Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 1 - The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution

Epigraphy 

independentlyembodyandrevealimportantaspectsoftheideologyorstruc-
tureofthesocietieswhichproducedthem.Ibeginwithtwocloselyrelated
examplesfromearlyHellenisticGreece,inthatnotableperiodwhenareal
struggle,bothideologicalandmilitary,wasfoughttopreservethetraditional
freedomoftheGreekcityagainsttheclaimsoftherivalmonarchies.
.KalliasofSphettus.Theinscriptionofalmostcompletelypreserved
lineshonouringanAtheniannamedKalliaswasvotedin/..andset
upintheAgora.^40 Thefirstpartofthedecreecontainsahighlyallusiveac-
count,nonethelessgivingmanynewspecificdetails,oftherevoltofAthens
againstDemetriusPoliorcetesinor..andtheroleplayedinthese
events by Kallias, who (as the inscription reveals) was acting as the com-
manderofaPtolemaicgarrisononAndros.Thepoliticalandmilitaryback-
groundofthesishighlycomplex,andthechronologicalframeworkof
thestoryisopentovariousdifferentinterpretations.^41 Whatmattersinthis
contextistherevelationofanewandquiteextensivepieceofearlyHellenis-
ticnarrativeprose;theideologyofliberationandattachmenttodemocracy
whichinformsthedocumentthroughout;bycontrastwiththat,thedepen-
dence on Ptolemaic military assistance and the highly evolved diplomatic
andritualrelationsofAthenswithAlexandria;andtheveryfullspecification
of the communal and ceremonial institutions of Athens which come into
playintheallotmentofappropriatehonourstoKallias—whoatthetimeof
thedocument’scompositionwasaPtolemaicofficialondutyatHalicarnas-
sus.Nodocumentcouldrevealmoreclearlythetensionsandcontradictions
betweentheidealofthefreedomofthecity-stateandthepowerofthecon-
flictingmonarchies.
.DecreeoftheKoinonoftheGreeksatPlataeainhonourofGlaucon.^42
Thisbeautifulandalmostcompletetextofthemidthirdcentury..wasin-
scribedatPlataeabythecommoncouncil(Koinon)oftheGreeksinhonour
ofGlaucon,thebrotheroftheAthenianChremonides,whohadproposedin
AthensinthesthealliancewithSpartaandotherstateswhichledtothe

.T.L.Shear,Kallias of Sphettos and the Revolt of Athens in ..(HesperiaSupp.XVII,
).
. SeeChr.Habicht,Untersuchungen zur politischen Geschichte Athens im . Jahrhundert v.
Chr.(Munich,);M.J.Osborne,‘‘Kallias,PhaidrosandtheRevoltofAthensin..,’’
ZPE():.
. R.ÉtienneandM.Piérart,‘‘UndécretduKoinondesHellénesàPlatéesenl’hon-
neurdeGlaucon,filsd’Étéoclès,d’Athènes,’’BCH():;J.Pouilloux,‘‘Glaucon,fils
d’Étéoclèsd’Athènes,’’Le monde grec: hommages à Claire Préaux(Brussels,),.Thisin-
scriptionisalsotranslatedintheexcellentcollectionbyM.M.Austin,The HellenisticWorld
from Alexander to the Roman Conquest(Cambridge,),no..