Honors by a Synod of Dionysiac Performers (?) for Titus Flavius Gerrenus (102-114 CE)

Gerasa (Decapolis, Greater Syria and the East — Pleiades map), 102-114 CE
IGerasa 192 = A.H.M. Jones, “Inscriptions from Jerash,” JRS 18 (1928) 153-156 (no. 14) = AGRW ID# 22959
Copenhagen Inventory info: 599

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Cylindrical base of limestone found in the southern theatre near the west end of the stage (90 x 53 cm diameter).

Titus Flavius Gerrenus son of Flavius Flaccus of Quirina tribe (i.e. a tribe in Rome), the first elected director of contests of the city of the year.

Decree of the sacred synod (synodos) of worldwide . . . performers (technitai), sacred-victors (hieronikai), crowned victors (stephanitai) (?),. . . and fellow-competitors (synagōnistai) . . . gathered around Dionysos and the our lord the emperor (?) . . . Nerva Trajan Caesar Augustus, victorious in Germany and Dacia, . . . patrons of the performers, sacred-victors, crowned victors (?), . . . and those fellow-competitors:

Since Titus Flavius Gerrenus was a remarkable friend of Caesar and friend of the homeland who recognized all legates and proconsuls in connection with his own honor-loving and generous disposition towards everyone. The city of Antioch on the Golden River (i.e. Gerasa) elected him director of contests concerning which the city passed a decree to celebrate a great yearly contest on behalf of our lord and savior the emperor Nero Trajan Caesar Augustus, victorious in Germany and Dacia. He was considered worthy of the purple robe (of the office of contest-director) because of his virtue concerning the contest. Because of his extreme piety towards the household of the Augusti and his display of affection and goodwill towards the homeland, he received the crowns (of the office of contest-director) with all eagerness. He not only excelled his ancestors in love of honor with services (leitourgiai) towards his city, but he also displayed love of honor towards the synod both as individuals and as a group, and he imitated the eagerness of many contest-directors who excelled in the most honor-loving behavior towards us. For he directed the contest in a more skillful way than many others in charge of the office of contest-director, so it seems as though this is not the first time he has been our contest-director but that he has for all time been training expertly in the purple (i.e. the royal way) with respect to accomplishing the contests. For with fairness in his distributions of money, he provided royal feasts many times for the synod as a group and, consistently, he did not neglect any of those who feasted, whether losers or winners, throughout all the contests of the directors of the gymnasium.

It was resolved to set up a statue of him in the theatre–where he first directed the contests–with the customary inscription of the synod, specifying that all the competitors and those in the theatre should bring in the required wreaths for the statue. But let anyone who does not bring in the wreath pay a fine of 25 denarii during the contests to the synod and likewise to the city. It was resolved to report this to the city.

