AIO 3567 Decree of Rhamnous and Athenian residents honouring the general Archandros of Eleusis, 248/7 BC

Decree of Rhamnous and Athenian residents honouring the general Archandros of Eleusis, 248/7 BC

AIO 3567 Date: 248/7 BC or shortly after

[- - - - - - χειροτονηθ]εὶς ὑπὸ το[ῦ δήμου] [στρατηγός καὶ - - - τάξα]ντος ἐπὶ τὴν πα[ραλί]- [αν χώραν καλῶ]ς ποιησάμενος τὴν ἐπιμέλε[ιαν] [- - -]ων τὴν χώραν γεωργούντων καὶ σ̣ω- (5)[- - -] ἐν τῶι φρουρίωι πολιτῶν· ^v πάλιν τε ἐπὶ Δι- [ομέδοντ]ος αὐτὸν χειροτονήσαντος τοῦ δήμου στρα- [τηγὸν] ὄντος πολέμου, πρῶτον μὲν ἐλθὼν εἰς τὸ φρούρι- [ον ἐξ]ετασμὸν ποιήσας ἔταξε τοὺς μὲν πρεσβυτέρους τῶν τε πολιτῶν καὶ τῶν μετοίκων μετὰ τῶν φρουρῶν ἐπ[ὶ] (10)τὴν τοῦ φρουρίου φυλακήν ^v τοὺς δὲ νεωτέρους τῶν πολι- τῶν ἐπὶ τὴν σκοπὴν κατέστησεν, τοὺς δὲ παροίκους καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας ἀπέστελλεν ἐφεδρεύσοντας εἰς τὴν χώραν ἄχρι ἑξήκοντα σταδίων καὶ αἴτιος ἐγένετο τοῦ συγ- κομισθεῖναι τοὺς ξυλίνους καρπούς. ^v κατεστήσατο δὲ (15)καὶ κρυπτοὺς χρησίμους, ἐκ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τοῦ τῶν στρατιω- τῶν τῶν μεθ’ αὑτοῦ [ἐ]πὶ τὰς ἐπικαιροτάτας τῶν σκοπῶν, ὅπως διασώιζηται τά τε βοσκήματα καὶ τὰ σώματα· οὔσης δὲ καὶ σπάνεως σίτου ἐν τῶι φρουρίωι, ἐπεμελήθη ὃπως οἱ πυ- ροὶ οἱ διδόμενοι ἐν ἄστει, οἱ μὲν παρακομισθῶσι εἰς τὸ φρούρι- (20)ον ἀσφαλῶς, οἱ δὲ πραθέντες ἐκεῖ ἀντωνεθῶσιν λυσι ^v- τελῶς τοῖς τε φρουροῖς ^vv καὶ τοῖς οἰκοῦσι τῶν πολι ^vv - τῶν ἐν Ῥαμνοῦντι· προανήλισκε δὲ καὶ ἀργύριον εἰς τὰ ὀψώνια ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων ὅπως ἂν εὐτακτῶσιν ἐφ’ ὧν ἕκαστοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι καὶ διὰ ταῦτα διετήρησεν τὴν Ῥαμνου- (25)σίαν τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν τὸν ἐφ’ αὑτοῦ τῆς λοιπῆς χώρας οὔσης μεστῆς πειρατῶν ^v διετέλει δὲ καὶ λέγων καὶ πράττων τὰ συνφέροντα τῶι δήμωι καὶ κοινεῖ καὶ ἰδίαι χρείας πα[ρε]- χόμενος τοῖς πολίταις· ^v ἀγαθεῖ τύχει, δεδόχθαι Ῥαμνου- σίοις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πολίταις τοῖς τεταγμένοις ἐν τ[ῶι] (30)φρουρίωι ^vv ἐπαινέσαι Ἄρχανδρον Καλλίπου Ἐλευσίνιον ^vv καὶ στεφανῶσαι χρυσῶι στεφάνωι κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀρετῆς [ἕ]νεκα καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἣν ἔχων διατελεῖ περί τε Ῥαμνου- [σίο]υς καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικούντας Ῥαμνοῦντι ὅπως ἂν ἐφάμιλ- [λον] εἶ πᾶσι τοῖς καθισταμένοις στρατηγοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπι- (35)[μέλ]ε̣ιαν τοῦ φρουρίου καὶ τῆς χώρας τὸ φιλοτιμεῖσθαι πρὸς [τὸ κοι]ν̣εῖ συμφέρον. ^vv ἀναγράψαι τόδε τὸ ψήφισμα ἐν στ[ή]- [λει λιθί]νει καὶ στῆσαι πρὸς τεῖ πύλει, ^v ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν ἀνα[γρα]- [φὴν τῆ]ς στήλης ἑλέσθαι τρεῖς ἂνδρας οἵτιν̣[ες] συντε[λέ]- [σουσι τὰ ἐψη]φισμένα. ^vv οἵδε εἱρέθησαν ^v Λυσικλ[είδης Νικο]- (40)[στράτου Ῥαμνούσιος - - -]Σ[- - -]

