OGIS 504-507 Dossier on M. Ulpius Eurykles’ service as Panhellene

Dossier on M. Ulpius Eurykles’ service as Panhellene

OGIS 504-507 Date: 157 AD

Text A (OGIS 506) [Αὐτ]οκράτωρ Καῖσαρ, θεοῦ Ἁδριανοῦ υἱό[ς], [θεο]ῦ Τραιανοῦ Παρθικοῦ υἱωνός, θεο[ῦ] [Νέρ]βα ἔκγονος, Τίτος Αἴλιος Ἁδριανὸς [Ἀντ]ωνεῖνος Σεβαστός, ἀρχιερεὺς μέ- (5)[γιστ]ο̣ς, δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ κ’, αὐ- [τοκρ]άτωρ το β’, ὕπατος τὸ δ’, πάτηρ πα- [τρίδ]ος, τῶι Πανελληνίωι χαίρειν · [ὅτι οἱ] πρὸ ὑμῶν Πανέλληνες Οὔλ- πι[ο]ν Εύρυκλέα ἀπεδέξαντο ὡς ἐπι- (10)[ιει]κῆ, ἔμαθον ἐκ τῶν ὑπ’ αὐτῶν ἐπ- [εστ]αλμένων. εύτυχεῖτε: πρὸ μι[ᾶς] [κ]α̣λανδῶν Δεκεμβρίων ἀπὸ Ῥώμη[ς].

Text B (OGIS 507) ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Πανελλήνων καὶ ἱερεὺς θεοῦ Ἁδριανοῦ Πανελληνίου καὶ ἀγωνοθέτης τῶν μεγάλων Πανελληνίων Κλ(αύδιος) Ἰάσων καὶ οἱ Πανέλληνες τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀσίας Ἕλλησι χαίρειν · Μ(ᾶρκον) Οὔλπιον Ἀπουλήϊον Εύρυκλέα τὸν Αἰξανείτην φθάνομεν ἤδη καὶ δι’ (5)ἑτέρων γραμμάτων μαρτυρίας τῆς παρ’ ἡμῶν ἠξιωκότες, ἐπεσταλκό- τες ὑμεῖν τε αὐτοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ πατρίδι καὶ τῶι μεγίστωι αὐτο- κράτορι · δίκαιον δὲ ἡγησάμεθα καὶ τοῦ κρατίστου Κλ(αυδίου) Ἰάσονος παραλαμβόν- τος τὴν ἀρχὴν μαρτυρῆσαι αὐτῶι τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπιεικείᾳ τε καὶ αἰδοῖ πάσηι κεχρημένωι περὶ τὴν πολιτείαν τῶν Συνπανελλήνων καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα (10)τὸ ὑπάρχον αὐτῶι ἄνωθε καὶ ἀπὸ γένους ἔτι μᾶλλον προάγοντι ἐν οἷς λέγων καὶ πράττων διατετέλεκε παρὰ πάντα τὸν τῆς συνεδρείας χρόνον. ἐρρῶσθαι ὑμᾶς εὔχομαι.

Text C (OGIS 505) ἡ ἐξ Ἀρείου πάγου βουλὴ καὶ ὁ κῆρυξ αὐτῆς καὶ ἀγωνοθέ- της τῶν τῆς Σεβαστῆς ἀγώνων Νούμμιος Μήνις Αἰζανειτῶν ἄρχουσι, βουλῆι, δήμωι χαίρειν· ὁ πολίτης ὑμῶν Μ(ᾶρκος) Οὔλπιος Εὐρυκλῆς ὁ ἀξιολογώτατος ἐπε- (5)δήμησεν ἡμῶν τῆι πόλει παντὶ τούτωι τῶι χρόνωι ἀξίως τοῦ τε αὑτοῦ ἀξιώματος καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας πόλεως ὡς ἐν πατρίδι ταῖς Ἀθήναις τὴν διατριβὴν ποιησάμενος, παιδείᾳ τε ὁμι- λῶν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐνάρετον προαίρεσιν ἀποδεικνύμενος διὰ τῆς περὶ τὰ κάλλιστα καὶ σεμνότατα σπουδῆς · καὶ διὰ ταῦτα ἐτιμήσαμ[εν] (10)αὐτὸν τιμαῖς ταῖς προσηκούσαις καὶ ἀνδριάντος ἀναθέσει καὶ εἰκόνος ἔν τε τῆι ἡμετέρᾳ πατρίδι ταῖς Ἀθήναις ἐν ὧι ἂν βούληται τόπωι καὶ παρ’ ὑμῖν. καὶ αὐτὰ ταῦτα δίκαιον ἡγησάμεθα μαρτυρῆσαι τῶι ἀν- δρὶ παρ’ ὑμῖν τῆς τε κ[ο]σ[μιότ]ητος εἵνεκεν καὶ τοῦ τρόπου καὶ τῆς πε- ρὶ παιδείαν φιλοτιμίας

