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EPISTULAE
HADRIANI AD APHRODISIENSES
Letters of Hadrian to Aphrodisias on trials, taxes and an aqueduct
( AD 119-125 ) |
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( J. Reynolds, Journal of Roman Archaeology,
13, 2000, pp. 5-20 ).
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[ἐπὶ
Κλαυδίας Παυλεινῆ]ς τὸ stop α´ stop vacat | [Αὐτοκράτωρ
Καῖσαρ, θεοῦ Τραιανοῦ Παρθι]κ̣οῦ ὑὸς, θεοῦ Νέρουα υἱωνὸς, Τραιανὸς |
[Ἁδριανὸς Σεβαστὸς ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστ]ο̣ς δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ τρίτον
ὕπατος τὸ γ´ | [Ἀφροδεισιέων τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ τῇ βο]υλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ
v. χαίρειν vac. καὶ τῷ ψηφισ-|[ματι ὑμῶν
ἐντυχὼν καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων πρ]ε̣σβέων ἀκούσας
περὶ τῶν χρηματικῶν δι-|[κων , [συγχωρῶ ὑμεῖν εἰ μὲν Ἕλλην, Ἀφρο]δεισιεὺς
φύσει ἢ τῶν παρ´ὑμεῖν πολει-|[?τευομένων] τις [ἐγκαλεῖται
ὑφ'Ἑ]λ̣ληνος Ἀφροδεισιέως κατὰ τοὺς
ὑμετέρους | [?νόμους καὶ παρ'ὑμῶν
?καθί]σ̣τάσθαι τὰς δίκας εἰ δὲ τοὐνανάντιον Ἕλλην πα-|[ρ '[ἄλλης πόλεως,
κατὰ Ῥωμ]αίων νόμους καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπαρχείᾳ v. τοὺς μέντοι | [χρεώστας
τῆς πόλεως ἢβεβαι]ω̣τὰς ἢ ὅλως συνβεβληκότας τῷ δημοσίῳ ὑ-|[μῶν , [παρ'
ὑμεῖν τὴν δίκην ὑ]πέχειν vv. ἐπεὶ δὲ στεφανοῦτε με στεφάνῳ
| [χρυσῷ? ἀπὸ ··?λίτρ]ῶν ἴστε ὅτι πα̣ρ̣ῃτησάμην αὐτὸν μὴ βουλόμενος
| [ἐπιβαρεῖσθαι ὑμετέρα]ν πόλιν ἐμοῦ γε ἕνεκα v. εὐτυχεῖτε
stop ἐπὶ Κλαυδίας Παυλεινῆς. | [Αὐτοκράτ]ω̣ρ̣ Κ̣α̣ῖσαρ, θεοῦ
Τραιανοῦ Παρθικοῦ υἱὸς, θεοῦ Νέρουα υἱωνὸς Τραιανὸς | [Ἁδριανὸ]ς Σεβαστὸς,
ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος, δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ τρίτον | [ὕπατ]ο̣ς [τ]ὸ τρίτον,
Ἀφροδεισιέων τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ | [χαί]ρειν v.
