Will of Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II
IGCyr011200
Trismegistos ID: 5988
Source Description
Repository
Cyrene Museum, 80.
Support
White marble stele slightly tapering; on top, a triangular pediment with acroteria; below, a plain moulding (inscribed face 0.34-0.39; 1.33;0.068-0.102).
Layout
Inscribed between the pediment and the moulding; excellent state of preservation.
Letters
0.01-0.013; very carefully cut, although with some corrections; slightly apicated, rather later than the historical date.
Place of Origin
Findspot.
Date
155 B.C. but see commentary (internal-date)
Findspot
Found on August 24th, 1929 at Cyrene pleiades; HGL : Sanctuary of Apollo , on the retaining wall between two terraces, West of Strategeion .
Last recorded Location
Seen by C. Dobias-Lalou on June 10th, 2010 in Shahat : Cyrene Museum .
Text constituted from
Transcription from stone (CDL).
Bibliography
Oliverio, 1932-1933 Oliverio, G., 1932-1933, Documenti antichi dell'Africa Italiana, I, fasc. 1-2, Bergamo - see in bibliography , pp. 11-84, whence SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden, then Amsterdam, 1923-1971, then 1979- - see in bibliography , 9.7; Wilcken, 1932 Wilcken, U., 1932, Das Testament des Ptolemaios von Kyrene vom Jahre 155 v. Chr., Sitzungsberichte der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, philosophisch-historische Klasse, 317-336 - see in bibliography ; Laronde, 1987 Laronde, A., 1987, Cyrène et la Libye hellénistique. Libykai historiai de l’époque républicaine au principat d’Auguste, Paris - see in bibliography , pp. 440-442, whence SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden, then Amsterdam, 1923-1971, then 1979- - see in bibliography , 38.1883; Sherk, 1984 Sherk, R.K., 1984, Rome and the Greek East to the death of Augustus, Translated documents of Greece and Rome4, Cambridge - see in bibliography , pp. 30-31, n. 31, and Lampela, 1998 Lampela, A., 1998, Rome and the Ptolemies of Egypt: the development of their political relations 273-80 B.C, Helsinki - see in bibliography , pp. 166-175, whence SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden, then Amsterdam, 1923-1971, then 1979- - see in bibliography , 48.2056; Laronde, 2002 Laronde, A., 2002, Ptolémée le jeune, roi de Cyrène, in Archeologia Cirenaica. Atti del Convegno Internazionale di Studi, Urbino, 4-5 luglio 1988, Quaderni di Archeologia della Libya (QAL)16, 99-108 - see in bibliography , whence SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden, then Amsterdam, 1923-1971, then 1979- - see in bibliography , 52.1836; Criscuolo, 2011 Criscuolo, L., 2011, I due testamenti di Tolemeo VIII Evergete II, in A. Jördens, J.Fr. Quack (eds.), Ägypten zwischen innerem Zwist und äusserem Druck: die Zeit Ptolemaios' VI. bis VIII.: internationales Symposion Heidelberg 16.-19.9.2007, Wiesbaden, 132-150 - see in bibliography and Dobias-Lalou, Bulletin Épigraphique Dobias-Lalou, C.Bulletin Épigraphique in Études Grecques (REG)1987- - see in bibliography , 2012.503, whence SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden, then Amsterdam, 1923-1971, then 1979- - see in bibliography , 61.1551.
Text
Apparatus
French translation
L'an quinze, mois Lôios. A la bonne fortune! Voici les dispositions du roi Ptolémée le Jeune, fils du roi Ptolémée et de la reine Cléopatre, Dieux Epiphanes, dispositions dont une copie a été expédiée à Rome. Qu'il me soit donné, avec la faveur divine, de poursuivre ceux qui ont tramé le complot impie contre ma personne et se sont proposé de me priver (10) non seulement de la royauté, mais aussi de la vie. Toutefois si vient à se produire une des vicissitudes de la condition humaine avant que je ne laisse des successeurs à la royauté, je lègue le royaume que je possède aux Romains, dont j'ai gagné dès l'origine et préservé avec sincérité l'amitié et l'alliance. C'est à eux que je lègue le soin de préserver l'Etat, en les conjurant, au nom de tous les dieux et de leur propre gloire: puissent-ils, si (20) les cités ou le territoire viennent à être attaqués, leur porter secours de toutes leurs forces, conformément à l'amitié et à l'alliance établies entre nous et en accord avec la justice. Je prends à témoins de ces volontés Zeus Capitolin, les Grand Dieux, Hélios et Apollon Archégète, auprès de qui je consacre la présente inscription. A la bonne fortune!
