SEG 33.1184 : Xanthos honours Themistokles (original) (raw)

It was common enough in Hellenistic times for visiting speakers to give public lectures in a city; but it is unusual to find this treated as a purely financial transaction, with the payment fixed by decree. The payment can be compared with the five hundred drachmas offered by Xanthos to the city of Kytenion ( SEG_38.1476 ); see J.Ma, "Peer polity interaction in the Hellenistic world", pp.16-17 ( academia.edu ). The translation is adapted from M.J.H.Chin, "Honours for Historians", page 166 ( PDF ).

In the reign of kings Antiochos and his son Antiochos, in the year 117, in the month of Hyperberetaios, when Nikanor was the high-priest, and Prasides son of Nikostratos was the priest of the kings at Xanthos, and Tlepolemos son of Artapates was the propoleus; at a meeting of the sovereign assembly, it was resolved by the city and archons of the Xanthians: since Themistokles of Ilion, the son of Aischylos, came to our city 10 and made many recitals of rhetorical speeches in which he greatly distinguished himself, and remained in the city for a considerable amount of time, having been irreproachable and worthy of the kinship existing between us and the Ilians; therefore it is resolved to praise Themistokles of Ilion, the son of Aischylos, for having been a fine and good man in the course of his sojourn and well disposed towards us. 20 He shall be honoured with four hundred drachmas. In order that we may be seen to acknowledge our pure and firm gratitude to those who are honoured, the archons are to engrave this resolution [on] two stone steles and raise one in the most conspicuous location in the temple of Leto. [The] other is to be sent [to Ilion, in order that] it may be raised in the [temple of Athena] Ilias 30 alongside the statues of Aischylos, the father [of Themistokles].