τὴν μὲν ἐλευθερίαν καὶ αὐτονομίαν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ ὑπάρξαντα | ὑ̣μεῖν
τὰ παρὰ τε τῆς συνκλήτου καὶ τῶν πρὸ ἐμοῦ αὐτοκρατόρων, ἐβε-|βαίωσα
προσθεν. ἐντευχθεὶς δὲ διὰ πρεσβείας περὶ τῆς τοῦ σιδη-|ρου χρήσεως
καὶ τοῦ τέλους τῶν ἥλων, καίπερ ἀμφισβητησίμου τοῦ | πράγματος ὄντος
διὰ τὸ μὴ νῦν πρῶτον τοὺς τελώνας ἐπικεχειρη-|κέναι καὶ παρ' ὑμῶν ἐγλέγειν
ὅμως εἰδὼς τὴν πόλιν τά τε ἄλλα τει-|μῆς οὐσαν ἀξίαν, καὶ ἐξῃρημένην
τοῦ τῆς ἐπαρχείας τύπου, | ἀπαλλάσσω αὐτὴν τοῦ τελέσματος καὶ γέγραπφα
Κλαυδίῳ | Ἀγριππείνῷ τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ μου, παρανγεῖλαι τῷ μεμισθωμέν[ῳ] |
τὸ ἐν̣ Ἀ̣σ̣ί̣ᾳ̣ τοῦ σιδήρου τέλος ἀπέχεσθαι τῆς ὑμετέρας πόλεως. | εὐτυχεῖτε
leaf ἐπὶ Κλαυδίου Ὑψικλέους scroll ἥρωος. Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ,
| [θ]εοῦ Τραιανοῦ Παρθικοῦ υἱὸς, θεοῦ Νέρουα υἱωνὸς, Τραιανὸς Ἁδριανὸς
| Σεβαστὸς, ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος, δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ ἔνατον, | ὕπατος
vac. τὸ τρίτον. Ἀφροδεισιέων vv. τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ
τῇ βουλῇ καὶ | τῷ δήμῳ v. χαίρειν stop τοὺς πόρους
οὓς ἀπετάξατε εἰς τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος | καταγωγὴν βεβαιῶ stop ἐπεὶ
δὲ ἦσαν τινες πολεῖται ὑμέτεροι λέγον-|τες εἰς ἀρχιερωσύνην ἀδύνατοι
ὄντες προβεβλῆσθαι v. ἀνέπεμψα αὐ-|τοὺς ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἐξετάσοντας
πότερον δυνατοι ὄντες λειτουργεῖν δια-|δύονται, ἢ ἀληθὴ λέγουσιν. v.
εἰ μέντοι φαίνοιντό τινες αὐτῶν εὐπορωτέ-|ροι, προτέρους ἐκεινοὺς ἀρχιερᾶσθαι
δικαῖον stop συνχωρῶ ὑμεῖν παρὰ τῶν | ἀρχιερέων ἀντὶ μονομαχίων
ἀργύριον λαμβάνειν καὶ οὐ συνχωρῶ μόνον | ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαινῶ τὴν γνώμην.
οἱ αἱρεθησόμενοι ὑφ'ὑμῶν ἐπιμελη-|ταὶ τοῦ ὔδραγωγίου περὶ ὧν ἂν γνώμης
δέονται καὶ συλλήψεως δυνή-|σονται τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ μου Πομπηίῳ Σεβήρῳ ἐντυγχάνειν,
ᾧ κἀγω γέγραπ-|φα v. εὐτυχεῖτε scroll ἐπὶ στεφανηφόρου
Τιβερίου Κλαυδίου Ὅπλωνος υἱοῦ v. Ὑ | ψικλέους scroll
Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ, θεοῦ Τραιανοῦ Παρθικοῦ υἱὸς, θεο̣ῦ̣ Ν̣έ-|ρουα υἱωνὸς,
Τραιανὸς Ἁδριανὸς Σεβαστὸς, ἀρχιερεὺς μέ[γιστος], | δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας
τὸ η´, ὕπατος τὸ γ´, v. Ἀφροδεισιέ[ων τοῖς ἄρ]-|χουσι καὶ τῇ
βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ v. χαίρειν v. ὡς ὑπε̣[·· c. 13 ··]
| ΚΑ ἀθρόοι προσαγορεύσαντες ΜΕ[·· ? ··] | ὕδατος καταγωγὴν τυχεῖν[·· ? ··]
| Διογένους ὃν πρεσβ̣[εύτην ·· ? ··] | ὑμ̣ε̣τ̣ε̣ρ̣[·· ? ··]
| [·· ? ··
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English translation ( Inscriptions of Aphrodisias Project ).
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| In
the first stephanephorate of Claudia Pauleina : |
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| Letter
1 (Lines 1-13) |
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The
imperator Caesar, son of divine Trajan Parthicus, grandson of divine
Nerva, Trajan Hadrian Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician
power for the third time, consul for the third time (A.D. 119)
greets the magistrates, the council and the people of the Aphrodisians.
Having received your decree and heard from your ambassadors about the
financial [cases I concede to you that if a Greek] who is a citizen
of Aphrodisias either by birth or by adoption into the citizen body
[is prosecuted by a] Greek who is a citizen of Aphrodisias the trial
is to be heard under your [laws and at Aphrodisias], but if, on the
contrary, a Greek [from another city (is prosecuted by a Greek Aphrodisian)
the trial is to be held under] Roman law and in the province ;
those, however, who are [in debt to the city or stand surety for such
a debt] or in short have a financial involvement with your public [treasury]
are to undergo [trial in Aphrodisias]. Since you crown me with a crown
[of gold? weighing? pounds], you should know that I have declined it
because I do not wish your city to be burdened as far as I am concerned.
