Popillius Carus Pedo and the festivities of Artemis in Ephesus [ Marble ]
Inscription: id 191
MEDIA
Title
Popillius Carus Pedo and the festivities of Artemis in Ephesus
Description
Statue base, rectangular, inscribed on three faces and now broken into two fragments.
Typology
Provincial edict and local decree
Inscription category
RomanGreek
Language
Greek
Language of entry
English
Physical characteristics
The Roman governor Carus Pedo produces an edict authorising a local decree of Ephesus. The decree celebrates the fame of Artemis’ cult and institutes that all the days of one month (Artemision) should be sacred and dedicated to this guardian goddess.
Material(s)
Marble
Measurements
The upper fragment is 39 cm high and the bottom fragment is 72.5 cm. Width is 48 cm. Letters are between 3 cm and 1.2 cm tall.
Primary / preferred image
artemis_pedo_ephesus_.jpg [121kB]
Original location (text)
Discovered in Selçuk (Turkey), re-used in the hospice next to the Ephesian aqueductDiscovered in Sel?uk (Turkey), re-used in the hospice next to the Ephesian aqueduct
Actual location
The upper fragment is in the British Museum (London) and the bottom in the Ashmolean Museum (inv. G 1186)
Centuries (range of dating)
2nd CE
Date CE / start of range
162
Date CE - end of range (optional)
164
Publications
Die Inschriften von Ephesos 24a-b [SIG3867a-b]
Edition
This edition is based on Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum III no. 867a-b; incorporating the last revision made in Die Inschriften von Ephesos no. 24a-b.
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A
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[Γ(άϊος) Πο]πίλλιος Κᾶρος Πέδω[ν]
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ἀνθύπατος λέγει·
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[ἔ]μαθον ἐκ τοῦ πεμφθέντος [πρός]
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με ψηφίσματος ὑπὸ τῆς λαμπροτ[ά]-
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5
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της Ἐφεσίων βουλῆς τοὺς πρὸ ἐμ[οῦ]
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κρατίστους ἀνθυπάτους ἱε[ρὰς]
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νομίσαι τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς π[α]νη̣[γύρεως]
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τῶ̣ν Ἀρτε̣[μισίων] καὶ τοῦτο διατά-
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γματι δεδηλωκέναι· ὅθεν ἀναγκαῖ-
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10
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ον ἡγησάμην καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποβλέ-
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πων εἴς τε τὴν εὐσέβειαν τῆς θεοῦ̣
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καὶ εἰς τὴν τῆς λαμπροτάτης Ἐφε-
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σίων πόλεως τειμὴν φανερὸν ποι-
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ῆσαι διατάγματι ἔσεσθαι τὰς ἡμέρας
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15
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ταύτας ἱερὰς καὶ τὰς ἐπ’ αὐταῖς ἐκε-
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χ̣ειρίας φυλαχθήσεσθαι· προεστῶ-
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τος τῆς πανηγύρεως
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Τίτου Αἰλίου Μαρκιανοῦ Πρίσκου
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τοῦ ἀγωνοθέτου, ὑοῦ Αἰλίου
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20
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Πρίσκου, ἀνδρὸς δοκιμωτάτου καὶ
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πάσης τειμῆς καὶ ἀποδοχῆς ἀξίου.
