Decrees about reassessment of tribute of the Delian League, 425/4 BC ("Thoudippos' decrees")

AIO 959 Date: 425/4 BC
 
Gods. Assessment of tribute (tachsis phoro)[1].
Decree 1A (Council and People) The Council and the People decided. - was the prytany; -on was secretary; - was chairman. Thoudippos[2] proposed: to send heralds whom the Council shall elect from [those present?] to the (5) cities, two [to Ionia and Caria], two [to the Thraceward region, two] to the Islands, [two to] the Hellespont; and these shall - to the common body of each city that envoys are to be present in the month of Maimakterion[3] . . . introducers (esagogeas)[4] . . . these shall also choose (?) a secretary and a co[-secretary?] . . . ; and the Council shall . . . ten men; and these shall make the assessments for the cities within ten days from when they are appointed (?), or each (10) of them shall be penalised [a hundred drachmas?] for each day; and the oath-administrators (horkotai) shall administer an oath to the [assessors (taktas)] . . . happen . . . the same penalty . . . the introducers [shall take care of the assessments when the People shall vote?] . . . [the -] and the polemarch shall . . . the court (eliaiai)[5], the jurors (eliaston) voting on them by tribes; . . . (15) for the cities in accordance with . . . shall be penalised ten thousand drachmas . . . of them. The court presidents ([thesmo]theta[i]) (?) shall establish a new [court (dikasterion) of a thousand] . . . ; [since the tribute] has become too little, they shall together with the Council make the assessments [greater than those of the last] period of office[6] . . . [dealing with the matter] . . . of the month Posideon[7] . . . from the first day of the month (nomenias) in the same way, so that the tribute shall be assessed in the month Posideon;[7] [and the Council] . . . (20) shall deal with the business and . . . so that the assessments shall be made if . . . ; and there shall not be a [lesser] tribute for any [of the cities] than the [amount which they were] paying [previously], unless for [any one there is a problem] that the land [is unproductive so that] it is impossible [to pay more?]; and the secretary of the Council shall write up [the assessments] which are made [and the total] tribute as it is assessed [and this decree] on two stone stelai, and shall place one in the Council chamber and (25) the other [on the acropolis]; and the official sellers (poletai) shall make the contract, and the payment officers (kolakretai) shall give them the money; [and for the future, send] to the cities about the [tribute before?] the Great [Panathenaia] . . . the prytany which is in office . . . Panathenaia; [and if the prytany members do not] . . . to the People and [do not enter the Council chamber?] concerning the [tribute and the Council does not deal with the business?] in their own term of office, each of the (30) prytany members shall owe a hundred drachmas sacred to Athena and a hundred to the state treasury (demosioi), and each of the prytany members shall be [liable at their accounting (euthunesthai)] to a fine of a thousand drachmas (?); and if any one else in any way [prevents] . . . the assessments at the time of the Great Panathenaia in the prytany which holds office first, he shall be deprived of his rights and his property shall be confiscated with a tithe for the goddess; and the prytany of - shall be obliged to bring these matters before the People, when the force (stratia) . . . , on the (35) third day, first after the sacred business; and if the business is not completed on that day, they shall deal with this business first on the next day, and continuously until it is completed in the - prytany; and if they do not bring it before the People or do not complete it in their own term of office, each of the prytany members shall be liable at his accounting to a penalty of ten thousand drachmas for preventing the provision of funds (?) for the forces; and the men summoned . . . by the public summoners shall be present (?) . . . so that the Council may punish them if they (40) are judged not to . . . rightly; and the routes (poreias) for the heralds . . . the oath, the assessors (taktas), how far they shall travel, so that they shall not determine their own itinerary (?) . . . the assessments for the cities . . . be clear where it is decided . . . concerning the assessments and [the decree for the cities] it is necessary for a proposal to be made [and about this also for the People] to make a decree, and if [there is anything else] . . . [need?]; [and how] the cities (45) are to bring [the tribute] . . . when [the Council makes?] the assessment of the tribute, so that [the People shall have money available for the] war; [and the generals] shall be obliged to make [an analysis] about the tribute each year . . . whether there is need for contributions towards actions on land or at sea or for any other good purpose which they may propose for the People at the first session of the Council (?); and concerning this [the court (eliaias) ?][5] shall scrutinise (diaskopen) continuously [with or without] the other courts (dikasterion),[5] unless (50) it is decided that the Council should consider in advance how matters are to be arranged in the most advantageous way for the People; and (51) the payment officers (kolakretai) shall make the payment for the heralds who are going.
Decree 1B (People) (51) [S]okra[tides] proposed: in other respects in accordance with the Council, but with regard to the assessments which have to be raised city by city the prytany members who happen to be in office and the secretary of the Council shall [[take care (teren)?], [5] when there is a (54) case about the assessments, that the court (dikasterion) . . .
Decree 2 (54) The Council and the People decided. (55) AigeisII was the prytany; -ippos was secretary; -oros was chairman. Thoudippos[2] proposed: those cities for which tribute was assessed under the Council for which Pleistias was first secretary, in the archonship of Stratokles (425/4), shall all bring a cow and panoply to the Great Panathenaia;[8] and they (58) shall take part in the procession . . .
Tribute assessment (58) The Council for which Pleistias [of -] was first secretary assessed the tribute for the cities as follows or in accordance with the foregoing, in the archonship of Stratokles (425/4), under the (60) introducers (esagogeon) for whom Ka- [of -] was secretary.[9]
We publish below a translation of the first part of the list and the overall total of the assessment at the end, showing in brackets on the right the rate at which each city paid tribute in the 430s.
col. 1
Island tribute (Nesiotikos phoros)
30 tal. 15 tal. 15 tal. (65) 15 tal. 9 tal. 15 tal. 5 tal. 10 tal. (70) 5 tal. 10 tal. 6 tal. 10 tal. 2 tal. (75) [2 tal.?] [2 tal.?] [1 tal.?] [1 tal.?] 1 tal. (80) 1 tal. 2,000 dr. 1,000 dr. 2,000 dr. (85) 1,000 dr. 2,000 dr. 300 dr. 1,000 dr. (90) 10 dr. 100 dr. 1 tal. 2,000 dr. (95) 4 tal. [1 tal.?]
[18 tal.] [6 tal. 4,000 dr.] [6 tal.] [-][10] [3 tal.] [3 tal.] [-] [4 tal.] [5 tal.] [3 tal.] [3 tal.] [2 tal.] [1 tal.] [1 tal.] [1 tal.] [3,000 dr.] [2,000 dr.] [2,000 dr.] [1,500 dr.] [1,000 dr.] [300 dr.] [800 dr.] [-] 10 dr. 3 ob.[-] [-] [-] [-] [-] [-] [-] (95) [3 tal.] [1 tal. 3,000 dr.] [1 tal.]
[Of the Island tribute] (100) [total:] [163 tal. 410 dr. 3 ob.?][12]
lines 102-180 omitted in this translation
col. 4
(181) total of the whole: (≥?) 1,460 tal.[13]