Farewell. |
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| Letter
2 (Lines 13-27) |
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The
imperator Caesar, son of divine Trajan Parthicus, grandson of divine
Nerva, Trajan Hadrian Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician
power for the third time, consul for the third time (A.D. 119)
greets the magistrates, the council and the people of Aphrodisias. Your
freedom, autonomy, and other privileges given to you by the Senate and
the Emperors who have preceded me I confirmed earlier. But having been
petitioned by an embassy about the use of iron and the tax on nails,
although the matter is controversial, since this is not the first time
that the tax-collectors have undertaken to collect it from you too,
nevertheless knowing that the city is in other respects worthy of honour
and is removed from the formula provinciae, I release it from payment
of the tax and I have written to Claudius Agrippinus my procurator to
instruct the contractor for the tax on iron in Asia to keep away from
your city. Farewell. |
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| Letter
3 (lines 27-41) |
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In
(the stephanephorate of) Claudius Hypsikles, heros. |
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The
imperator Caesar, son of divine Trajan Parthicus, grandson of divine
Nerva, Trajan Hadrian Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribinician
power for the ninth time, consul for the third time (A.D. 125)
greets the magistrates, the Council and the People of Aphrodisias. The
funds which you have reserved for the aqueduct I confirm. And since
there are certain of your citizens who say that they have been nominated
for the high priesthood when they are incapable of undertaking it, I
have referred them to you to examine whether they are able to undertake
the liturgy and are evading it, or are telling the truth ; if,
however, some of them were to appear to be better off, it is fair that
they should hold the high priesthood first. I concede that you should
take money from the high priests instead of gladiatorial shows ;
not only do I concede but I praise your proposal. The supervisors who
will be chosen by you for the water-channel will be able to get advice
and help on those matters on which they need them from my procurator
Pompeius Severus, to whom I have written. Farewell. |
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| Letter 4 (lines 41-end) |
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| In
the stephanephorate of Tib. Claudius Hypsikles son of Hoplon. |
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The
imperator Caesar, son of divine Trajan Parthicus, grandson of divine
Nerva, Trajan Hadrian Augustus, pontifex maximus, holding tribυnician
power for the eighth time, consul for the third time (A.D. 124)
greets the magistrates, the council and the people of Aphrodisias.
As [. . ? . .] they, being gathered in a body,
addressed ?me [. . ? . .] aqueduct (accusative
case) to get [ ? help . . ? . . name (accusative
case) son of Diogenes whom [ ?you had appointed as] ambassador [. . .
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► Bibliography
AE 2000, n. 1441 ; Chianotis et al.,
Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, L, Amsterdam, 2000, n. 1096 ;
Reynolds, JRA, 13, 2000, pp. 5-20 ; Campanile, ZPE, 135, 2001, pp. 136-138 ;
Chaniotis et al., Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum,
LI, Amsterdam, 2001, n. 1491 ; Kernos, 17, 2004,
p. 240 ; Chaniotis
in Urso, Popolo e potere nel mondo antico : Concezioni Linguaggio
Immagini (Conv. intern., Friuli, 2004), Pisa, 2005, pp. 57 ss. ;
Hotz, Rituale im öffentlichen Diskurs griechischer Poleis der Kaiserzeit,
diss., Heidelberg, 2005, pp. 68-69 ; van Bremem,
Chiron, 35, 2005, p. 508 ;
Smith
& Ratté, Aphrodisias papers : New research on the city
and its monuments, Portsmouth, 2008, p. 62 ; Chianotis
in Dill & Walde, Antike Mythen : Medien, Transformationen
und Konstruktionen, Berlin, 2009, p. 328 ; Chianotis
in Hekster, Schmidt-Hofner & Witschel, Ritual dynamics and religious
change in the Roman Empire : Proceedings of the eighth Workshop
of the International Network Impact of Empire (Heidelberg, 2007),
Leiden, 2009, p. 11.
► Source : White marble panel discovered at Aphrodisias, Turkey, recorded in 1994.
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