Aphrodisias (Caria, Asia Minor — Pleiades map), 180-189 CE
IAph 12.538
= PPA 50
= SEG 32 (1982), no. 1097
= SEG 32 (1982), no. 1097
= PHI 265141
= AGRW ID# 9958
Copenhagen Inventory info: 1721
Monument found in 1705 in the southern part of the city wall; precise location and description unknown. M. Ulpius Appuleius Eurykles was a native of Aizanoi whose career is known from several inscriptions (e.g. OGIS 504-507). He was a member in the Panhellenion institution at Athens, had been appointed by the proconsul of Asia as a curator of the elders' organization (gerousia) at Ephesos, and was high-priest of Asia on at least two occasions. See M. Wörrle, "Neue Inschriftenfunde aus Aizanoi I," Chiron 22 (1992) 337-376 and Reynolds 1982, 187-189. At the point of writing this letter, Eurykles had been appointed as "curator" by the Romans (probably by request of the Aphrodisians) with the responsibility of investigating the civic finances of Aphrodisias. In this letter, me makes mention of a synod (of performers or athletes) which had approached him concerning problems in the financing of competitions (line 7).
To good fortune. Marcus Ulpius Appuleius Eurykles, designated high-priest of Asia of the temples of Smyrna for the second time, greets the civic leaders (archontes), Council and People of the Aphrodisians.
Since it was your wish that I make provision also for the contests, because of your piety towards the very great emperor Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, and because of the memory of those who bequeathed them, and because of the reputation of the city, and since those from the synod (synodos) had also already approached me several times, I have not failed to examine this sector as well, applying the same order and zeal as I observed in my curatorship. So far (10) the competitions have not taken place because the provision of money needed to be increased both in accordance with the directions of the deceased (founders) and in accordance with the reckoning of the funds from which the contests are due to be carried out. However, the contest from the will of Flavius Lysimachus has reached a total endowment of 120,000 denarii, so that it is possible from this sum for the musical contest to be held every four years, as the testator wished. The funds over and above the 120,000 denarii, which are on loan, and the interest accruing to this up to the beginning of the year, makes a total of 31,839 denarii. You can therefore, when the year begins, carry out this (20) contest, with good fortune, for prizes amounting to a talent, and with competitions according to the prizes available. The appointed time for the following period and the next four-yearly celebration will be the time between the Barbilleia at Ephesus and . . . the provincial contest (?). . . of Asia . . . . Farewell (?).
Translation by: Charlotte M. Roueché
Ἀγαθῇ Τύχῃ | Μᾶρκος Οὔλπιος Ἀππουλήϊος Εὐρυκλῆς ἀρχιερεὺς Ἀσίας ἀποδεδει[γ]μένο[ς] | ναῶν {ΚΑΙ} τῶν ἐν Σμύρνῃ τ<ὸ> β´ Ἀφροδισ[ι]έων ἄρχουσι βουλῇ δήμῳ χαίρε[ι]ν stop | Βουληθέντων ὑμῶν πρόνοιαν ποιήσασθαί με καὶ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἀγῶνας || διά τε τὴν πρὸς τὸν μέγιστον Αὐτοκράτορα εὐσεβείαν Μᾶρκον Αὐρήλιον | Κόμοδον Ἀντωνῖνον Σεβαστόν καὶ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς διαθεμένους | μνήμην καὶ διὰ τὴν τῆς πόλεως δό<ξ>αν ἤδη καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς συνόδου π[ολ]|λάκις ἐντυχόντων μοι οὐδὲ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος κατέλιπον ἀδιάκριτον | ἑπόμενος τῇ κατὰ τὴν λογιστείαν τά⌜ξ⌝ε[ι] καὶ προθυμίᾳ μέχρι νῦν τῆς περὶ || τοὺς ἀγῶνας καταστάσεως ἐνλειπούσης διὰ τὴν τῶν χρημάτων πα|ρασκευὴν ὀφειλόντων συ[ναυξ]ηθῆναι κατά τε τὰς τῶν τελευτησάν|των γνώμας καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἀξί<ω>μα τοῦ πόρου ἀφ' οὗ <χ>ρὴ τοὺς ἀγῶνα[ς] ἐπιτελεῖσθαι | ἀγὼν μὲν δὴ ὁ ἐκ τῶν Φλαβίου Λυσιμάχου διαθηκῶν προελήλυ|θεν εἰς ἀρχείου πόρου μυριάδας δ<ώ>δεκα ὡς δύνασθαι ἀπὸ τού||των παρὰ ἔτη τέσσαρα πληροῦσθαι τὸν μ(ο)υσικὸν ἀγῶνα καθὰ τῷ | διαθεμέν<ῳ> ἔδοξεν αἱ δὲ μετὰ τὰς δ<ώ>δεκα μυριάδας <ο>ὖσαι ἐν ἐκ|δανεισμῷ καὶ ὁ προσγεγ<ο>ν<ὼ>ς τούτοις τόκος μέχρι ἀρχῆς [ἔ]τους | [ποιεῖ] κεφαλείου δηναρίων μυριάδας τρεῖς δηνάρια χείλια ὀκτ<ω>κόσια | τριάκοντα ἐννέα δ<ύ>νασθε {I} οὖν ἀρχομένου τοῦ ἔτους τοῦτον || τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐπιτελεῖν ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ ἐπὶ ἄθλοις ταλαντιαί|οις καὶ ἀγωνίσμασιν κατὰ τὰ ἆθλα stop προθεσμία δὲ εἰς τὸν ἑ|ξῆς χρόνον καὶ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν τετραετηρίδα {Σ} ἔσται χρ<ό>[νος] | ὁ ἀπὸ [Βαρ]<β>ιλλήων τῶν Ἐφέσῳ [ἀγομένων] πρὸς [?Κοινὰ] Ἀσίας [?ἔρρωσθε] leaf
Item added: January 23, 2013
Item modified: November 6, 2020
ID number: 9958
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