Taucheira, Decree of Aleximachus

[․․․? Δη]μ̣ητρι-
[․….Ρ̣Ο̣[․․…]γερο
[․….}Μ̣Ο̣[․․?․․]ΑΙΑΔΕ
[ἐπειδὴ] Ἀλε̣ξ̣[ίμαχος Σωσιστ]ρ̣άτω τῶν [ἁ]-
[με]τέρων πολιτᾶ[ν ἀε]ὶ διατελεῖ τὰν̣
[μ]εγίσταν πρόνοιαν ποιείμενος ὑπὲρ
[τ]ᾶς πόλιος ἁμῶν, πολλῶν δὲ καὶ μεγά-
λ̣ω̣ν ἀγαθ̣ῶν αἴτιος καθέστακε καὶ κοι-
[ν]ᾶ̣ι̣ καὶ καθ’ ἰδίαν ἑκάστωι, ἐπιεικῆ μὲν
[καὶ] φιλάνθρωπον τὰν ποτὶ τὸς ὄχλος
[κ]α̣ὶ̣ πόλιας ποιείμενος συναναστρο-
[φ]ή̣ν, ἐμφαίνει δὲ ποιῶν τὰν τῶ ἰδίω γ[έ]-
[νο]υ̣ς ἐξ ἀρχᾶς κἀλοκα̣γαθίαν, ἐν παν-
τ̣[ὶ κ]αιρῶι ἄξια πράσσων τ̣ᾶς̣ τῶν προγόνων
α[ἱρ]έσεω̣ς, καὶ λόγωι καὶ ἔργωι τὰν καλλίσταν
π[ρ]ό̣νοιαν ποιείμενος· συνεπιδιδοὺς ἑ-
αυτὸν ἐς τὰ συμφέροντα τᾶι πόλει, οὔ-
[․․]ς ἁμῶν ἀρχὰν ποιησάμενος ἐπέ-
δωκε χρήματα κατὰ τὰν τῶ πολέ-
μω περίστασιν ἐς τὰν παραφυλα-
κὰν τᾶς πόλιος, οὐθενὸς τῶν πολ[ι]-
τᾶν δεύτερος γινόμενος κατ̣[ὰ]
τὰν τᾶς πατρίδος ἐπανόρθω̣σ̣[ι]ν,
καθὼς αἱ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιφανεστάτοις
τόποις τιμαὶ αὐτῶ προδιασάφει-
σ̣ιν̣ α̣ἰ̣τέ[ντων] τῶν στραταγῶν· κ̣αὶ̣ φ̣ι̣-
[λοδ]αμίας οὐθὲν ἐνλείπων ὅσον
[ἐπ’ α]ὐ̣τῶι δυνατόν ἐστι, συνε̣γ̣β̣ο̣-
[ηθ]ῶν τᾶι τε ἰδίαι πατρίδι καὶ τοῖς
[πολ]ίταις ἀποδείκνυται τὰν ἐς
[πά]ντας εὔ̣νοι̣αν· καὶ ἐν τῶι πο-
[τὶ Λι]β̣ύ̣ας κ̣α̣ιρῶι τῶ σίτω σπανί-
[ζο]ντος κ̣αὶ τᾶς πόλιος προθυ-
[μ]ειμένας ἀποστῆλαι σιτώνας
ἰ̣ς̣ Λ̣έπτι̣ν̣, θεωρῶν καὶ ἐν τούτοις
τὰν τῶν ἰδίων συνπολιτᾶν θλῖψιν̣
διὰ τὰν τῶ κ̣α̣ι̣ρῶ περίστασιν, οὐ-
θὲν ἧσσον συναντιλαμβάνεσθαι
τῶν πραγμάτων ζ̣ηλόμενος, φιλό-
πατρις ὑ̣π̣ε̣ρ̣φυῶς καὶ φιλάγαθος ἀ-
[ξίως (?)] δόξας τε καὶ ἀρετᾶς, διάφορον
μὲν ὃν ὁ[λί]γ̣ο̣ν̣ ὁρῶν, ἀκόλουθα δὲ
πράσσων ταῖς ἐν τοῖς νόμοις ἀρε-
ταῖς καταγεγρ̣α̣μ̣μ̣έναις, θεωρῶν
τὰν τῶ σίτω τιμὰν ἀνατεινομέναν,
ἐ̣χ̣οράγησ̣ε̣ [τ]ὸν ἴ[δι]ον ὥστε πραθῆμεν
κατὰ μέτ̣[ρ]ο[ν] ἀξίας δ(ραχμῶν) ∙ λʹ ∙ προθυμεί-
μενος δὲ [αὐτ]ό̣θ̣ε̣ν̣ [κα]τ̣άξαι τὸν σῖ-
τον ὑπέ[σ]τ̣η̣ μ̣ε̣γ̣α̣λ̣ο̣μερῶς τὰν τῶν ἰ-
δίων χρημάτων αὔξησιν πρὸ πολ-
λῶ λειτουργε̣ῖ̣ν τ̣ᾶ̣ι τῶν ὄχλων σω-
τηρίαι̣· [δίκ]α[ιον δέ] ἐ̣σ̣τ̣ι̣ καὶ καλῶς ἔ-
χον τὸς ἀγα[θ]ὸς τῶν ἀνδρῶν προ-
τιμ[ᾶς καταξί]ω̣ καὶ ἀποδοχᾶς μέ-
ζονος τυγχάνειν ὅπως καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ,
[θ]εώρεντες τὰν τᾶς πόλιος ἀνυπό[σ]-
τολον εὐχαριστίαν ὑπαρχοίσαν ἑαυ-
60 τὸς ἐπιδίδοντες ἐς τὰ συνφέροντα
τᾶι πόλει, τ̣υ̣γ̣χ̣ά̣ν̣ω̣ντι τῶν αὐτῶν
φιλανθρώπων· v δέδοχθαι τοῖς γέ-
ροισι κα̣ὶ̣ τ̣ᾶ̣ι̣ [β]ω[λ]ᾶι ἐπαινέσαι Ἀλε-
ξίμαχον Σωσιστράτω κάριν τῶν
γεγονότων εὐεργετημάτων τῶν ὑ-
π’ αὐτῶ, πρ̣ό̣ς̣ τε ταῖς ὑπαρχοίσαις τι-
μαῖς ἀνθέμεν αὐτῷ τὰν πόλιν ἀνδρι-
άντα χαλκ̣ή̣ι̣ο̣ν ἐν τᾶι τῶν θεῶν ἀγορᾶι
ἐς ὃν κα αὐτὸς ποταίρηται τόπ̣ον, ἔχον̣-
τα ἐπιγραφ̣ὰ̣ν̣ τάνδε· v Ἀλεξίμαχον̣
Σωσιστράτω̣ Ἀ̣ρ̣σ̣ινοῆ ἀρετᾶς ἕνε̣κ̣[ε]
κ̣αὶ εὐνοίας ἃς ἔχων διατελεῖ ε̣ἰς v
τὰν πόλιν Ἀρσινοές· v οἱ δὲ ἔφοροι
τόν τε ἀνδριάντα ἀναθέντων
καὶ στάλαν λ̣υ̣γ̣δ̣ί̣ν̣αν παρ’ αὐ̣τ̣ῶ̣[ι]
ἔχοισαν ἀντίγραφον τῶδε [τῶ ψα]-
[φίσμα]τος̣. [τ]ὸ̣ δὲ γενηθὲν ἀν[άλω]-
[μ]α ἐ̣ς̣ [τ]ὰν σ̣τ[άλ]αν δόντων ἐ̣[κ]
δ̣α̣μ̣[οσί]ω̣ν ταμίαι […..]
[…..] λευκαί v ρθʹ […..]

