Letter of Commodus to Aphrodisias
created: transcription (Reynolds)
source date: Inscription: second to third centuries C.E. Document: A.D. 189
language: en; grc
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Αὐτοκράτωρ Καῖσαρ θεοῦ Μάρκου Ἀντωνείνου Εὐσεβοῦς Γερμανικοῦ Σαρματικοῦ υἱός θεοῦ Εὐσεβοῦς υἱωνός θεοῦ Ἁδριανοῦ ἔγγονος θεοῦ Τραϊανοῦ Παρθικοῦ καὶ θεοῦ Νέρουα ἀπόγονος Μᾶρκος Αὐρήλιος Κόμμοδος Ἀντωνεῖνος Εὐσεβὴς Εὐτυχὴς Σεβαστὸς Σαρματικός Γερμανικὸς μέγιστος Βρεταννικός ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ ιδ αὐτοκράτωρ τὸ η ὕπατος τὸ ε πατὴρ πατρίδος Ἀφροδεισιέων τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ χαίρειν Ἐνέτυχον τῷ ψηφίσματι δι’ οὗ ἠξιοῦτε τὸν τῆς Ἀσίας ἀνθύπατον ἐπιδημεῖν ἐν τῇ πόλει τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ καὶ διατρείβειν ἡμερῶν τινῶν ἐπισκοποῦντα καὶ ἐξετάζοντα τὰ δημόσια πράγματα ὡς πάνυ κατημελημένα καὶ δεόμενα μείζονος τῆς ἐπανορθώσεως ὑπὲρ τοῦ πάσας τὰς κρίσεις τοῦ λογιστοῦ βεβαίας δύνασθαι μένειν ὑμεῖς μὲν ταῦτα ὡς ὑπὲρ πόλεως γεινομενη βουλευόμενοι ἐψηφίσασθε ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀνανκαῖον ταύτην τὴν τάξιν τεταγμένῳ φυλάσσειν τὰς πόλεις ἐπὶ τῶν ὁμοίων ἀξιωμάτων ὅπερ καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν πόλιν [...] ἐπιδημίας ἡγεμόνος ἢ ἀνθυπάτου επὶ πόλεως γεινομένης απη[...] καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὰ τῆς ἐλευθερίας δίκαια [...]στοι σφόδρα μοι εφ[...] πράγματα ἐπέστειλα τῷ φίλῳ μου Οὐλπίῳ Μαρκέλλῳ παυσαμενι[...] διατρεῖψαι χρόνον αὐταρκῆ πρὸς τὴν τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων κατάστασιν[...] εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὕτω γένοιτο τά τε δημόσια πράγματα τεύξεται τῆς πρότερον καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐλευθερίας δίκαια ἐπὶ τῶν ὁμοίων ἀξιωμάτων φυλάξονται

[...] [...]ουσ[...] [...]ομμε[...] [...]σ Ἀφροδει- [...] [...]

Imperator Caesar M. Aurelius Commodus Antoninus, Pius, Felix, Augustus, Sarmaticus, Germanicus maximus, Britannicus, pontifex maximus, son of divus M. Antoninus, Pius, Germanicus, Sarmaticus, grandson of divus Pius, great-grandson of divus Hadrianus, descendant of divus Trajanus Parthicus and divus Nerva, Pontifex Maximus, holding the tribunician power for the fourteenth time, acclaimed victorious for the eighth time, consul for the fifth time, father of his country, sends greetings to the Magistrates, Council and People of the Aphrodisians.

I received the decree in which you asked that the proconsul of Asia should visit your [city] and spend some days looking into [and examining] your public affairs on the grounds that they are [quite neglected ?] and in need of a greater reconstruction [to enable ?] the decisions of the curator to stand confirmed. You of course [voted for these proposals ?] with the interests of the city in mind; on me, since I have been appointed to this station, falls the necessity of preserving the cities in the same [position of honour ? as my predecessors ? ....] visit(s) from an official ? or proconsul [.. ? ..] and meanwhile the rights of freedom [.. ?. .] matters, I have sent to my friend Ulpius Marcellus ? [.. ? ..] to spend a sufficient time with a view to [the reconstruction ?] of the common [.. ? ..] for if this were to happen in this way and the public affairs [.. ? ..] the rights of freedom [.. ? ..].

[...] in 1967, fragments found over subsequent years: 67.432, 67.453, 67.461, 67.462, 67.468, 67.472, 69.309, 69.428, 69.432, 69.462, 69.464, 76.196.3, 76.196.7; fragment a: 67.455; a further fragment located in 1988.

[...] 16 whence [...] 32.1097 ; [...] 1983.377 , [...] 1984.870 , [...] 53 , [...] 8.35.