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I. LOCATION

i.	Geographical area	Thrace
ii.	Region	Inland Thrace
iii.	Site	Philippopolis

II. NAME

i.	Full name (original language)	τέχνη βυρσ[έων (IGBulg III.1 908, ll. 9-10)
ii.	Full name (transliterated)	techne byrs[eon

III. DATE

i.

Date(s)

212 - 217 AD

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

i.

Name in other forms

βυρσεῖς, byrseis

ii.

Name elements

Professional:

byrseis (tanners)

iii.

Descriptive terms

τέχνη, techne

Note

techne: IGBulg III.1 908, l. 9

V. SOURCES

i.	Source(s)	IGBulg III.1 908 (212 - 217 AD) IGBulg V 5464 (Imp.)
	Online Resources	IGBulg III.1 908 IGBulg V 5464
i.a.	Source type(s)	Epigraphic source(s)
i.b.	Document(s) typology & language/script	IGBulg III.1 908: Honorary dedication in Greek to the emperor Caracalla. IGBulg V 5464: Funerary Greek inscription with depiction of five wreaths, one of them offered by the guild.
i.c.	Physical format(s)	IGBulg III.1 908: Marble altar (0.79 x 0.36 x 0.31). IGBulg V 5464: Rectangular mable stele (1.62 x 0.74 x 0.18), with an elaborate floral pattern at its upper part and a pedimental stele in relief depicted below; this stele bears five wreaths and the funerary inscription.
ii.	Source(s) provenance	IGBulg III.1 908: Found around 1900 AD at the northern slope of Danov Hill (former Sahattepe), close to the city's ancient stadium. IGBulg V 5464: Found at Ralitza str. at the site of 'Vtora Kamenitza', where the necropolis of the 1st-3rd cent. AD is located, see TIR K35/2: Philippolis, p. 298.

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

i.

Archaeological remains

The area bordering the city's famous stadium was certainly an appropriate place for the erection of honorary and dedicatory inscriptions (cf. inscriptions IGBulg III.1 915 and 918, also reported to have been found in the same general area).

VII. ORGANIZATION

iii.

Members

Collectively designated by their profession (βυρσεῖς, byrseis).

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

i.

Treasury/Funds

The altar erected in honour of Caracalla (IGBulg III.1 908) and the wreath offered to the deceased Φίλιππος Φιλίππου, Philippos Philippou (IGBulg V 5464) indicate that the guild collected funds, even if on an ad hoc basis.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii.	Gender	Men
	Note	A professional association of tanners probably consisted of male adults.
iii.	Age	Adults
	Note	A professional association of tanners probably consisted of male adults.
iv.	Status	This was the professional association of βυρσεῖς, byrseis, (tanners) working at Philippopolis.

X. ACTIVITIES

iv.

Honours/Other activities

The guild erected an altar in honour of the emperor Caracalla and offered a wreath to the deceased Philippos son of Philippos (IGBulg V 5464); this last one should have been an important citizen of Philippopolis (see below XI.i), though not necessarily a member of the guild.

XI. INTERACTION

i.	Local interaction	The deceased Philippos son of Philippos, to whom the guild offered a wreath according to IGBulg V 5464, should have been an important citizen of Philippopolis, as indicated by the wreaths also offered to him by the βουλή, boule and the δῆμος, demos of the city, the Νεικαεῖς ὀλυμπιασταί, Neikais olympiastai (see CAPInv. 688), the Νεικομηδεῖς, Neikomedeis (see CAPInv. 806) and the ῥωποπῶλαι, rhopopolai (see CAPInv. 686). The presence of two professional associations, of two associations of foreign residents at Philippopolis and the eastern origin of the deceased's brother (as indicated by the personal name Παπίας, Papias) are signs of his eastern origin and of his possible involvement with trade.
ii.	Interaction abroad	Inscription IGBulg III.1 908 was set up in honour of the emperor Caracalla at the command of the governor Q. Atrius Clonius.

XII. NOTES

i.	Comments	The date given is based on Caracalla's mention in IGBulg III.1 908; a more general dating to the imperial period is suggested for IGBulg V 5464 on the evidence of letter forms. In IGBulg III.1 908, l. 10 Dobruski gave the reading βυ[ρ]σ[έων τόδε δῶρον], by[r]s[eon tode doron], while Seure suggested βυ[ρ]σ[οδεψῶν], by[r]s[odepson], vel βυ[ρ]σ[οποιῶν], by[r]s[opoion], vel βυ[ρ]σ[οπολῶν], by[r]s[opolon]. Mihailov's reading was based on partly preserved letters and available space.
iii.	Bibliography	Dobruski, V. (1901), Sbornik za narodni umotvorenija, nauka i kniznina 18: 771, no. 77 (non vidi). Kolev, K. (1966), ‘Nadgrobna plotsa ot Filipopol’, Arheologija 8/2: 57-9. Seure, G. (1908), ‘Nicopolis ad Istrum, Etude Historique et Epigraphique’, RA 12: 33-95, esp. 47-8.

XIII. EVALUATION

i.	Private association	Certain
	Note	As indicated by the term techne, this was a private association of professionals.

CAPInv. 583: techne byrs[eon