Ancient Greek Inscriptions

from Bulgaria

project of

Sofia University
„Kliment Ohridski“

Monument III.880

Editor(s)

Georgi Mihailov, Nicolay Sharankov.

Type of monument

statue base

Material

marble

Find place

Between Plovdiv and Tsaratsovo, re-used in the road pavement

Origin

Philippopolis

Observed in

Institution and inventory

National Archaeological Institute with Museum
No 2626

Dimensions

height 39 cm, width 71 cm, depth 45 cm

Letter size

height 4 - 5 cm

Layout description

Middle part of rectangular base, broken above and below; inscription on the front.

Decoration description

Text

Category of inscription

honorary inscription for emperors - prose

Date

AD 103-114

Dating criteria

titulature

Text

[Αὐτοκράτορα]
[Νέρου]αν [Τραια]-
νὸν Καίσαρα Σε-
βαστὸν Γερμανι-
5κὸν Δακικὸν (vac.)
Τι(βέριος) Κλαύδιος Πολέ-
μαρχος ἀρχιερεύς
[------?]

ΑYΤΟΚΡAΤΟΡΑ
NEΡΟΥ..ΤΡΑΙΑ
NONΚΑIΣΑΡΑΣΕ
ΒΑΣΤONΓΕΡMΑNΙ
5ΚONΔΑΚΙΚON vacat
ΤΙΚΛΑYΔΙΟΣΠΟΛE
MΑΡΧΟΣAΡΧΙΕΡΕYΣ
------

The archpriest Tiberius Claudius Polemarchos (erected this statue of) [Emperor Nerv]a [Traia]nus Caesar Augustus Germanicus Dacicus [...?]

Find place

Google maps

Info

Geonames

Pleiades

List: Pl

⤦ n: 1

tag: lb

Αὐτοκράτορα

lemma: Αὐτοκράτωρ
tag: w

⤦ n: 2

tag: lb

Νέρουαν Τραια νὸν

ref: Traianus
type: emperor
tag: persName

Νέρουαν

tag: name

Νέρου

tag: supplied

αν

tag: unclear

Τραια νὸν

tag: name

Τραια

tag: supplied

⤦ n: 3

break: no
tag: lb

νὸν

tag: #text

Καίσαρα

lemma: Καῖσαρ
tag: w

Σε βαστὸν

lemma: Σεβαστός
tag: w

Σε

tag: #text

⤦ n: 4

break: no
tag: lb

βαστὸν

tag: #text

Γερμανι κὸν

lemma: Γερμανικός
tag: w

Γερμανι

tag: #text

⤦ n: 5

break: no
tag: lb

κὸν

tag: #text

Δακικὸν

lemma: Δακικός
tag: w

extent: 5
unit: character
tag: space

⤦ n: 6

tag: lb

Τιβέριος Κλαύδιος Πολέ μαρχος

ref: Polemarchus
type: official
nymRef: Τιβέριος Κλαύδιος Πολέμαρχος
tag: persName

Τιβέριος

ref: Tiberius
nymRef: Τιβέριος
type: praenomen
tag: name

Τιβέριος

tag: expan

Τι

tag: abbr

βέριος

tag: ex

Κλαύδιος

ref: Claudius
nymRef: Κλαύδιος
type: gentilicium
tag: name

Πολέ μαρχος

ref: Polemarchus
nymRef: Πολέμαρχος
type: cognomen
tag: name

Πολέ

tag: #text

⤦ n: 7

break: no
tag: lb

μαρχος

tag: #text

ἀρχιερεύς

lemma: ἀρχιερεύς
tag: w

tag: lb

< GAP >

extent: unknown
unit: line

 
<ab>
                    <lb n="1"/> <w lemma="Αὐτοκράτωρ"><supplied>Αὐτοκράτορα</supplied></w>
                    <lb n="2"/> <persName ref="listemperors.xml#Traianus" type="emperor">
                             <name>
                                 <supplied>Νέρου</supplied><unclear>αν</unclear>
                             </name>
                             <name>
                                 <supplied>Τραια</supplied>
                     <lb n="3" break="no"/>νὸν</name></persName> <w lemma="Καῖσαρ">Καίσαρα</w>  
                        <w lemma="Σεβαστός">Σε
                     <lb n="4" break="no"/>βαστὸν</w> <w lemma="Γερμανικός">Γερμανι
                     <lb n="5" break="no"/>κὸν</w> <w lemma="Δακικός">Δακικὸν</w> <space extent="5" unit="character"/>
                     <lb n="6"/> 
                             <persName ref="listemperors.xml#Polemarchus" type="official" nymRef="Τιβέριος Κλαύδιος Πολέμαρχος"><name ref="Onom.xml#Tiberius" nymRef="Τιβέριος" type="praenomen">
                                 <expan>
                                     <abbr>Τι</abbr><ex>βέριος</ex>
                                 </expan>
                             </name> 
                             <name ref="Onom.xml#Claudius" nymRef="Κλαύδιος" type="gentilicium">Κλαύδιος</name> 
                             <name ref="Onom.xml#Polemarchus" nymRef="Πολέμαρχος" type="cognomen">Πολέ
                     <lb n="7" break="no"/>μαρχος</name></persName> 
                                        <w lemma="ἀρχιερεύς">ἀρχιερεύς</w>
                     <lb/><gap extent="unknown" unit="line"/>
                </ab>

Apparatus

Apparatus:
The text of the inscription is compared with the edition of Mihailov through personal observation by N. Sharankov.

Commentary

The honorific names of the emperor include Germanicus (received in November AD 97) and Dacicus (received at the end of AD 102), but not Ἄριστος = Optimus (received before 3-4 May AD 114) and Parthicus (received on AD 116 20-21 February). That sets the date between AD 103 and AD 114 (and not AD 116, as in Mihailov).

The praenomen and the nomen of the archpriest Tiberius Claudius Polemarchus indicate that his family had received Roman citizenship soon after the establishment of the Roman province of Thrace. It is unclear whether he was the archpriest of Philippopolis or of the entire province (of the Thracian koinon).

Bibliography

Добруски, Вацлав. Няколко древни надписи намерени в България. In: Периодическо списание Vol. 5/23-24, 1888, Vol.. 798, № 2., .

Mihailov, Georgius. Inscriptiones Graecae in Bulgaria repertae. Vol. III.2, 1964.

текуща версия 1 / 2024-07-08