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Last Updated on 21 May 2019

Author: Nikolaos Giannakopoulos

CAPInv. 645: phratores

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Eastern Asia Minor
ii. Region Paphlagonia
iii. Site Abounoteichos

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) φράτορες (Marek, Stadt 1, l. 3)
ii. Full name (transliterated) phratores

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 137 / 136 BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Kinship-related:phratores
iii. Descriptive terms φράτρα, phratra
κοινόν, koinon
Note phratra: Marek, Stadt 1, ll. 9-10
koinon: Marek, Stadt 1, l. 6

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) Marek, Stadt 1 (137 / 136 BC?)
Note See also:
Reinach 1905
Online Resources Marek, Stadt 1
AGRW ID# 13191
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Honorific decree in Greek issued by the phratores for the strategos Alkimos son of Menophilos.
i.c. Physical format(s) Pedimental stele with akroteria.
ii. Source(s) provenance The inscription was found at Ineboli (Abounoteichos)

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

ii. References to buildings/objects The honorific decree for Alkimos was to be engraved on a stele (εἰστήλην λευκόλιθον, eistelen leukolithon, l. 23) erected near the sanctuary of Zeus Poarinos (ll. 24-25: καὶ ἀναθεῖναι αὐτὴν πρὸς τῶι τοῦ | Διὸς Ποαρινοῦ ἱερῶι, kai anatheinai auten pros toi tou Dios Poarinou hieroi).

χρυσοὶ στέφανοι, chrysoi stephanoi (ll. 6-7)

VII. ORGANIZATION

iii. Members The members are styled as φράτορες, phratores (ll. 3, 13). The future members are styled as ἔγγονοι, eggonoi (l. 19).
iv. Officials An ἱερατεύων, hierateuon (ll. 3-4) was the proposer of the decree. The term obviously refers to a priestly office belonging to the internal administration of the phratores.
v. Other staff A certain Matris was entrusted with the responsibility to engrave the decree on a stele and to erect it near the sanctuary of Zeus Poarinos (ll. 23-4). He was probably not a regular official but an ad hoc appointed epimeletes.
vi. Laws and rules According to the decree it should be written in the law of the phratores that the public proclamations of the crown and the praise awarded to Alkimos should be performed not only currently but also by the descendants of the phratores (i.e. the future members) in perpetuity (ll. 14-20: καὶ προσγράψαι τῶι τῶν φρατόρων νόμωι - - πρὸς τὸ μὴ μόνον ἐπὶ τῆς νῦν ἡλικίας τάς τε τῶν στεφάνων ἀναγορεύσεις καὶ ἐπαίνων ἀεὶ συντελεῖν κατὰ τὸ δοχθὲν, ἀλλά καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐγγόνων διὰ τέλους, kai prosgrapsai toi ton phratoron nomoi - - pros to me monon epi tes nun helikias tas te ton stephanon anagoreuseis kai epainon aei suntelein kata to dochthen, alla kai para ton engonon dia telous). The passage possibly refers to a general law (charter?) regulating the organization and the function of the phratra.
viii. Obligations On the obligations of the members regarding the honours awarded to Alkimos see above under VII.vi: Laws and rules.

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

ii. Realty The sanctuary of Zeus Poarinos, near which the stele with the decree for Alkimos was to be erected, may have been somehow controlled by – or at least associated with – the phratra.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

iii. Age Adults
Elders
Note Some members are called πρεσβύτεροι, presbyteroi (l. 12). We can therefore assume that others were simply adults. See below X.iv.
v. Relations The future members of the phratra are referred to as ἔγγονοι (eggonoi, l. 19), the descendants of present members. This, in combination with the very terms phratra and phratores, suggest family relations between the members and a high degree of hereditary rights as far as membership was concerned.

