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Last Updated on 27 Feb 2017

Author: Mario C.D. Paganini

CAPInv. 1984: to koinon ton en Kyproi tassomenon Thraikon kai ton synpoliteuomenon (l. sympoliteumenon)

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Cyprus
ii. Region Cyprus
iii. Site Salamis

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) τὸ κοινὸν τῶν ἐν Κύπρωι τασσομένων Θραικῶν καὶ τῶν συνπολιτευομένων (l. συμπολιτευομένων) (Salamine de Chypre XIII.1 80, ll. 4-6)
ii. Full name (transliterated) to koinon ton en Kyproi tassomenon Thraikon kai ton synpoliteuomenon (l. sympoliteumenon)

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 116 (?) BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Ethnic:Thraikes: Thracian mercenaries
Geographical:en Kyproi
Professional:tassomenoi: soldiers stationed on the island
Status-related:tassomenoi: soldiers stationed on the island
sympoliteuomenoi: fellow-members
iii. Descriptive terms κοινόν, koinon
Note koinon: Salamine de Chypre XIII.1 80, l. 4

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) Salamine de Chypre XIII.1 80 (ca 116 BC)
Note See also: SEG 13: 554
Online Resources Salamine de Chypre XIII.1 80
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek statue dedication to Ptolemy, styled as governor of Cyprus, son of king Ptolemy V Epiphanes, and future king of Egypt.
i.c. Physical format(s) Statue base

VII. ORGANIZATION

iii. Members As one can clearly surmise from the nomenclature of the group, membership of the koinon was formed by two units: 1) the hoi en tei nesoi tassomenon Thraikes (military members from Thrace stationed on Cyprus) and 2) the sympoliteuomenoi (the fellow members attached to the Thracian mercenaries: the non-military members, ie. Thracian civilians, presumably).

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Note Given the main military character of the koinon, it is likely that members were men only.
iv. Status The koinon grouped together military men from Thrace, as well as potentially their Thracian fellow civilians, both settled on the island.

X. ACTIVITIES

iv. Honours/Other activities The koinon honours Ptolemy son of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, with the title of governor of the island.

XII. NOTES

i. Comments On koina and sympoliteuomenoi of Cyprus see: Thompson Crawford 1984: 1073-4 and Kruse 2015: 292-6.
iii. Bibliography Kruse, T. (2015), 'Ethnic koina and politeumata in Ptolemaic Egypt'. in V. Gabrielsen and C. A. Thomsen (eds.), Private Associations and the Public Sphere: Proceedings of a Symposium held at the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, 9-11 September 2010. Copenhagen: 270-300.
Thompson Crawford, D. J. (1984), 'The Idumaeans of Memphis and the Ptolemaic Politeumata', in Atti del XVII Congresso Internazionale di Papirologia. vol. 3. Napoli: 1069-75.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The terminology employed (koinon) and the character of the group, together with parallels of other military koina on the island, point to a private association. It is less likely that the koinon was the loose community of mercenaries without a more structured and durable associational organisation.