Text D (OGIS 504) ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Πανελλήνων καὶ ἱερεὺς θεοῦ Ἁδριανοῦ Π[ανελληνίου] καὶ ἀγωνοθέτης τῶν μεγάλων Πανελληνίων Τίτος [Φλάβιος Κύλλος] καὶ οἱ Πανέλληνες Αἰζανειτῶν τῆι βουλῆι καὶ τῷ [δήμῳ χαίρειν · ] καὶ αὑτοῖς ἡγούμενοι προσῆκον εἶναι τὰς πρὸς τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας ἀποδείκνυ- (5)σθαι τειμὰς διαρκῶς καὶ ὑμεῖν συνήδεσθαι τῆς τῶν τοιούτων πολιτῶν κτή- σεως ἀκόλουθον ὑπολαμβάνοντες, ο[ἷό]ς ἐστιν οὗτος Οὔλπιος Εὐρυκλῆς, συν- πεπολιτευμένος ἡμεῖν πάντα τὸν τῆς συνεδρείας χρόνον μετρίως καὶ ὡς τούς τε καθ’ ἕκαστον ἡιρηκέναι φιλίαι καὶ ἐν τῶι κοινῶι ἐπὶ παιδείαι τε καὶ τῆι ἄλληι ἀρετῆι καὶ ἐπιεικείαι διάδηλον ἑαυτὸν πεποιηκέν[αι], εὔλογον ἡγη- (10)σάμεθα μαρτυρῆσαι αὐτῶι παρ’ ὑμεῖν καὶ εὐφρᾶναι ὑμᾶς ἐνδειξάμενοι ἣν πρὸς αὐτὸν εὔνοιαν ἔχομεν πρός τε τὸ κοινὸν τοῦ Πανελληνίου καὶ ἰδίᾳ πρὸς τὸν θαυμασιώτατον ἡμῶν ἄρχοντα Φλάβιον Κύλλον φιλοτιμίᾳ κεκρη- μένον κοσμούσῃ οὐκ αὐτὸν μόνον τὸν Εὐρυκλέα ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διασημο- τάτην ὑμῶν πόλιν, ἧς ἄξια καὶ τοῦ γένους καὶ τῆς ἐκ προγόνων ἀνδραγαθίας (15)καὶ λέγων καὶ πράττων παρὰ πάντα τὸν χρόνον διατετέλεκεν. ἐ⟨π⟩εστείλα- μεν δἐ καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἔθνος ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ πρὸς τὸν θειότατον αὐτοκράτορα καὶ τη- λικαύτης μαρτύριας ἄξιον αὐτὸν ὑπολαβόντες. ^v ἔρρωσθε.

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Translated text

References:

OGIS 504-507 (Translated text) (AIO)

IGRR IV 573-576

Oliver, Marcus Aurelius 28-30 (B-D)

MAMA IX P6-9

Oliver, Constitutions 155 (A)

Translation by: Chris de Lisle

Images: Arachne - (1)

Monument type: Wall

Inscription type: Letter (Emperor), Letter (Panhellenes), Letter (Areopagos)