X. ACTIVITIES

i. Assemblies The honorific decree for Alkimos was issued during an assembly in which the hierateuon acted as proposer. The reference to the month Dios may allude to monthly assemblies.
iv. Honours/Other activities The phratores honoured the general Alkimos on at least two different occasions:
a) Prior to Alkimos’ benefactions which initiated this decree, the phratores had bestowed on him a golden crown in return for some unspecified services (ll. 5-7: ἐπειδὴ Ἄλκιμος Μηνοφίλου στρατηγὸς, τιμηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ χρυσῶι στεφάνωι, epeide Alkimos Menophilou strategos, timetheis hupo tou koinou chrysoi stephanoi). As it may be inferred from ll. 15-19 (καὶ προσγράψαι τῶι τῶν φρατόρων νόμωι - - πρὸς τὸ μὴ μόνον ἐπὶ τῆς νῦν ἡλικίας τάς τε τῶν στεφάνων ἀναγορεύσεις καὶ ἐπαίνων ἀεὶ συντελεῖν κατὰ τὸ δοχθὲν, ἀλλά καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐγγόνων διὰ τέλους, kai prosgrapsai toi ton phratoron nomoi - - pros to me monon epi tes nun helikias tas te ton stephanon anagoreuseis kai epainon aei suntelein kata to dochthen, alla kai para ton eggonon dia telous) the decision to crown Alkimos also resulted from a decree of the phratores (the first for Alkimos) which further provided for the public praise of the honorand and the recurrent proclamation of the honours.
b) After the bestowal of the crown Alkimos carried on his benefactions by offering distributions, 200 silver drachmas (it is not clear if this sum concerned the distributions or constituted a different act of generosity) and golden crowns to certain elder members of the phratra (Marek 1993: Kat. Abonuteichos nr. 1, ll. 7-13: ἀποδεξάμενος τὴν χάριτα πολλαπλασίοσι τιμαῖς [κ]αὶ ἐπ<ι>δόσεσιν <η>ὔξησεν τὴν φρά[τρ]αν, προσεπιστεφανώσας καὶ ἀργυρίου {τε} δραχ. σʹ καὶ τινας τῶν πρεσβυτέρων χρυσοῖς στεφάνοις, apodexamenos ten charita pollaplasiosi timais [k]ai ep<i>dosesin <e>uxesen ten phra[tr]an, prosepistephanosas kai arguriou drach. 200 kai tinas ton presbuteron chrusois stephanois). It was in response to this second group of benefactions that the phratores issued this decree (the second concerning Alkimos), deciding to extend in perpetuity the public proclamation of the honours previously voted for Alkimos (crown and public praise) and to bestow the same philanthropa on his descendants as well (ll. 14-22: καὶ προσγράψαι τῶι τῶν φρατόρων νόμωι - - πρὸς τὸ μὴ μόνον ἐπὶ τῆς νῦν ἡλικίας τάς τε τῶν στεφάνων ἀναγορεύσεις καὶ ἐπαίνων ἀεὶ συντελεῖν κατὰ τὸ δοχθὲν, ἀλλά καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐγγόνων διὰ τέλους - - τὰ αὐτὰ φιλάνθρωπα ὑπάρχειν αὐτῶι τε καὶ τοῖς ἐγγόνοις αὐτοῦ, kai prosgrapsai toi ton phratoron nomoi - - pros to me monon epi tes nun helikias tas te ton stephanon anagoreuseis kai epainon aei suntelein kata to dochthen, alla kai para ton eggonon dia telous - - ta auta philanthropa huparchein autoi te kai tois eggonois autou).
Hence, the first honours voted by the phratores in response to Alkimos’ services generated further benefactions on the part of the honorand, which, in their turn, led to further honours awarded both to the honorand himself and to his descendants.

XI. INTERACTION

i. Local interaction Alkimos may have been a municipal strategos (Reinach 1905: 116; Harland in AGRW ID# 13191). In that case, the exchange of honours for benefactions established permanent and durable bonds between a prominent local figure and the phratores, which were to be continued by the descendants of both parties.
ii. Interaction abroad If Alkimos was a royal strategos of the Pontic kingdom (Reinach 1905: 116; Harland in AGRW ID# 13191), the phratores may be considered to enter into close relations with an important statesman and his family.

XII. NOTES

i. Comments The inscription is dated to the year 161 during Mithridates Euergetes’ reign. Reinach (1905: 118) remarked that the year 161 referred to the Pontic era beginning in 297 BC. Thus, he dated the inscription to 137/6 BC. Harland (AGRW ID# 13191) accepted this date but also put forward the hypothesis that the year 161 may referred to the Seleucid era beginning in 306 BC, thus the inscription could be dated to 151 BC. However, in view of the mention of Mithridates Eupator’s name, the Pontic era seems more preferable.
ii. Poland concordance Poland B* 439A (Marek, Stadt 1)
iii. Bibliography Marek, C. (1993), Stadt, Ära und Territorium in Pontus-Bithynia und Nord-Galatia. Tübingen.
Poland, F. (1909), Geschichte des griechischen Vereinswesens. Leipzig.
Ramsay, W.M. (1895-1897), The Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia. Oxford.
Reinach, T. (1905), ‘A Stele from Abounoteichos’, NC 5: 113-9.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Possible
Note The terms phratores and phratra may denote either an official civic subdivision or a private association (Poland 1909: 52-53), like the Phrygian phratrai (see Ramsay 1895-1897: 142-143 nos. 30-31, 156 no. 65, 609 no. 56; MAMA IV 23; cf. CAPInv no. 450, CAPInv no. 451, CAPInv no. 452, CAPInv no. 466, and CAPInv no. 483 respectively). In our case the term koinon used for the phratra may be seen as indicating a private organization but this is not a safe criterion.