes. [2] The deity that oversaw the sacred olive trees of Attica was Zeus Morios (an offering to whom in Oinoe is provided for in the sacrificial calendar of the polis, AIO 1189, F12, with n. 13), so he might have been named or been the recipient of an offering here. [3] As argued convincingly by Takeuchi, it seems we have to do in choas with the accusative plural of chous as commonly in Attic inscriptions meaning a measure of liquid capacity ("cups" or "jugs"), rather than, as previous editors had suggested, with "Choas", accusative of "Choes", the name of the central day of the ancient festival of Dionysos, the Anthesteria (eponym of the winter month Anthesterion), or "choas", accusative plural of the related word choē, libation or drink offering. There is insufficient reason to suppose therefore that the context here was the Anthesteria (cf. R. Hamilton, Choes and Anthesteria, 1992, 159 T30, with 32 and 60-61 [SEG 42.114]).

Added: 24 Jul 2026
Updated: 24 Jul 2026
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ID: AIO_3709