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Last Updated on 24 Nov 2018

Author: Mario C.D. Paganini

CAPInv. 62: he synodos ton proton philon kai chiliarchon kai peri tous basileas machairophoron 148

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Egypt
ii. Nome Arsinoites (00)
iii. Site Ptolemais Euergetis

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) [ἡ σύνοδος τῶν (πρώτων) φίλων κ]αὶ χ(ιλι)ά(ρχων) καὶ περὶ τοὺς [βασιλέας μαχαιροφ]ό̣ρων ρμη (I.Fayoum I 17, ll. 1-2)
ii. Full name (transliterated) he synodos ton proton philon kai chiliarchon kai peri tous basileas machairophoron 148

III. DATE

i. Date(s) ii / i BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Professional:chiliarchoi (army)
peri tous basileas machairophoroi, the Royal Guard
Status-related:protoi philoi
Other:number 148
iii. Descriptive terms σύνοδος, synodos ?
Note Synodos?: I.Fayoum I 17, l. 1

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) I.Fayoum I 17 (ii/i BC)
Note Other editions of the text: SB I 624.
Online Resources I.Fayoum I 17
TM 42999
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek honorific inscription for an association's benefactor, who happened to be a former kosmetes.
i.c. Physical format(s) Statue base.

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership προστάτης, prostates (l. 2). The name of the prostates is lost in lacuna. Cf. VII.iii 'Officials'.
iv. Officials [ἱερε]ύς, [hiere]us (l. 3). The man holding this office is called Herakleitos. Given the lacuna in the passage it may not be entirely excluded that the man held both the office of prostates and of hiereus (cf. PP no. 4356). However, the space in lacuna seems to allow the presence of a different proper name for the prostates.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

i. Number The association gathered (at least originally) 148 people (l. 2) and the figure was incorporated into the association's name. It is not certain whether the number of members remained fixed throughout the association's life.
ii. Gender Men
Note Given the military nature of the association the members had to be men.
iii. Age Adults
Note Since the members were involved in the army (and also with positions of prestige and responsibility) they had to be adults.
iv. Status The members belonged to the army background and held positions of importance within the military hierarchy and the court. Some of them bore aulic titles of protoi philoi of the King.
vi. Proper names and physical features Ἡράκλειτος ἱερεύς

X. ACTIVITIES

iv. Honours/Other activities The association honoured with a statue someone (whose name is lost in lacuna) who had been acting as benefactor towards them and happened to have served as kosmetes (whether at Alexandria or locally in the Arsinoite nome is not known).

XI. INTERACTION

i. Local interaction The fact that the benefactor honoured by the association was a fromer kosmetes may point towards a link of this military association with the gymnasium. This would not be surprising.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note Although the term synodos is restored in lacuna (l. 1), the presence of a prostates, a hiereus, the typology of the inscription and the parallel of BGU IV 1190 (CAPInv. 302) leave no room for doubts about this being a private association.