Findspot: Aizanoi (Temple of Zeus) (In situ)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This is a dossier of four letters regarding the good service of Marcus Ulpius Appuleius Eurykles while resident in Athens as the delegate to the Panhellenion from the Phrygian city of Aizanoi. For the Panhellenion, see IG II³ 4, 215; Aizanoi was a founding member (cf. IGRR IV 562). The letters are inscribed in a band on the north wall of the Temple of Zeus in Aizanoi (on which, see R. Posamentir and M. Wörrle, Istanbuler Mitteilungen 56, 2006, 227-46, and E. Roels in M. Böttner et al (edd.), 5300 Jahre Schrift, 2017, 50-53). The letters are not inscribed in chronological order. The earliest was Text D, a letter from the outgoing archon of the Panhellenion and the Panhellenes of the 152/3-156/7 AD session to Aizanoi announcing that they had honoured Eurykles. Additional letters sent to the emperor and the League of the Greeks of Asia at this time are referred to at A ll. 10-11, B ll. 5-7, and D ll. 15-17, but not included in the dossier. Text C from the Areopagos and its herald to Aizanoi was probably written at the same time. These were followed by Text A, a brief letter written by Emperor Antoninus Pius to the Panhellenes on 30 November 157 acknowledging the honours (on inscribed Imperial letters, see I Eleusis 513), and Text B from the archon of the Panhellenion and the Panhellenes of the 156/7-160/1 AD session to the League of the Greeks of Asia (see n. 3). The letters seem to be inscribed in order of prestige: Text A from the emperor, followed by Text B to the League of the Greeks of Asia, then the letters to Aizanoi alone, with Text C from the Areopagos apparently outranking Text D from the Panhellenion. The almost comic brevity of Antoninus’ response in Text A suggests that honours for delegates to the Panhellenion were fairly routine, as does the fact that the Areopagos wrote Text C without reference to the Council and People, and the existence of a similar letter for another Panhellene (I Sardis VII 2, 319-320). The Aizanians' unusual decision to inscribe the whole dossier of letters was probably prompted by Eurykles (see n. 2), though they may also have felt that his honours redounded to the community's credit (cf. C ll. 5-6, D ll. 5, 11-15). On the broader practice of hoarding and displaying letters of praise from prestigious individuals, see J. E. Lendon, Empire of Honour, 1997, 48-49. The text is covered with graffiti depicting horsemen, carved by the Çavdar Tatars, who occupied Aizanoi in the 13th century AD. [2] Marcus Ulpius Appuleius Eurykles is the best known delegate to the Panhellenion, but appears to have been typical of them in being wealthy, educated, relatively young, and a leading figure in his own community. He seems to have leveraged his service on the Panhellenion and these honours into a successful career in his home province of Asia (A. J. Spawforth and S. Walker, JRS 75, 1985, 84-90). On his return from Athens to Aizanoi in late 157, he erected a dedication to Antoninus Pius, Hadrian Panhellenios, the Eleusinian Goddesses, Athena Polias, Poseidon, and Amphitrite (SEG 42.1191). He was then high priest of the provincial imperial cult in 161 AD (IGRR IV 564), curator of the Gerousia in Ephesos in 162 or 163 AD (I Ephesos Ia 25), Asiarch (a priest of the provincial Imperial cult, RPC IV.2 1690 and 9536), and then imperial curator to Aphrodisias and high priest once more in the 180s AD (IAph2007 12.538). On his career, see M. Wörrle, Chiron 22, 1992, 349-368. This inscription states that he was also an accomplished orator or sophist (C ll. 6, 13-14, D l. 8), which seems to have been typical of Panhellenes (cf. I Sardis VII 2, 319-320 and SEG 28.97). Statue bases in honour of Panhellenes generally emphasis their rhetorical prowess (e.g., IG IV 858; Corinth VIII 3, 264), their provincial officeholding (e.g., IG IV 590), or both (e.g. IG VII 106). The letters consistently praise Eurykles for his fairness (epieikeia, A l. 10, B l. 8, D l. 9), a word associated above all with conduct as a judge (cf. IG II² 3701); from B ll. 7-9 it seems that he had a role in reviewing the qualifications of the incoming Panhellenes for the 157/8-160/1 session - a process that could prove highly controversial (cf. SEG 29.127, B ll. 15-30, in which disputes on the topic are appealed to the emperor). [3] Text B is written by the incoming archon of the Panhellenion, Tiberius Claudius Iason Magnus of Cyrene, whose archonship ran from 157/8 to 160/1 AD (see Agora XVIII 404 with notes). The addressee is the League of the Greeks of Asia, an association of all the Greek cities within the Roman province of Asia, which included Aizanoi and was the hub of the province's Imperial cult (see M. Vitale, Eparchie und Koinon in Kleinasien 2012). [4] The Panhellenes also characterise themselves as a community of citizens (politai) in D ll. 6-7 and [5] Text C was written by the Areopagos, on which see AIUK 4.3A (BM: Decrees), no. 10 with notes. It controlled Athens’ correspondence in the Imperial period (cf. IG IV² 1, 83, ll. 17-19) and writes here on behalf of the city without reference to the Council or People. The herald of the Areopagos, Nummius Menis of Phaleron, was an ephebic gymnasiarch ca. 115-125 AD (IG II² 2029, l. 20) and eponymous archon ca. 152-154 AD (Byrne, Roman Citizens, pp. 377-80). The games of the Augusta over which he had presided are not otherwise attested. They might have honoured Antoninus Pius’ wife Faustina the Elder, who was deified after her death in 140 AD or, more likely, his daughter Faustina the Younger, who married the heir Marcus Aurelius in 145 AD and was promoted to Augusta in 147 AD (cf. IG II² 5210 with E. Sironen, Arctos 23, 1989, 179-81). [6] For the title “most noteworthy” (axiologotatos, not used in any of the other letters of the dossier), see I Sardis VII.2, 319-320 with notes. [7] The “image” (eikon) is probably a painted portrait on a round background (cf. SEG 28.95 with notes). None of these images or statues survive. The grant of permission to set up a statue in Aizanoi, a separate city-state over which Athens had no authority, must be permission for the statue there to be inscribed with the name of the Athenians, rather than permission for it to be erected at all (cf. IG IV² 1, 83). [8] Text D was written by the outgoing archon of the Panhellenion, Titus Flavius Kyllos of Hypata in Thessaly, whose archonship ran from 152/3 to 156/7 (see Agora XVIII 402 with notes). The face that the text begins with "and" (D, l. 4) suggests that the inscribed portion is only an excerpt from a longer letter which also dealt with other topics unrelated to Eurykles.

Added: 20 May 2023
Updated: 16 Jan 2024
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