IDelos 1588 Honours for Augustus

Honours for Augustus

I Délos 1588 Date: 31- 27 BC

The People of the Athenians and the inhabitants of the island (dedicated this statue of) Emperor Caesar son of the God Julius (5) to Apollo, Artemis, Leto.^[1]

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References:

I Délos 1588 (Translated text) (PHI)

Choix de Délos 171

Højte, Statue Bases Augustus 134

Translation by: Chris de Lisle

Monument type: Base

Inscription type: Statue base (People and inhabitants of Delos), Dedication (Public, People), Dedication (Apollo, Artemis, Leto)

Findspot: Delos (Unknown Venice?)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This is one of several statue bases erected by the Athenians for the emperor Augustus (r. 31 BC – 14 AD) on Delos. It must date between his victory over Marcus Antonius at Actium in 31 BC and his assumption of the name Augustus in 27 BC, the same period as I Eleusis 296. The other bases as are I Délos 1590-1591. Other monuments for him on the island include a statue base erected by his personal physician (I Délos 1589) and the head from a colossal statue (Museum of Delos inv. A 4938 with photo on Commons). On Augustus and Athens, see SEG 29.168 with notes. The Athenians had earlier erected a monument for Julius Caesar on the island (I Délos 1587) and also erected a monuments for Augustus' daughter Julia (I Délos 1592), his eldest grandson Gaius Caesar (I Délos 1594), his youngest grandson Agrippa Postumus (I Délos 1593), and his grandson-in-law Aemilius Lepidus (I Délos 1605).

The dedication to Apollo, Artemis, and Leto shows that the base was set up in the sanctuary of Apollo on the island, where most of the other monuments for Augustus' family were also found. Augustus was closely associated with Apollo at Rome (e.g. P. Zanker, The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus, 1988, 49-53) and in Athens, where he was honoured as New Apollo (SEG 29.167) and the celebrations for his birthday were modelled on those of Apollo (cf. Agora XVI 336). The first priest of Augustus at Athens, Pammenes, was also the priest of Delian Apollo (IG II³ 4, 10 with notes). On Augustus, Apollo, and Delos, see T. Mavroyannis, Ostraka 4, 1995, 85-102 = SEG 45.223). The Delian monuments are paralleled by Choix de Delphes 213 commemorating Augustus at Delphi, Apollo's other major sanctuary in Greece. For later monuments to emperors and their families on Delos, see I Délos 1595-1600.

The base was in the possession of the Morosini family in Venice by 1637, when it was recorded by the English classical scholar John Price. All subsequent editions seem to derive from this copy and the base's current whereabouts are unclear.

Added: 24 Jul 2026
Updated: 24 Jul 2026
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ID: AIO_3828