[---] [De?]metrios [---] the gerontes [---] it was decided:
Given that Aleximachus son of Sosistratus, one of our fellow citizens, is always showing the best forethought on behalf or our city and that we owe him many great services already done;

given that his public and private behavior is fair and benevolent towards the masses and the cities;

given that he is expressing the ancient goodness of his family, while acting on all occasions in accordance with his ancestors' behavior, showing the best forethought in speech and act, devoting himself to the benefit of the city

— thus in one of our civil services, he freely offered on account of the wartime some money for the guard of the city, not allowing any other citizen to do more than himself for the sake of his hometown, as is shown by the honors already granted to him in the most prominent places;

given that, during the visits of the generals, never coming short in any activity as far as he was able, helping his hometown and fellow citizens, he proves being dedicated to all;

given that during the war,^note[Against the Libyans?] as corn-supply was coming short and as the city wished to send corn-buyers to Leptis, seeing on that occasion again his fellow citizens being oppressed because of the war circumstance and being eager to take no lesser part of the action, as an extremely home-devoted and generous man in matter of fame as well as valor, stating that the cash was low and acting in accordance with the virtues inscribed in the laws, stating that the price of corn was raising, he took on the expense for buying the corn, so that the corn would be retailed at 2 talents and 30 mines;

given that, eager to quickly dispatch the corn, he generously promised that the increase of his own wealth would be chiefly dedicated to public service on behalf of the saveguard of the masses;

given that it is right and fair that fine people receive high honors and be granted thence special favor, so that all others, seeing that the city does not elude due gratefulness, will in turn be dedicated to the benefit of the city and hence receive the same privileges;

— it was decided by the gerontes and the council: to praise Aleximachus son of Sosistratus on behalf of his past services; that, beyond the honors already granted,the city should erect a bronze statue on the Agora of the Gods in the place that he will choose, bearing the following inscription:

(Statue of) Aleximachus son of Sositratus, an Arsinoean citizen, (erected by) the Arsinoeans on behalf of his virtue and of the dedication constantly shown by him towards the city;

that the ephors should have the statue erected and besides it a stele of white marble bearing a copy of the present decree; that for the expenditure of the stele the treasurers will give from the public funds 600 drachmas.

White tokens:^note[I.e. favourable votes.] 109.^note[Translation: Catherine Dobias-Lalou, Greek Verse Inscriptions of Cyrenaica (2017)]

100 BCE (circa) – 1 BCE (circa)

SEG 26, 1817 (Greek)

Marco Prins

CC0 1.0 universal

Taucheira/Arsinoe (Tocra)

Hellenistic

Inscription

Libya