Macedonians honoured by Oropus about 350 B.C

in Ancient Macedonian History / by Admin / on June 27, 2006 at 6:15 am /

Macedonians honoured by Oropus : about 350 B.C

A white marble stele, broken at top and bottom, found in the Amphiaraeum at Oropus.
Ionic letter, ΘΟΩ smaller than the rest. All lines end with words.
S.I.G 258 + Hoffman, G.D iii. 27

A white marble stele with pediment, found close to A.
Ionic letters, similar to Ar but ΟΩ are only occasionally smaller* Syllabic division of linfis*.
S.I.G. 258+ Hoffmann. G.D. iii. 26; G.D.I 5338; ; D.G.E S12.

Quote:
Θεός | Δρίμων έλεξε έδοξε| τεί εκκλησίει, αγαθεί τύχει|
Αμύνταν Αντιόχου Μακε||δόνα πρόξενον είν Ωροπί|ων και ευεργέτην, ατέλειαν| δε είν και ασυλίαν και πολέμου| και ειρήνης, και γής και οικίης | ένκτησιν, αυτώι και εκγόνοις.

The identity of the formulae used in these two honorary decrees, of their proposer (for the name Δρίμων cf. BechteK HP. 500) and of the forms of script and stone proves them to be contemporaneous. The dialect shows an intermixture of Euboic(τει εκκλησίει, αγαθεί τύχει, είν, οικίης) and Boeotian (έλεξε) elements, but the characteristic Euboic rhotacism is lacking (εκκλησίει, ασυλίαν, ένκτησιν), see further G.D.I. iii (2), p. 537 f. Dialect and script indicate the period 366-338 B.C., during which Oropus was a member of the Boeotian League,

Amyntas (A 4), son of Perdiccas III of Macedon, succeeded his father on the throne in 359; his uncle and guardian Philip became regent and soon arrogated the kingship to himself, but Amyntas is described in an inscription of Lebadea (I.G. vii. 3055.8) as Μακεδόνων Βασιλεύς , and Βασιλέα may have stood in A 4. where Μακεδόν[α] has been cut over an erasure. As he was regarded by some as the rightful king, Alexander the Great put him to death in 335, soon after his accession (U. Wilcken, Alexander the Great, 62, U. Koehler, Hermes, xxiv. 641 f., H. Rerve, Das Alexanderreich,)

Amyntas (Β4), son of Antiochus, deserted Alexander at the beginning of his reign and took service under Darius of Persia. Shortly after the battle of lssus he crossed from Syria by way of Cyprus to Egypt at the head of a mercenary force, and there met his death in 333 (Arrian, Anab. i. 17. 9,25. 3, ii.6.3, 13, 2f.; Q. Curtius, iv, 1. 27ff„ 7. 1; Diod. xvii. 4S. Cf. Niese, G.G.M.8. i. 62, 67, 74, 76, 84, H. Berve, Das Alexanderreich ii, 28 f )

Source : “A Selection of Greek historical inscriptions” by Marcus N. Tod