English translation
Year fifteen, month Loios. To the good fortune! This is the will of king Ptolemy the Younger, son of king Ptolemy and of queen Cleopatra, Gods Epiphaneis, of which will a copy has been sent to Rome. Should it be given to me, with divine help, to worthy pursue those who plotted the impious conspiracy and intended to deprive me (10) not only of kingship but also of life. However, if one of the human vicissitudes should happen before I would leave successors for kingship, I bequeath the kingdom that I own to the Romans, whose friendship and alliance I gained from the beginning and preserved genuinely. To them I bequeath the duty of preserving the state, while conjuring them in the name of all gods and of their own glory: should they, if (20) the cities or the territory should be assaulted, help them with full might in observance of the friendship and alliance existing between us and in accordance with justice. To this will I call as witnesses Zeus Capitolinus, the Great Gods, Helios and Apollo Archegetes, near whom I dedicate the present inscription. To the good fortune!
Italian translation
Anno quindici, mese di Loios. Alla buona fortuna! Così ha fatto testamento il re Tolemeo il Giovane, figlio del re Tolemeo e della regina Cleopatra, Dèi Epifani, la cui copia è stata inviata a Roma. Possa io, con l'aiuto divino, perseguire degnamente quanti hanno tramato il complotto empio contro di me e si sono proposti di privarmi non solo del regno, ma anche della vita. Se, comunque, si verifica una delle vicissitudini della condizione umana prima che io possa lasciare successori al regno, lascio il regno che possiedo ai Romani, la cui amicizia e alleanza ho guadagnato dall'inizio e conservato con sincerità. È a loro che lascio il compito di preservare lo Stato, implorandoli, in nome di tutti gli dèi e della loro gloria: se le città o il territorio dovessero essere attaccati, portino soccorso con tutte le loro forze in conformità con l'amicizia e l'alleanza esistente tra noi e in accordo con la giustizia. Testimoni di queste disposizioni nomino Zeus Capitolino, gli Dèi Grandi, Helios e Apollo Archegetes, presso il quale consacro anche il testamento. Alla buona fortuna!
Commentary
Criscuolo, 2011 Criscuolo, L., 2011, I due testamenti di Tolemeo VIII Evergete II, in A. Jördens, J.Fr. Quack (eds.), Ägypten zwischen innerem Zwist und äusserem Druck: die Zeit Ptolemaios' VI. bis VIII.: internationales Symposion Heidelberg 16.-19.9.2007, Wiesbaden, 132-150 - see in bibliography shows that the formulation of the will and the titles of the king have not the usual form and suspects this document to have been engraved as a justification of Roman power over Cyrenaica. The lettering is not contrary to that hypothesis.
Details about the exact placement against the retaining wall are given by Parisi Presicce, 2007 Parisi Presicce, C., 2007, Apobomios, epibomios, probomios: indagini sul culto di Apollo a Cirene, in L. Gasperini, S. Marengo (eds.), Cirene e la Cirenaica nell'antichità: atti del convegno internazionale di studi, Roma-Frascati, 18-21 dicembre 1996, Ichnia9, 491-524Tivoli, - see in bibliography , pp. 498-500.
Creative Commons Attributions-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All citation, reuse or distribution of this work must contain a link back to DOI: http://doi.org/10.6092/UNIBO/IGCYRGVCYR and the filename (IGCyr000000 or GVCyr000), as well as the year of consultation.
