SEG 21.742 Honours for Tiberius Claudius Novius (47/8 or 51/2 AD)

Honours for Tiberius Claudius Novius (47/8 or 51/2 AD)

SEG 21.742 Date: 47/8 or 51/2 AD

The Areopagos Council and the Council of the Six Hundred and the People (erected this statue of) Tiberius Claudius Novius son of Phileinos,^[1] (5) the hoplite general for the 4th time (47/8 or 51/2 AD) and priest of Delian Apollo for life and competition-director (agōnothetēn) of the Great Panathenaia Augusta and Caesarea (10) Augusta^[2] and high priest of Antonia Augusta,^[3] lover of Caesar and lover of the fatherland, on account of his excellence, uninscribed space when the priestess was Junia Megiste daughter of Zenon of Sounion.^[4] (15) Epagathos son of Aristodemos of Thria made it.^[5]

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References:

SEG 21.742 (Translated text) (PHI)

IG II² 3535 (PHI)

DNO 4142

Translation by: Chris de Lisle

Monument type: Base

Inscription type: Statue base (Areopagos, Council, and People)

Original location: Acropolis

Findspot: Acropolis, north of Erechtheion (Acropolis Museum 13239)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This is the base of a statue of Tiberius Claudius Novius, the dominant figure at Athens during the reign of Claudius and much of the reign of Nero (see IG II² 1990 with notes). His titulature provides the date. [2] Novius is attested as the competition director (agonothetes) of various games in honour of Claudius. The festival(s) named here also appear in I Eleusis 356. The Great Panathenaia Augusta seems to have been a short-lived incorporation of the Imperial cult into the Panathenaic festival (J. Shear, Serving Athena, 2021, 377-79). This may parallel the celebration of the Antoniea Panathenaika in 38/7 or 37/6 BC in honour of Marcus Antonius, the emperor Claudius' grandfather (AIO 1838, ll. 22-23). If so, then the experiment was not repeated, although in 207/8 the Panathenaic ship was dedicated to the Severan dynasty along with Athena (IG II³ 4, 1397). It is unclear whether "Caesarea Augusta" is part of the name of the rebranded Panathenaia or a separate festival celebrated alongside it (as at Corinth in this period, where the Isthmian games were accompanied by a Caesarea festival, cf. M. Kantiréa, Les dieux et les dieux augustes, 2007, 184-87). On festival games in honour of emperors, see IG II² 3270 with notes. [3] Antonia Augusta, usually known as Antonia Minor, was the son of Marcus Antonius, mother of Germanicus and the emperor Claudius, grandmother of the emperor Gaius Caligula, and great-grandmother of Nero (the reigning emperor at this date). Two seats for priests of Antonia are preserved in the Theatre of Dionysos (IG II³ 4, 1994 and 1996) and the head of a statue was found in the Agora (Ag. S 220); on her cult, see M. Kantiréa, Les dieux et les dieux augustes, 2007, 72-74). At this stage it seems that the high priesthood of the Imperial cult was held by whichever priest of a member of the Imperial family was senior, thereby allowing Novius to hold the post despite being the priest of a relatively minor member of the Imperial family. Shortly after this, a reform of the Imperial cults seems to have taken place at Athens, after which Novius became high priest of the Augusti and priesthoods of individual Imperial family members largely disappear (see I Eleusis 361 with notes). On priests of the Roman emperors and their family at Athens, see IG II³ 4, 1928 with notes. [4] Junia Megiste was priestess of Athena Polias from at least 38 AD until around 50 AD (S. G. Byrne, Roman Citizens of Athens, 2003, 330-31). The priestess of Athena Polias under Augustus, Megiste of Halai (IG II³ 4, 10; Blok and Lambert, ZPE 169, 2009 107 no. 13) might be her maternal grandmother. [5] Epagathos, whose name is written in smaller lettering, is the sculptor (DNO 4142). He also appears as a member of the association or genos of the Apolloniasts in 45/6 AD (IG II² 1945, l. 58).

Added: 24 Jul 2026
Updated: 24 Jul 2026
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ID: AIO_3756