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Last Updated on 02 Mar 2017

Author: Paschalis Paschidis

CAPInv. 793: U-MAC-008

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Macedonia
ii. Region Mygdonia
iii. Site Thessalonike

II. NAME

i. Association with unknown name U-MAC-008

III. DATE

i. Date(s) ii AD

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) IG X.2.1 1041 (ii AD)
Online Resources IG X.2.1, 1041
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek dedication.
i.c. Physical format(s) Ex-voto base.
ii. Source(s) provenance Thasos.

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership If this was indeed an association (see under XIII.i: Evaluation, below), it was led by an ἀρχικερδέμπορος, archikerdemporos (ll. 7-8), Zoilos, who should most probably be identified with the co-owner of the ship Herakles.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

iv. Status If this was indeed an association (see under XIII.i: Evaluation, below) it was formed by shipowners and merchants who were involved in long-distance commerce between Macedonia and Asia; Thasos, the find-spot of this dedication, was a well-known stop in that route.

XII. NOTES

i. Comments Poland's (1909: 107) assumption that the (possible) association was called κερδέμποροι, kerdemporoi, is highly speculative.
iii. Bibliography Nigdelis, P.M. (2006), Επιγραφικά Θεσσαλονίκεια. Συμβολή στην πολιτική και κοινωνική ιστορία της αρχαίας Θεσσαλονίκης, Thessaloniki
Pleket, H. (1984), ‘Urban Elite and the Economy in the Greek Cities of the Roman Empire’, MBAH 3: 3-34.
Poland, F. (1909), Geschichte des griechischen Vereinswesens, Leipzig: 109.
vom Brocke, C. (2001), Thessaloniki: Stadt des Kassanders und Gemeinde des Paulus, Tübingen: 76-7.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Possible
Note The majority of scholars, from Poland 1909: 109, 192 onwards (see Nigdelis 2006: 453-4 with earlier literature, to which add vom Brocke 2001: 76-7), posit that this dedication was made by an association of shipowners and merchants. Pleket 1984: 13 n. 47 has reasonable doubts and assumes that Epiktetos and Zoilos were not the shipowners, but commercial representatives of the actual owners. Nigdelis 2006: 452-4 no. T32 rightly observes that the term ἀρχικερδέμπορος, archidemporos, points to an association, led by Zoilos. In fact, the interpretation of this commercial venture as part of the function of a business association is not incompatible with Pleket's interpretation: some form of associative company is possible (or even probable) in this case even if the actual owners were not its members.