Greek Inscriptions from Corinth II 9781463220945

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Greek Inscriptions from Corinth II

A n a l e c t a Gorgiana

219 Series Editor George Kiraz

Analecta Gorgiana is a collection of long essays and

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Greek Inscriptions from Corinth II

Kendall Smith

l gorgias press 2009

Gorgias Press LLC, 180 Centennial Ave., Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA www.gorgiaspress.com Copyright © 2009 by Gorgias Press LLC Originally published in All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. 2009

1

ISBN 978-1-60724-448-6

ISSN 1935-6854

Extract from The A^merican Journal of Archaeology, vol. 23 (1919).

Printed in the LTnited States of America

American &djool of Clagsitcal ¿»tubies at Stfjens GREEK INSCRIPTIONS FROM II

CORINTH

1

THE Corinthian inscriptions published in this paper are the classical Greek inscriptions discovered by the American School at Athens in its excavations from 1902 to 1907 inclusive. A few from earlier excavations which were not published by Mr. Powell are also included. Mr. Powell published 60 inscriptions or fragments of inscriptions. Hence the numbering in this article begins with 61. Mr. Powell followed an approximately chronological order of presentation without regard to type. This method is less advisable when, as in the present article, one has more representatives of distinct types to publish than he had. In this paper, therefore, the inscriptions will be found in group8 corresponding to those in the Inscriptiones Graecae, and in each group an attempt has been made at chronological arrangement. The first and most important of the groups here published contains the Public Decrees,—infact,all the decrees of the Corinthian state written in the Greek language that we know—excepting one found at Magnesia and published by Kern, Inschriften von Magnesia, No. 42. All but the insignificant fragment No. 66 are to be dated before 146 B.C. Like all other pre-Mummian Corinthian inscriptions they bear witness to the devastation wrought by the Roman sack as well as by earthquakes, and by their incessant re-use for building purposes by Greeks, Romans, Venetians, and Turks. Not one of them is complete. None of them adds much to our knowledge of the history of Corinth. Two of 1 The first paper on Greek inscriptions discovered in the excavations of the American School at Corinth was published by the late Benjamin Powell in A.J.A. VII, 1903, pp. 26-71. This paper has been numbered as a continuation of his work, although by a different author. One other important archaic inscription found in the American excavations has been published by S. O. Dickerman in conjunction with one from Cleonae in A.J.A. VII, 1903, pp. 147-156. [As Mr. Powell's article and I.G. IV were published nearly simultaneously cross-references were impossible. The following inscriptions appear in both publications: Powell 7 = 1.0. IV, 397; 21 = 1599; 22 = 1604; 23 = 1603; 24 = 1600; 25 = 1601; 27 = 1602; 30 = 1605; 31 = 1598; 48 = 405. J. M. P.]

American Journal of Archaeology, Second Series. Journal of the Archaeological Institute of America, Vol. X X I I I (1919), No. 4.

2

0 0 1

ool

332

KENDALL

K.

SMITH

the six are very small fragments. In the case of only two is restoration certain and this does not extend beyond the formulae. The other two permit us only to guess at their contents. And none of them is as early as the fourth century B.C. Nevertheless, despite these disappointing facts, this group does throw some light on the character of the Corinthian dialect spoken, or, at least, used in public documents, in the third and second centuries B.C. It furnishes the first positive proof of the use at Corinth of the Doric koivt). Outside of the regular a for 17 may be noted especially the verbal forms -6t)ti, avade^tv (61, 8), and ewv (63, 3) as well as irapt-Kihaiiovaiv (63, 5). Something may also be learned from this group about the documentary formulae employed at Corinth. In No. 63, and probably also in No. 64, the divided type of prescript is found, the 25o£e of authorization appearing not immediately after the date but between the Reason for the Decree (iveidri . . . . ) and the body of the text. The dating is extremely brief in the one instance preserved, No. 63, consisting merely of the eponymous official's name, without designation of his office, and of the name of the month, both in the genitive case. In No. 61 the conclusion of a decree is seen to contain provisions for procuring, inscribing, and erecting the stone copy of the original document and for meeting its expense, in language paralleled by Corcyraean and other Dorian decrees. The style of the formulae, in general, varies from the simplicity of No. 63 to the verbosity of No. 62. The phrases are naturally more akin to those of Peloponnesian than of Attic documents; but they show no special similarity to the phrases used in documents of Corinth's colonies. For the constitutional side of Corinthian history this group of fragments is again of little value. As in the Magnesian decree, honors are conferred by a single body, presumably the same Ecclesia there named. It is certainly not the Corcyraean Halia or Haliaea. And this fact adds nothing to our knowledge of the government of this important state concerning which so little is known. The second group of inscriptions in this article contains fragments of three Catalogues and one Boundary Stone. Two of the catalogues are Victors' Lists of the Roman period, one is of uncertain character. The first of the Lists contains only the official dating, not the list proper. It is noteworthy for having the