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B
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[ἔδ]οξεν τῆς πρώτης καὶ με[γίστης]
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[μητρ]οπόλεως τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ δὶς νεωκ̣[όρου τῶν]
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[Σεβα]σ̣τῶν καὶ φιλοσεβάστου Ἐφε̣[σίων πόλεως]
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[τῇ βο]υλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ περὶ ὧν εἰσηγή̣[σατο]
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5
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[... Λ]αβέριος Ἄμοινος φιλοσέβαστος, ὁ γραμμ[ατεὺς]
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[τοῦ δ]ή̣μου· ἐπεψήφισαν δὲ οἱ στ[ρ]ατηγοὶ τῆς
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πόλεως φιλοσέβαστοι·
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[ἐπειδὴ ἡ π]ροεστῶσα τῆς πόλεως ἡμῶν θεὸς Ἄρτε[μις]
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[οὐ μόνον] ἐν τῇ ἑαυτῆς πατρίδι τ̣ε̣ιμᾶται, ἣν ἁ[πασῶν]
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10
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[τῶν πόλεων] ἐνδοξοτέραν διὰ τῆς ἰδίας θειότητ[ος πεποίη]-
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[κεν, ἀ]λλὰ καὶ παρ̣ὰ̣ [ Ἕλλησίν τε κ]α̣ὶ̣ [β]α̣ρ̣β̣ά̣ρ̣[ο]ις, ὥ[στε παν]-
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ταχοῦ ἀνεῖσθαι αὐτῆς ἱερά τε κα[ὶ τεμένη, ναοὺς δὲ]
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αὐτῇ τε εἱδρύσθαι καὶ βωμοὺς αὐτῇ ἀνακεῖσθαι διὰ
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τὰς ὑπ’ αὐτῆς γεινομένας ἐναργεῖς ἐπιφανείας,
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15
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καὶ τοῦτο δὲ μέγιστον τοῦ περὶ αὐτὴν σεβασ-
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μοῦ ἐστιν τεκμήριον, τὸ ἐπώνυμον αὐτῆς
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εἶναι μῆνα καλούμενον παρ̣’ ἡ̣[μ]ῖν μὲν Ἀρτεμισ[ι]-
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ῶνα, παρὰ δὲ Μακεδόσιν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν
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τοῖς Ἑλληνικοῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐν αὐταῖς πόλεσιν
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20
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Ἀ̣ρτεμίσιον, ἐν ᾧ μηνὶ πανηγύρεις τε καὶ ἱερο-
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μηνίαι ἐπιτελοῦνται, διαφερόντως δὲ ἐν̣ [τῇ]
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ἡμετέρᾳ πόλει τῇ τροφῷ τῆς ἰδίας θεοῦ τῆς Ἐφ[εσί]-
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ας, προσῆκον δὲ εἶναι ἡγούμενος ὁ δῆμος [ὁ]
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Ἐφεσίων ὅλον τὸν μῆνα τὸν ἐπώνυμον τοῦ θ̣[είου]
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25
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ὀνόματος εἶναι ἱερὸν καὶ ἀνακεῖσθαι τῇ θεῷ
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ἐδοκίμασεν διὰ τοῦδε τοῦ ψηφίσματος [διατιθέ]-
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ναι τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ θρησκείαν· διὸ δεδόχ[θαι]
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[ὅ]λον τὸν μῆνα τὸν Ἀρτεμισιῶ̣να εἶνα[ι ἱερὸν πάσας]
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[τ]ὰς ἡμέρας, ἄγεσθαι δὲ ἐπ’ αὐταῖς μην[ός τε καὶ]
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30
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[δι’] ἔτ̣ους τὰς ἑορτὰς καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἀρτεμ[ισίων πανή]-
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[γ]υριν καὶ τὰς ἱερομηνίας, ἅτε τοῦ μηνὸς ὅ[λου ἀνακειμέ]-
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ν̣ου τῇ θεῷ· οὕτω γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄμεινον τῆς [θεοῦ τιμωμέ]-
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[ν]ης ἡ πόλις ἡμ[ῶν ἐ]νδοξοτέρα τε καὶ εὐδ[αιμονεστέρα]
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εἰς τὸ[ν ἅπα]ντα διαμενεῖ χ[ρόνον.]
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English translation
Taken from Lewis, Naphtali, Greek Historical Documents. The Roman Principate: 27 B.C. – 285 A.D., Toronto, Hakkert, 1974, p. 128-130.
Popillius Carus Pedo, proconsul, declares: I have learned from the decree sent me by the most illustrious council of Ephesus that their Excellencies, the proconsuls before me, considered the days of the Artemisia festival holy and so proclaimed by edict.
Wherefore, since I too respect both the reverence paid the goddess and the dignity of the most illustrious city of Ephesos, I have deemed it necessary to make clear by decree that these days will continue to be holy and suspension of business to be observed on those days, the director of the festival being Titus Aelius Marcianus Priscus, the son of Aelius Priscus, a most esteemed gentleman deserving of every honor and approbation.
