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I. LOCATION

i.	Geographical area	Western Asia Minor
ii.	Region	Ionia
iii.	Site	Ephesos

II. NAME

i.	Full name (original language)	ἡ φιλοπλία Φιλοβηδίων (I.Eph(esos) 2226, l. 3)
ii.	Full name (transliterated)	he philoplia Philobedion

III. DATE

i.

Date(s)

50 (?) - 250 (?) AD

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

i.

Name in other forms

φιλοβήδιοι φίλοπλοι, philobedioi philoploi (I.Eph(esos) 2905, l. 1; I.Eph(esos) 3055, l. 12)
οἱ ἐπὶ τῷ τόπῳ φιλοβήδιοι φίλοπλοι, hoi epi toi topoi philobedioi philoploi (I.Eph(esos) 3070, l. 17)

ii.

Name elements

Personal:

philobedioi, showing the group's support for the Vedii.

iii.

Descriptive terms

φιλοπλία, philoplia

Note

philoplia: I.Eph(esos) 2226, l. 3; I.Eph(esos) 2905, l. 1; I.Eph(esos) 3055, l. 12; I.Eph(esos) 3070, l. 17

V. SOURCES

i.	Source(s)	I.Eph(esos) 2226 (50 (?) - 250 (?) AD) I.Eph(esos) 2905 (50 (?) - 250 (?) AD) I.Eph(esos) 3055 (50 (?) - 250 (?) AD) I.Eph(esos) 3070 (50 (?) - 250 (?) AD)
	Online Resources	I.Eph(esos) 2226 I.Eph(esos) 2905 I.Eph(esos) 3055 I.Eph(esos) 3070
i.a.	Source type(s)	Epigraphic source(s)
i.b.	Document(s) typology & language/script	I.Eph(esos) 2226 is a grave inscription; I.Eph(esos) 3055 and I.Eph(esos) 3070 are honorific decrees. I.Eph(esos) 2905 is a fragment without context. In Greek.
i.c.	Physical format(s)	I.Eph(esos) 2226: Sarcophagus. I.Eph(esos) 2905: Fragment of white marble. I.Eph(esos) 3055: Base of blue marble. I.Eph(esos) 3070: Base of blue marble.
ii.	Source(s) provenance	Mostly unknown. I.Eph(esos) 2905 was found at the Magnesian Gate.

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

iii.

Income

The association presumably received money from its benefactors (honored in I.Eph(esos) 3055 and I.Eph(esos) 3070). In addition, it is mentioned in the sarcophagus of the baker Aurelius Nikon (I.Eph(esos) 2226): If someone violates his grave, the philobedioi shall receive parts of the fine.

X. ACTIVITIES

iv.

Honours/Other activities

The association honors, at different points in time, two important officials (apart from other offices, both were asiarches): I.Eph(esos) 3055 and I.Eph(esos) 3070. In both cases, a personal relation existed, as the honored persons are called προστάτης, prostates (I.Eph(esos) 3055, l. 13) or εὐεργέτης, euergetes (I.Eph(esos) 3070, l. 18) of the association.

XII. NOTES

i.	Comments	Groups of philoploi are normally explained as lovers of gladiatorial games. This group additionally stressed its loyalty towards the Vedii. As this important Ephesian family moved to Rome at the very end of the 2nd century (Kirbihler 2011), it is noteworthy that the group still used the name in the 3rd century (I.Eph(esos) 3070) - the fame acquired by the Flavii Vedii through integration into the Roman senate may explain this.
iii.	Bibliography	Kirbihler, F. (2011), ‘Vivre à Rome pour les Flavii Vedii L'installation d'une famille provinciale dans la capitale’, in M.-J. Kardos (ed.), Habiter en ville au temps de Vespasien, Nancy: 117-38.

XIII. EVALUATION

i.	Private association	Probable
	Note	"Fans" of a benefactor, if organized, are normally private groups.
ii.	Historical authenticity	Certain

CAPInv. 1622: he philoplia Philobedion