Bosporan Proxeny across Phanagoria and Pantikapaion -- Four Greek Fragments

Greek Proxeny Decrees from the Bosporan Kingdom

These four fragmentary Greek inscriptions come from Phanagoria and Pantikapaion, cities of the Bosporan kingdom on the north Black Sea frontier. They preserve proxeny formulas under Leukon, Pairisades, and related Bosporan civic contexts.

The fragments matter because they show the legal and diplomatic texture of the Bosporan world: exemption from dues throughout Bosporos, sometimes extended to Sindike or Theodosia; status as proxenos or citizen; property rights in land and house; and safe movement in war and peace.

This New Tianmu Anglican Church translation was made from inspected Ancient Greek source text preserved by PHI Greek Inscriptions. Brackets and uncertainty are kept visible because the stones are broken and the restored names and ethnic labels cannot bear more weight than the inscriptions give them.

Translation

SEG 34:774 / PH338978

[Pairisades and his sons gave to so-and-so, son of so-and-so], [(of such-and-such people), and to his children, exemption] [from all dues in] all Bosporos, [on whatever he imports or exports], and made [him and his children] proxenoi, [and gave them] the right to possess [land and house ...].

SEG 34:774[1] / PH338979

[Leukon and his sons gave] [to so-and-so and to so-and-so], [son of so-and-so, (of such-and-such people), and] [to their descendants, exemption from all] [dues in] all Bosporos [and in Sindike], and made them proxenoi [and citizens], and gave them the right to possess [land and house], and, in war [and peace], to be free from seizure [and reprisal].

SEG 38:756 / PH339207

[...] [proxeny and exemption] [from all dues in(?)] [all Bosporos] for him(?) [and for his descendants], and [entry and departure], both [in war and in peace], free from seizure [and reprisal].

SEG 40:638 / PH339340

[From dues in] all Bosporos [and in Theodosia], and proxenoi.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from inspected Ancient Greek inscription texts preserved by PHI Greek Inscriptions: SEG 34:774 / PH338978, SEG 34:774[1] / PH338979, SEG 38:756 / PH339207, and SEG 40:638 / PH339340.

The translation keeps restored names, ethnic labels, and broken legal formulas in brackets. The fragments are Bosporan civic and diplomatic evidence; they should not be used as a broad ethnic narrative or as a claim that the whole north Black Sea frontier was one people.

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Source Text: Bosporan Proxeny Fragments

Ancient Greek source text from PHI Greek Inscriptions. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

SEG 34:774 / PH338978

[Παιρισάδης καὶ παῖδες τῶι δεῖνι τοῦ δεῖνος] [( ethnicum ) καὶ παισὶν ἔδοσαν ἀτέλειαν] [πάντων χρημάτων ἐν π]α̣ντὶ Βοσπόρω̣[ι] [ὧν ἂν εἰσάγηι ἢ ἐξάγ]η̣ι, καὶ προξένους [αὐτὸν καὶ παῖδ]α̣ς ἐποιήσαντο, [καὶ γῆς καὶ οἰκίας ἔ]γκτησιν ἔδοσαν [— — — — — — — — — — — — — —]

SEG 34:774[1] / PH338979

[Λεύκων καὶ παῖδες ἔδοσαν] [τῶι δεῖνι καὶ τῶι δεῖνι] [τοῦ δεῖνος ( ethnicum ) καὶ] [ἐκγόνοις ἀτέλειαν πάντων] [χρημάτων ἐν π]α̣ντὶ Βοσπόρωι [καὶ ἐν Σινδικ]ῆ̣ι καὶ προξένους [καὶ πολίτ]α̣ς ἐποιήσαντο [καὶ γῆς ἔ]γκτησιν ἔδοσαν [καὶ οἰκίας καὶ πολ]έ̣μ̣ο̣υ̣ [καὶ εἰρήνης ἀσυλεὶ καὶ] [ἀσπονδεί].

SEG 38:756 / PH339207

[— — — — — — — — —] [προξενίαν καὶ ἀτέλει]- [αν πάντων χρημάτων ἐν(?)] [παντὶ Βοσπόρωι αὐτῶ]ι̣(?) [καὶ ἐκγόνοις καὶ] ε̣ἴσ- [πλουν καὶ ἔκπλουν] καὶ [πολέμου καὶ εἰρήν]ης [ἀσυλεὶ καὶ ἀσπον]δ̣εί.

SEG 40:638 / PH339340

[χρημάτων ἐν π]αντὶ Βοσπόρωι [καὶ ἐν Θεοδοσί]ηι καὶ προξένους

Source Colophon

The source text was inspected from PHI Greek Inscriptions records PH338978, PH338979, PH339207, and PH339340. PHI identifies the records as proxeny decrees or proxeny fragments from Phanagoria and Pantikapaion, with dates ranging from the fourth century BCE into the later Bosporan dossier tradition. PH339340 is a short parallel to SEG 34:774[1], preserving the Theodosia variant in the exemption formula.

Local HTML and stripped text captures are preserved under Tulku/Tools/scythian/sources/expansion_bench_2026-05-11/ with the ins68 filename series. The ancient source text is presented for verification; modern bibliography attached to the PHI records was used only to identify the records and their source route.

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