The council and the people of the city of Ephesos, first and greatest of the metropolises of Asia, twice designated neokoros of the Augusti, devoted to the emperor, decree:
Wherefore, since I too respect both the reverence paid the goddess and the dignity of the most illustrious city of Ephesos, I have deemed it necessary to make clear by decree that these days will continue to be holy and suspension of business to be observed on those days, the director of the festival being Titus Aelius Marcianus Priscus, the son of Aelius Priscus, a most esteemed gentleman deserving of every honor and approbation.
The council and the people of the city of Ephesos, first and greatest of the metropolises of Asia, twice designated neokoros of the Augusti, devoted to the emperor, decree:
Regarding the motion made by Laberius Amoinos, devoted to the emperors, secretary of the assembly, and put to a vote by the city magistrates, devoted to the emperors,
Whereas the goddess Artemis, guardian of our city, is honored not only in her own native city – which she has made famous beyond all other cities by her own divinity – but also among Greeks and Barbarians alike, so that in many places rites and precincts have been dedicated to her, and temples to her are founded and altars and statues on account of the bodily manifestations performed by her.
And whereas a very great evidence of the reverence surrounding her is the month named after her, called Artemision by us, Artemisios by the Macedonians and the other Greek-speaking peoples and the cities among them, in which month festive assemblies and public sacrifices are held, but especially in our city, the nurturer of its own Ephesian goddess,
And whereas the people of Ephesos deems it fitting that the whole month named after her divine name be sacred and devoted to the goddess and by this decree approves the establishment of such ritual in her honor,
Therefore it is decreed that the month Artemision is to be sacred all its days, that in the days of that month in every year are to be held the holidays and the festive assemblies and public sacrifices of the Artemisia, inasmuch as the whole month is dedicated to the goddess. Thus the better honoring the goddess, our city will remain the more famous and the more blessed for all time.
Whereas the goddess Artemis, guardian of our city, is honored not only in her own native city – which she has made famous beyond all other cities by her own divinity – but also among Greeks and Barbarians alike, so that in many places rites and precincts have been dedicated to her, and temples to her are founded and altars and statues on account of the bodily manifestations performed by her.
And whereas a very great evidence of the reverence surrounding her is the month named after her, called Artemision by us, Artemisios by the Macedonians and the other Greek-speaking peoples and the cities among them, in which month festive assemblies and public sacrifices are held, but especially in our city, the nurturer of its own Ephesian goddess,
And whereas the people of Ephesos deems it fitting that the whole month named after her divine name be sacred and devoted to the goddess and by this decree approves the establishment of such ritual in her honor,
Therefore it is decreed that the month Artemision is to be sacred all its days, that in the days of that month in every year are to be held the holidays and the festive assemblies and public sacrifices of the Artemisia, inasmuch as the whole month is dedicated to the goddess. Thus the better honoring the goddess, our city will remain the more famous and the more blessed for all time.
Commentary
Thematic keywords
local identityRoman pietypietyGreekbarbariansprecedentArtemisEphesusRoman governoredictlocal cultscalendarholidaysfestivaldevotion
Keywords (original language)
ψήφισμαἱερόςἡμέραπανήγυριςδιάταγμαἀναγκαῖοςτιμήφυλάσσωεὐσέβειαπροίστημιπατρίςἐπιφάνειαθειότηςἝλληνβάρβαροςἈρτεμίσιοςἈρτεμισιώνσεβασμόςθρησκείαἑορτήφιλοσέβαστοςἔνδοξοςεὐδαίμωνλέγω
Literary reference
