Unknown, Honors for a Musician, IAph2007 1.182
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/412
Context
This text was inscribed on two adjacent faces (a, b) of a white marble
statue-base with molded panels and probably a cornice, found in the area of the
Temple/Church at Aphrodisias in Caria, western Asia Minor. The 54 lines written in the
early 3rd century on side a recognize the public honors bestowed on Meliton, a citharist
who won in sacred competitions across the eastern Mediterranean from Greece to Asia
Minor to Syria-Palestine. Among the various festivals where he competed are those at
Caesarea “of Straton,” possibly the Actian Games there (lines 32-34).
Text
[(e.g) ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος καὶ ἡ][γερουσία] ἐ̣τείμη̣[?σαν ·· c. 5 ··]Μελίτωνα Μελίτωνοςτὸν καὶ Ἀγροίτανπυθικὸν̣ καὶ κύκλιονκιθα̣ριστὴ ν ἱερονεί-
(5)κὴν πλειστονείκηνπαράδοξο̣ν ἄνδραεὐγενείᾳ κ̣αὶ vac. τρό- vac.που σεμν
ότητι δια-φέροντα κα ὶ ἐπὶ τού- (10)τῳ μάλιστα θ̣αυμα-σθέντακα [ὶ τ]ειμη-θεντα ὑ [πὸ το]ῦ̣ κυρί-ου ἡ[μῶν αὐτ]ο̣κρά-τ[ορος ·· c. 6 ··]ου vac. (15)[·· c.
11 ··]ΑΙ vac.[·· c. 12 ··]Υ[·· c. 12 ··]Υ[·· c. 12 ··]Υ[·· c. 12 ··]Υ (20)Μ[·· c. 11 ··]Ι̣ΤΩ̣Ι̣ [·· c. 4 ··]ΣΙ [ν]ει-κήσα̣[ντα] stop [Ἄ]κτιαἐν Νεικοπόλει
vac.Ἐφέσηα ἐν Ἐ̣[φέσ]ῳ
Side bΠ̣ύ̣[θια ἐν Ἱε]ραπόλειἌκτι[α ἐν Ἱερα]π̣ό̣λ̣ειἌκτι[α ἐν ·· c. 6 ··] vac. (30)Ἄκτι[α ἐν ·· ? ·· Δα]μα-σκῷ stop [? Ἄκτια ἐν]
Και-[σ]α̣ρε[ίᾳ τῆς Στρ]άτω-[νο]ς̣ stop Π[ύθια ἐν] Λαο-[δικε]ί̣ᾳ [?Συρία]ς̣ stop κοι (35)[νὰ Κ]α̣ππ̣[αδο]κῶν[ἐν Κ]αισα[ρείᾳ ? stop ] Ἡρα[κλ]εία stop Κομ̣[μόδ]ειαἐν Τύρῳ stop κοιν̣ὰ Βει-θυνίας ἐν Νεικομη- (40)δείᾳ
stop Αὐγούστειαἐν Τράλλεσιν̣ stop κοι-νὰ Ἀσ̣[ί]α̣ς β´ stop ἐν Τράλ-λεσ[ιν ?
stop ] Δεῖα [Ἅλ]εια β´ ἐνΦι̣λ̣α̣[δ]ελ[φείᾳ stop κ]οι- (45)νὰ Ἀσ̣ίας [ stop ἐν
Φι]λα-δ̣ε[λφ]είᾳ vac. Ι̣[·· c. 4 ··]Ε̣Ι[·] ΟΜ̣ [·· c. 10 ··]ΑΜΥ [·] Ι̣Ι̣ [··]Ι̣
[·· c. 4 ··]Αvac. πολε̣[ιτείᾳ ? vac. ] (50)πόλεων vac. ἐ̣[νδό]-ξων κα̣[ὶ]
ΝΑΙΙ̣[·· βου]-λῇ stop καὶ π[?ροεδρίᾳ]vac. τειμηθέ̣[ντα vac. ]1
Textual Note
Ed. Roueché 1993 and Reynolds, Roueché, and Bodard 2007Translation
[The Council and the People and the Gerousia] honoured Meliton son
of Meliton, also known as Agroitas, pythic and cyclic kithara-player, sacred victor,
frequent victor, extraordinary, a man distinguished by good birth and dignity of
conduct, and for this very much admired and honoured by our lord emperor [... 6 lines
...], who won Actia at Nicopolis, Ephesea at Ephesus, Pythia at Hierapolis, Actia at
Hierapolis, Actia [ at ...], Actia at Damascus, [? Actia at ] Straton’s
Caesarea, P[ythia] at [?Syrian] Laodiceia, the provincial festival of the
Cappadocians at Caesarea, Heracleia Commodeia at Tyre, the provincial festival of
Bithynia at Nicomedia, Augusteia at Tralles, the provincial festival of Asia twice at
Tralles, [?Deia Hal]eia twice at Philadelphia, the provincial festival of Asia [at
Phi]ladelphia, [...2 lines ...] , honoured with ? citizenship of distinguished ?and [?
...] cities, and [?(membership of the) Council] and [? honorific seating].
Translation Note
Trans. Reynolds, Roueché, and Bodard 2007Works Cited
- 1 Joyce Reynolds, Charlotte Roueché, and Gabriel Bodard, Inscriptions of Aphrodisias (2007), Inscriptions of Aphrodisias (2007), 2007, entry: 1.182.
Additional Bibliography
- Charlotte Roueché, Performers and Partisans at Aphrodisias in the Roman and Late Roman Period. A Study Based on Inscriptions from the Current Excavations at Aphrodisias in Caria, Journal of Roman Studies Monographs 6 (London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 1993), p: 196-198, entry: 69.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, Honors for a Musician, IAph2007 1.182,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/412.
Show full citation information...
Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Unknown, Honors for a Musician, IAph2007 1.182.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/412.About this Entry
Entry Title: Unknown, Honors for a Musician, IAph2007 1.182
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Unknown, Honors for a Musician, IAph2007 1.182”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Unknown, Honors for a Musician, IAph2007 1.182”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by Joseph L. Rife
- URNs and other metadata added by Joseph L. Rife
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife