IEleus 647 Milestone, [14 miles from the city]

Milestone, [14 miles from the city]

I Eleusis 647 Date: 235-236 AD

To the greatest and most divine emperor, G(aius) Julius (5) Ve(rus) Maximinus, from the city phallus [14 miles?]^[1]

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References:

I Eleusis 647 (Translated text)

IG II² 3419

Translation by: Chris de Lisle

Images: Cornell - (1)

Monument type: Herm

Inscription type: Milestone

Findspot: Eleusis (Eleusis Museum E 432)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This is one of a set of seven known milestones from ancient Attica in the shape of herms. The others are IG II² 5, 13295-13296, IG II² 5181-5182, and SEG 44.173-174. Milestones in the Imperial Period usually took the form of pillars with Latin text. The unusual form of these ones was probably inspired by the herms erected along Attic roadways by the tyrant Hipparchos in the late 6th century BC (IG I³ 1023). The head of the herm is lost, but traces of long locks are preserved on the upper part of the chest, so the bust probably depicted a youthful Dionysos. Similar locks are visible on SEG 44.174, supporting the idea that these herms formed a coherent set that stood along the Sacred Way from Athens to Eleusis, where this stone was found. This herm is attributed to the Emperor Maximinus (r. 235-236 AD), while IG II² 5, 13295 is attributed to Alexander Severus (r. 222-235), so the set may have been erected over the 220s and 230s. On milestones in general, see IG II² 5, 13294 with notes.

Added: 6 Mar 2026
Updated: 6 Mar 2026
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ID: AIO_3694