Local cults could be a matter of pride for communities in the Greek east. Few cities could boast about the fame and relevance of their patron god/goddesses as much as Ephesus did with respect to Artemis. This dossier illustrates such attitudes, the importance of Artemis’s cultic celebrations, and, most importantly, the Roman control over sacred activities requiring provincial authorisation and consent.The first document of the dossier is the edict that the provincial governor pronounced [λέγει/legei] probably between 162/3 and 163/4 CE. C. Popillius Carus Pedo (PIR2P 838) was consul in 147 and, after the usual fifteen-year span, he would have allotted the proconsular appointment in Asia. During this office, he received a letter containing the decree (ψήφισμα/psêphisma) of the Ephesian council and assembly that was inscribed on the face B of our statue base. This local resolution was concerned with the sacred days (ἱερᾶι ἡμέραι/hierai hêmerai) of a festival (πανήγυρις/panêgyris) dedicated to Artemis or Artemisia. From Carus Pedo’s response, it must be inferred that the Ephesians also attached communications with the previous provincial governors which were favourable towards this festivity. As exceptionally well illustrated in the case of Hadrian and the temple of Zeus in Aizanoi, such precedents were fundamental for triggering a positive reaction from the Roman administration and obtaining new benefits. Indeed, the cult of Artemis had been favoured not only by Roman proconsuls but even the emperors; especially, Augustus, Domitian, and Trajan who are known to have confirmed the magnitude of the lands assigned to the Artemision temple (see Knibbe, “Der Grundbesitz”). Hadrian was also extensively honoured as “saviour” and “founder”. Previously under Claudius, we also have the long edict of the governor Paullus Fabius Persicus who sought to curb the mismanagement of this temple and impose certain conditions to the Ephesians regarding the cult of Artemis. Consequently, even though Plutarch famously denounced the trivialisation of Roman ratification for local decisions adopted in Greek cities (Moralia 814F-815A), Carus Pedo’s edict (διατάγμα/diatagma) should be regarded not just as recommendable but rather necessary (ἀναγκαῖον/anankaion).As recorded in lines 14 to 16, the celebration of sacred days for Artemis implied a period of ἐκεχειρία/ekecheiria (“holidays”). This term is exactly the same used by Philo to refer to the Jewish Sabbath (De Vita Mosis II.22; 211), and shows that the cessation of activities on religious grounds concerned the Roman authorities and required further justification. In the case of Ephesus, not only were the administrative precedents decisive but also the dignity (τιμή/timê) of this “very illustrious” city, which was to be protected (φυλαχθήσεσθαι/phylachthêsesthai). Moreover, Carus Pedo was able to present his edict as a sign of his piety (εὐσέβεια/eusebeia) towards Artemis. Finally, the governor was assured by the reputation and acts of the main promoter of this initiative; a Roman citizen called Titus Aelius Marcianus Priscus who was also honoured in the face C (not included in our edition) of this statue base.The reverence shown by a Roman governor towards a foreign goddess can be better understood by virtue of the local resolution originating Carus Pedo’s edict (B). After the formulaic preface listing the series of titles that Ephesus displayed, at least, since Antoninus Pius’s accession, and the formal procedure conducted by the civic institutions, the Ephesians explain why their guardian (προεστῶσα/proestôsa) goddess, Artemis, and the festivities dedicated to her deserved admiration and respect. Firstly, they claim that this Artemis was not only honoured in their homeland (πατρίς/patris), but rather “by Greeks and Barbarians alike”. This statement can be confirmed by the numerous representations of the distinctive goddess found throughout the Graeco-Roman world (see Fleischer, Artemis von Ephesos, p. 1-137); including one statue discovered in Caesarea and now displayed in the Museum of Israel [IAA 1962-94: http://www.imj.org.il/imagine/galleries/viewItemE.asp?case=5&itemNum=396727]. For example, Strabo (Geography IV.1.4) reports that Artemis once appeared in a dream to the Phoceans, who were inspired to settle the colony of Massilia and brought an image of her to the Gaulish shores. Such manifestations (or ἐπιφάνειαι/epiphaneiai; cf. SEG 34.1170) were a sign of her divinity (θειότης/theiotês) as highlighted in line 14 and certainly constituted a crucial element from which cultic structures could be enhanced both in the ancient world (e.g. Artemis Leukophryene at Magnesia on the Meander; see Thonemann, “Magnesia and the Greeks”) and today (e.g. Virgin Mary’s sanctuaries). The popularity of the Ephesian Artemis, moreover, exceeded the limits of the Greek East and even