GREEK

INSCRIPTIONS

FROM

CORINTH

333

Emperor-Consul's name erased. The Boundary Stone, a precious fragment from the fifth century B.C., is a most interesting stone, and helps to explain a mysterious rock-cutting and secret entrance close by the spot where it originally stood. It is also important for the history of the Corinthian alphabet and numerical signs, and makes a slight contribution to our knowledge of the Corinthian dialect. Dedications of different kinds compose the third group, Nos. 71-98. They range in date from the sixth century B.C. to late Roman times. Most of them are mere fragments, but many are not lacking in interest. Four are written in fine archaic Corinthian letters. One may have come from the pedestal of a statue of the famous Timoleon. One, and possibly a second, gives the sculptor's name. In the Roman group are found fragments of pedestals of the statues of the Emperor Hadrian and of one of the prominent Achaean provincials of the time of Tiberius. Other fragments possibly give us the late Roman designation for the long portico known to the excavators as "The Northwest Shops." In the fourth group a few broken Gravestones are found, one of which is metrical. Finally, I have made a few comments on certain of the inscriptions published by Powell. I PUBLIC

DECREES

A N HONORARY

DECREE

61a and b (Inv. 401 and 432. Fig. 1). Two fragments of bluish-grey limestone, found at different times and in different localities, but not so far apart as to preclude any attempt to bring them into association. The larger fragment, a (401), was found in 1907 in an accumulation above the Agora, south of the Northwest Stoa. The smaller fragment, b (432), was picked up later in the same year near the Propylaea on the late Greek pavement of the Agora. They are not of the same thickness; but neither fragment appears to retain its original back surface. On the other hand, identically the same quality of stone appears in both and the letters in both have exactly the same size, shapes, and peculiarities; viz., the main strokes are merely short, disconnected wedges; the middle horizontal strokes in E and A are missing; and it is almost impossible to tell apart 6, 0, and H. For these reasons the fragments have been associated. Fragment a is broken from the lower left-hand corner of an inscription and contains the beginnings of nine lines. Its dimensions are H. 0.255 m., W. 0.264 m., Th. 0.07 m. Fragment 6 is a small piece from the last two lines of an inscription and con-

GREEK

INSCRIPTIONS

FROM

CORINTH

333

Emperor-Consul's name erased. The Boundary Stone, a precious fragment from the fifth century B.C., is a most interesting stone, and helps to explain a mysterious rock-cutting and secret entrance close by the spot where it originally stood. It is also important for the history of the Corinthian alphabet and numerical signs, and makes a slight contribution to our knowledge of the Corinthian dialect. Dedications of different kinds compose the third group, Nos. 71-98. They range in date from the sixth century B.C. to late Roman times. Most of them are mere fragments, but many are not lacking in interest. Four are written in fine archaic Corinthian letters. One may have come from the pedestal of a statue of the famous Timoleon. One, and possibly a second, gives the sculptor's name. In the Roman group are found fragments of pedestals of the statues of the Emperor Hadrian and of one of the prominent Achaean provincials of the time of Tiberius. Other fragments possibly give us the late Roman designation for the long portico known to the excavators as "The Northwest Shops." In the fourth group a few broken Gravestones are found, one of which is metrical. Finally, I have made a few comments on certain of the inscriptions published by Powell. I PUBLIC

DECREES

A N HONORARY

DECREE

61a and b (Inv. 401 and 432. Fig. 1). Two fragments of bluish-grey limestone, found at different times and in different localities, but not so far apart as to preclude any attempt to bring them into association. The larger fragment, a (401), was found in 1907 in an accumulation above the Agora, south of the Northwest Stoa. The smaller fragment, b (432), was picked up later in the same year near the Propylaea on the late Greek pavement of the Agora. They are not of the same thickness; but neither fragment appears to retain its original back surface. On the other hand, identically the same quality of stone appears in both and the letters in both have exactly the same size, shapes, and peculiarities; viz., the main strokes are merely short, disconnected wedges; the middle horizontal strokes in E and A are missing; and it is almost impossible to tell apart 6, 0, and H. For these reasons the fragments have been associated. Fragment a is broken from the lower left-hand corner of an inscription and contains the beginnings of nine lines. Its dimensions are H. 0.255 m., W. 0.264 m., Th. 0.07 m. Fragment 6 is a small piece from the last two lines of an inscription and con-

334

KENDALL K. SMITH

tains no more than nine letters. Its dimensions are H. 0.14 m., W. 0.07 m., Th. 0.031 m. In both fragments the letters are 0.005-7 m. high.

a

5

b

. . . omni avrov Ka 6T]TL OTTUIS avrrjv tvep Kai rißäs air r[co] d tySorrip ay Kai avaQ'eßtv eh vi Hetprivai' TO Se ay

ayopa ukvrjs

a. Line 1. Only a few traces of letters remain, possibly A, then perhaps O, and N or I. Line 2. The last letter might be N instead of I. Line 3. The fourth letter may be either O or SI Beyond K only a sloping bar appears. It might be A as well as A. Line 5. The t\ in avr-qv is clear. It is a surprising Koivq intrusion. Contrast TLuprjvai. (9) and also dvadeptv (8).

