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I. LOCATION

i.	Geographical area	Attica with Salamis
ii.	Region	Attica
iii.	Site	Piraeus

II. NAME

i.	Full name (original language)	οἱ ἔμποροι οἱ Κιτιεῖς (IG II³ 337, ll. 33-34 and 39-40)
ii.	Full name (transliterated)	hoi emporoi hoi Kitieis

III. DATE

i.

Date(s)

333 / 332 BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii.

Name elements

Geographical:	Kitieis: The individuals were from Kition of Cyprus.
Professional:	The individuals were merchants: emporoi

V. SOURCES

i.	Source(s)	IG II³ 337 (333/2 BC)
	Note	The inscription is written stoichedon. Ed. pr. Palingenesia 10-9-1870. Other publications: Foucart no. 1; Prott - Ziehen ii 1, 30; Syll³ 280; Michel no. 104; Tod II 189; IG II² 337; SIRIS 10; RICIS 101/0101; LSCG 34 (SEG 25: 67); Schwenk 27 (SEG 35: 239); Rhodes – Osborne GHI 91 (SEG 53: 2180); GRA I 3; AGRW 10; I.Kition T159 (SEG 54: 1535). Translations: Le Guen I 81 (French) (SEG 42: 1803); RICIS 46 (French); Brodersen, HGUI, 262 (German). Cf. SEG 36: 154; SEG 39: 84; SEG 42: 229; SEG 46: 2361; SEG 47: 2320; SEG 49: 100 and 2471; SEG 52: 93; SEG 53: 365(4); SEG 54: 151; SEG 55: 30; SEG 58: 44. BE 1964, no. 82.
	Online Resources	IG II² 337, AIO_50 and AGRW ID 3045
i.a.	Source type(s)	Epigraphic source(s)
i.b.	Document(s) typology & language/script	Greek decree of the Athenian Boule and demos granting to the traders from Kition (Cyprus) the right to acquire land in order to build a sanctuary devoted to Aphrodite.
i.c.	Physical format(s)	A marble stele measuring 1,15x0,27m.
ii.	Source(s) provenance	The monument was found in Piraeus, now in the Epigraphical Museum, EM 7173.

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

ii.

References to buildings/objects

The traders have expressed their intention to build a sanctuary (ἱερόν, hieron, ll. 11, 22 and 42). The Athenian demos decided to grant them a plot of land (χωρίον, chorion, l. 36).

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

ii.

Realty

The Athenians grant to the group the right to acquire land (χωρίον, chorion, ll. 39-41).

X. ACTIVITIES

iii.	Worship	The traders from Kition (Cyprus) obtained the right to acquire land in order to build a sanctuary devoted to Aphrodite.
	Deities worshipped	Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodite. Possibly to be identified with Aphrodite Ourania, known from dedications found in the same spot, e.g. IG II² 4636, IG II² 4637. Mikalson 1998: 143 argues that the Aphrodite of the Kitian merchants is the same as the Aphrodite worshipped by the thiasotai of IG II² 1261 (CAPInv. 256).

XI. INTERACTION

i.

Local interaction

The association(?) has lawfully (ἔννομα, ennoma, l. 34) applied to the polis' authorities for the grant of the right to acquire land.

XII. NOTES

i.	Comments	The decree is dated in the archonship of Nikokrates. Note the variant spelling of enporoi (l. 33) and emporoi (l. 39), while in ll. 20-21 they are referred to as Kitieis.
ii.	Poland concordance	Poland E2
iii.	Bibliography	Arnaoutoglou, I. (2003), Thusias heneka kai sunousias. Private religious associations in Hellenistic Athens. Athens. Ismard, P. (2010), La cité des réseaux. Athènes et ses associations, VIe – Ier siècle av. J.-C.. Paris. Leiwo, M. (1997), ‘Religion, or other reasons? Private associations in Athens’ in Frosen, J. (ed.) Early Hellenistic Athens. Symptoms of a change. Helsinki: 103-18. Mikalson, J. (1998), Religion in Hellenistic Athens. Los Angeles. Parker, R. (1996), Athenian religion. A history. Oxford. Pecirka, J. (1966), The formula for the grant of enktesis in Attic inscriptions. Prague: 59-61. Rhodes, P. and Lewis, D. (1997), The decrees of the Greek states. Oxford: 26.

XIII. EVALUATION

i.	Private association	Probable
	Note	The corporate character of this group of traders seems to be nascent. Parker 1996: 337-8 and Leiwo 1997: 115 suggest that the Kitians had already formed a cult association. However, this is just a guess, since we do not have any evidence about the cultic activity of the Kitians traders. It may be argued that the Athenians tended to grant similar property rights to ethnic groups rather than to cult groups, Arnaoutoglou 2003: 90. Review of bibliography in GRA I 3.

CAPInv. 295: hoi emporoi hoi Kitieis