reached Rome. Livy (I.45.2-3) records that the cult of Diana on the Aventine had been founded on the model of Ephesus. In this regard, Dionysus of Halicarnassus (Roman Antiquities IV.26.3-5) even claims that the Romans should not be considered Barbarians because the foundation pillar of the temple had been written in Greek. This theory, nonetheless, does not appear to have transformed the perception of the Ephesian people as our decree still offers a binary distinction between Ἕλληνες/Hellênes and Βάρβαροι/Barbaroi in line 11; a simplistic dichotomy based on the Classical tradition.In any case, the greatest sign of reverence (σεβασμός/sebasmos) to Artemis according to the Ephesians was the fact that the month Artemision was named after her. The rich epigraphic material from Ephesus certainly shows that this city kept a calendar with distinctive month names, even after the cities of Asia accepted to start the year from September 23rd, Augustus’s birthday (Merkelbach, “Die ephesischen Monate”). This month occurred between March and April and was also adopted by the Macedonians and other Greek calendars under the name Ἀρτεμίσιος/Artemisios instead of Ἀρτεμισιών/Artemisiôn (ll. 17-20). The eponymous month was consequently devoted to Artemis and the decree wanted to institute all its days as sacred. This period would be occupied with the activities related to the cult (θρησκεία/thrêskeia), including festivities (ἑορταί/heortai), a festival (πανήγυρις/panêgyris), and sacrifices (ἱερομηνία/hieromênia). All these various celebrations are not only confirmed by the inscribed evidence, but also by the vivid description of the Artemisia opening the ancient novel Ephesiaka (see Rogers, The Mysteries of Artemis). The Ephesians considered that, by honouring the goddess in such a way, their city would remain both “very famous and blessed” (l. 33); after all, this community was the nourisher, (τροφός/trophos) of their guardian deity (l. 22).With such a degree of interdependency between the temple of Artemis and Ephesus (see Karwiese, Gross ist die Artemis), the magnitude of the honours paid to this goddess can be better understood. Nevertheless, this local devotion had likewise consequences on the management and functioning of the capital of Asia which the provincial governor needed to oversee. Carus Pedo accepted these exceptional circumstances because of the undoubted importance of the cult and the precedents of former administrators. The combination of this Roman acceptance with the local devotion and promotion as also attested in the Salutaris’s foundation resulted in a successful story of cultic celebrations that enhanced the Ephesian identity and pride while attracting external attention and fame. For such beneficial decisions, the institutions of Ephesus considered themselves φιλοσέβαστοι/philosebastoi (“emperor-loving”). At the same time, these favours provided the Roman authorities with opportunities to display their self-acclaimed piety.
Bibliographic reference
Fleischer, Robert
1973
Artemis von Ephesos und verwandte Kultstatuen aus Anatolien und Syrien,
(Leiden :
Brill)Knibbe, Dieter, Meriç, Recep, Merkelbach, Reinhold
1979
Der Grundbesitz der ephesischen Artemis im Kaystrostal,
ZPE
33,
139-147Merkelbach, Reinhold
1979
Die ephesischen Monate in der Kaiserzeit,
ZPE
36,
157-162Karwiese, Stephan
1995
Gross ist die Artemis von Ephesos: die Geschichte einer der grossen Städte der Antike,
(Vienna :
Phoibos Verlag)Thonemann, Peter
2007
Magnesia and the Greeks of Asia (I.Magnesia 16.16),
Greek Roman Byzantine Studies
47,
151-160Rogers, Guy M.
2012
The mysteries of Artemis of Ephesos: cult, polis, and change in the Graeco-Roman world,
(New Haven, Conn. :
Yale University Press)
Other sources
Augustus’s birthday and the calendar reform in Asia
[ Marble ]
The Salutaris Foundation and the Roman Representations in Ephesus
[ Marble ]
Hadrian listens to Hymns in the Theatre of Ephesus
[ Marble ]
The council and people of Ephesus thank Hadrian
[ Marble ]
Ephesus and Antoninus Pius’s Birthday
[ Marble ]
Antonine Altar at Ephesus (169 CE)
[ Marble ]
Baetocaece / Baitokaike: Valerian and the Ancestral Privileges of a Temple in Syria
[ Rectangular and moulded surface ]
Publication status
Yes
Realised by
Realised by (term)
Aitor Blanco Pérez
Drupal Node ID
4154
Publishing diplomatic option
No
Publishing translation option
Yes
Linked media
perfil_aitor.blanco_p_rez.jpg [13kB]priene_calendar.jpg [240kB]