FIGURE

1.—INSCRIPTION

FROM C O R I N T H :

NO.

61

GREEK

INSCRIPTIONS

FROM

CORINTH

335

Line 7. After the first letter the stone appears to have a small chipping. Into the space could only fit either 0, 0, or fl. Beyond the last letter—which might be A as well as A—a vertical hasta can be deciphered, belonging to r, N, II, or possibly P. I believe it to be N, the second letter of ävaypä\pai. Line 9. On the fractured edge at the right can be seen the beginning of an upright hasta, which again I consider to be N. Enough is preserved to show that the conclusion of a Corinthian decree was couched in familiar language. But we have too little to enable us to offer any restoration which will be anything but suggestive of the original. The details are wholly uncertain. The restoration below is merely intended to indicate what I conceive to be the sequence of thought, and how I think the two fragments can be brought together. a

..

.

KaXelv 8e Kai eis irpoeSpiav] ev rots aySxri ols a irö\« ri]0?JTI, OTTCOS [/CD a 7roXts aivriTaL irävras tovs els «]5 avrrjv evep[yerovvTas /Caracas Kai x^piras] Kai rifias ¿Tr[oSiSovcra' crraXav Se "hidivav ey5o]O*TTCOT[

avTqv

'

/ca[i

tuyovovs

r[co] o eydorrip"

äv[aypätpaL

5k eis aiirav

to

ij/ai(ißa\

ras] ¿Yopa[s räv e]~ iri UapT]vai' to 5e ay[ä\o)ßa 5orco Eü]jnev7js [o rayuias.] Kai ävadepev

eis [räv

äaohov

b

The phraseology follows in general that of an inscription of Epidaurus Limera, I.G. V, 1, 932. Line 6. O R A X a v 8k KTX. The language resembles that in contemporary Spartan inscriptions; I.G. V, 1, 4 and 5; also in one from Hermione, Dittenberger, Sylloge,2 654. The duties of an kydoTTip (or ¿KSOTTJS) are succinctly expressed in I.G. XII, 653, 59, a vSpa OUT is eybkoei tt]v v to t[pItov], els \evKU>ixa

and

Karax^pio-al.

331

]

346

KENDALL

K.

SMITH

Line 8. -aras is presumably a final syllable. Words seem to be divided at the ends of lines in this inscription, as in others of the time, on a syllabic principle. The restoration 5t/ca]KÜ)/UCOI TaTos 'Iov\t,os "loov KopLvdios, 6 Kai 'Ap[yeios (?)'] eis 6eav 'I[o]v\iav 'EeßaaTrjv IloirifJ.aTL raios K[ä](rcrios $X&kkos Xvpa[KÖffLos.] Victors in the Caesarean Competitions With a Prose Encomium To the Glory of Caesar Augustus, son of Divus (Julius), Caius Julius Ion, citizen of Corinth and of Argos (?); With a Prose Encomium To the Glory of Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of Divus Augustus, Caius Julius Ion, citizen of Corinth and of Argos (?); With a Poem To the Glory of Diva Julia Augusta, Caius Cassius Flaecus, citizen of Syracuse.

Line 1. The Caesarea were as widespread as was the cityname Caesarea. Games and cities were founded at the same time. The Caesarea are fully discussed in Daremberg and Saglio, s.v. As this inscription shows, the competitions were literary or musical rather than athletic. The Corinthian Caesarea are mentioned in an inscription of Thespiae, dated in the reign of Augustus, 1.G. VII, 1856, Kaiaäpeia'evKopivdui, and on the various pedestals at Troezen and Corinth that once carried statues of Cn. Cornelius Pulcher, I.G. IV, 795, 1600 and No. 89 below (irevratrypiKÖv ¿.ycavodkTijv Kaurapeiwv 1

'lcdßiuv)}

See also L. R. Dean,' Latin Inscriptions from Corinth,' A.J.A. XXII, 1918, p. 195.

GREEK

INSCRIPTIONS

FROM CORINTH

353

Line 2. It was customary to have competitions in eulogizing the imperial personages in whose honor these games were instituted. 1 Line 4. The Corinthian and Syracusan victors bear honored Roman names, but are not, I believe, otherwise known. 69 a and 6 (Inv. 192, 198. Fig. 7, B). Two small fragments of white marble found in the excavations of 1902, at a high level above the east part of the Northwest Stoa. Fragment a certainly belongs to the inscription published by Powell, No. 12. It is the small piece in the middle photograph below.

-Xe • ivos —ravos - j as —a -avre s —ri