Previous - SEG 69.113
Translated text

References:

AIO 3567 (Translated text) (AIO)

SEG 52.127

SEG 51.107

SEG 47.151

SEG 70.61

SEG 43.72Β

I Rhamnous 407

Oetjen, Athen im dritten Jahrhundert, no. 18

Knoepfler, Trésor documentaire, 123-34, 208.3a

Translation by: Stephen Lambert

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: Decree (Deme Rhamnous and Athenian residents)

Original location: Rhamnous (in front of the gate)

Findspot: Rhamnous (Rhamnous Fortress 1233 Φ)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] Textual Note. AIO follows the text of I Rhamnous 407, except 3-5 καλῶ]ς ποιησάμενος τὴν ἐπιμέλε[ιαν | τῆς φυλακῆς διασώιζ]ων τὴν χώραν γεωργούντων καὶ σ̣ω|[- - τῶν] ἐν τῶι φρουρίωι πολιτῶν·, "carrying out well the management of the defence, protecting the territory for the farmers and . . . the citizens in the fort", Petrakos, I Rhamn.; καλῶ]ς ποιησάμενος τὴν ἐπιμέλε[ιαν | τοῦ φρουρίου αὐτὸς ἐφοδεύ]ων τὴν χώραν γεωργούντων καὶ σ̣ω|[μάτων ὑπὲρ τῶν] ἐν τῶι φρουρίωι πολιτῶν·, "carrying out well the management of the fort, ranging himself over the territory, while the slaves (literally, "bodies", cf. l. 17) also farmed on behalf of the citizens in the fort", Knoepfler, but this yields uneven line lengths.

This is the best preserved of three extant decrees honouring the general, Archandros of Eleusis. Most of the decree relates to his tenure of the coastal command at Rhamnous in 248/7 BC, but it is apparent from the first few lines of the preserved text that he had held the same post on a previous occasion. It seems this was probably 250/49 or 249/8 BC (Knoepfler), since in the years immediately before that this generalship was held by Thoukritos (honoured by I Rhamnous 10). It is unclear whether the other two decrees, I Rhamnous 27 and I Rhamnous 28, and the dedication, I Rhamnous 131, relate to 248/7 or to the honorand's earlier generalship. The text of the decree appears to be based closely on I Rhamnous 403, of ca. 20 years earlier. In 248/7 BC Archandros also contributed to the public subscription (epidosis) aimed at supporting the harvest in the face of the hostile raids by Alexander son of Krateros, IG II³ 1, 1011, 109. His father, Kallippos son of Moirokles, from a notable family of Eleusis (cf. I Eleusis 101, with notes), had been leader of the Athenian forces at the battle of Thermopylai against the Gauls in 278 BC (Paus. 1.3.5, 1.4.2, 10.20.5). On the deme Rhamnous and its inscriptions in general see I Rhamnous 182. [2] This is the war waged by Alexander son of Krateros, who led a rebellion against his uncle Antigonos Gonatas based in Corinth and Chalkis, in alliance with Aratos of Sikyon. Athens was supported by Argos in this conflict (IG II³ 1, 1019). In this context Alexander launched raids on the coast of Attica from Chalkis, cf. IG II² 1225, 12-13. [3] The wide range and variety of military units named here is noteworthy. In I Rhamnous 27 Archandros was honoured by the paroikoi, literally "those who dwell alongside", a term which seems to have designated a category of privileged non-Rhamnousians who supplied their own military unit. In I Rhamnous 28 he was honoured by "the community (koinon) of those living at Rhamnous", i.e. apparently deme members and other citizens, who commonly combined to pass honorific decrees at Rhamnous at this period. [4] 60 stades (= ca. 11 km) is interpreted by Knoepfler as the distance between the Attic border with Oropos to the north and the modern village of Kato Souli in the area of Marathon bay, cf. Paus. 1.33.2 who gives 60 stades as the distance between Rhamnous and Marathon. This is twice the distance which the general Epichares is said to have protected by comparable measures 20 years previously at the beginning of the Chremonidean War, I Rhamnous 403, 8 (30 stades). Knoepfler, 131, suggests that, insofar as it has a basis in reality, the greater extent of relevant territory on the later occasion might be due to the fact that the Attic coast was more liable to be raided at any point, whereas, on the earlier occasion, the threat was primarily a land-based one from Antigonos himself advancing from the north. However, it seems attractive to suppose that this claim was deliberately and rhetorically aimed to outdo the earlier decree, with the implication that forces under Antigonid control were more effective in protecting the "Rhamnousia" than forces that had opposed Antigonos twenty years earlier. [5] This is the first and only occurrence of the name "Rhamnousia" to designate Rhamnous and its hinterland. [6] i.e. the East Gate, the same location as I Rhamnous 10 and I Rhamnous 31. See Petrakos' note, VI p. 30.

Added: 2 Apr 2026
Updated: 2 Apr 2026
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ID: AIO_3567