Translation by: Harland

{on upper cornice:} [Τ]ί̣τ̣ο̣ν̣ Φλάουιον Φλαουίου Φλάκου υ̣ἱ̣ὸν Κυρί[νᾳ Γερρηνὸν — — τὸ]ν αἱ[ρέσε]ι | τῆς πόλεως πρώτως ἀγωνοθέτην γενόμενον ἀγῶν̣[ος ․․․․] ἐ̣[νια]υ̣σίου. | {on lower cornice:} ψήφι̣ζμ̣α̣ {ψήφισμα} τ̣ῆς ἱερᾶς συνόδου τῶν̣ [ἀπὸ τ]ῆ̣[ς οἰκο]υ̣μέν̣[ης περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον καὶ τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Αὐτοκράτορα] | Νέρουαν Τραιανὸν Καίσαρα Σεβαστὸν Γερμ̣ανικὸν Δακικ[ὸν τεχνειτῶν ἱερονεικῶν στεφανειτῶν] || καὶ τῶν τούτων συναγωνιστῶν. v ἐπεὶ Τίτον Φλάουιον Γερρηνὸν ἄ̣[νδρα ․․․․․․․․․․] ἀ̣ξ̣ι̣ό̣λογον φιλοκαίσαρα | {on the cylindrical drum:} καὶ φιλόπατριν, ἐγνωσμένον πᾶσιν ἡγεμόσιν καὶ ἐπιτρόποις ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς πάντας φιλοτείμου καὶ μεγα|λόφρονος συναναστροφῆς, ἐχειροτόνησεν ἀγωνοθέτην ἡ πόλις Ἀντιοχέων τῶν πρὸς τῷ Χρυσορόᾳ | οὗ αὐτὴ ἐψηφίσατο ἄγειν ἀγῶνος πρώτου ἐνιαυσίου ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Αὐτοκράτορος Νέρουα | Τραιανοῦ Καίσαρος Σεβαστοῦ Γερμανικοῦ Δακικοῦ, ἄξιον κρείνασα τῆς πορ̣φ̣ύ̣ρ̣α̣ς τὸν ἄνδρα διὰ τὴν περὶ || αὐτὸν ἀρετήν· ὁ δὲ διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν αὐτοῦ πρός τε τὸν οἶκον τῶν Σεβαστῶν εὐ[σέβε]ι̣αν καὶ διὰ τ̣ὴν πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα | φιλόστοργον εὔνοιαν ἀναδεξάμενος τὰ στέμματα μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας οὐ μόνο̣ν̣ [τὰς] π̣[ρ]ογονικὰς φιλοτειμίας ὑπερ|έβαλεν ταῖς πρὸς τὴν πόλιν αὐτοῦ λειτουργίαις καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὴν σύνοδον καθ’ ἕνα κ̣α̣ὶ̣ κ̣ο̣ι̣ν̣[ῇ] φιλοτ̣ειμίᾳ ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῶν | ἀγωνοθετῶν τῶν σφόδρα εἰς ἡμᾶς φιλοτειμότατα ἀναστραφέντων ἐμειμήσατο τὴν προθυ[μί]αν· ἠγωνοθέτησε γὰρ ἐμπειρό|τερον τῶν πολλάκι προστάντων ἀγωνοθεσίας, ὡς δοκεῖν ἡμᾶς μὴ νῦν πρῶτον αὐτὸν ἀγω̣ν̣ο̣θ̣[ετ]ε̣ῖν ἀλλ’ ἐκ πολλῶν χρόνων ἐντρα||φέντα τῇ πορφύρᾳ εἰδημόνως τὰ προσήκοντα τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἐπιτελεῖν· μετὰ γὰρ τῆς ἐν τοῖς θέμασιν αὐτοῦ ἁγνείας πολλάκι μὲν | τὴν σύνοδον κατὰ κοινὸν βασιλικαῖς ἑστιάσεσ̣ιν ὑπεδέξατο, διηνεκῶς δὲ τὸν καθ’ ἕνα τῶν τε ἡττηθέντων καὶ στεφθέντων | οὐ διέλιπεν ἑστιῶν καὶ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ἀγῶνος γυμνα̣σιαρχῶν· ἔδοξεν ἀνασ̣τ̣ῆ̣σαι αὐτοῦ ἀνδριάντα ἐν ᾧ πρῶτος ἠγωνοθέτησε | θεάτρῳ ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχοντα τὴν ἐξ ἔθους τῆς συνόδου, ἐφ’ ᾧ οἵ τε ἀγων[ιζ]όμενοι πάντες καὶ̣ ο̣ἱ κατὰ καιρὸν θεατρίζοντες | εἰσφέρωσιν ἐπάνανκες στεφάνους τῷ ἀνδριάντι· ὃς δ’ ἂν μὴ εἰσενένκῃ ἀπ̣οτεινέτ̣ω ζημίας ἐν ἀγῶνι μὲν || τῇ συνόδῳ δηνάρια εἴκοσι πέντε, ἐν θεωρίᾳ δὲ τῇ πόλει ὁμοίως. ἔδοξε κατὰ πόλιν αὐτὸν ἀνανγέλλεσθαι.

IGerasa 192
From Jones 1928, 154 (fig. 35).

Item added: February 21, 2016
Item modified: May 25, 2021
ID number: 22959
Short link address:
http://www.philipharland.com/greco-roman-associations/?p=22959

Category: 5) Greater Syria and the East, c) Decapolis, Civic official, Decree, h) Groups of performers, athletes, or gladiators, Honorary inscription, i) Images of monuments or buildings

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Honors by a Synod of Dionysiac Performers (?) for Titus Flavius Gerrenus (102-114 CE) ║ Gerasa - Decapolis

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