IosPE I² 51 / PH184244

This dossier presents a short but important Olbian honorific decree from the northern Black Sea. The stone is broken, but the surviving and restored Greek preserves a civic memory of a man who met the kings of the Scythians and worked for the advantage of his fatherland.

The text is not used here to make a new ethnic claim. It is a source-unit for the political world around Olbia: Greek civic offices, public benefaction, funeral honors, and diplomatic contact with Scythian kings in the Roman-era or late Hellenistic Pontic frontier.

The translation below is from the inspected Greek text in PHI Greek Inscriptions. Restored words remain visibly bracketed in the source text, and uncertain or broken places remain cautious in the English.

Translation

[...], having met [also the Scythian] kings tirelessly, and [having carried out in every matter what was] advantageous for the fatherland, and having served as general and held [the most splendid] offices, and having completed [all the other public services] conspicuously and justly, so that for all these things [he was praised] and admired, and [always] holding out greater hopes, [he was snatched away] by inescapable fate.

For these reasons it was resolved by the council and [the people] that he be praised [for his unsurpassed] nobility toward the fatherland, and that [the] herald, at his funeral procession, [proclaim] that the people crowns [with a golden] crown Poseides son of Satyros, [a noble] and good man who has always been so toward the fatherland, for the sake of excellence and goodwill.

It was also resolved that [this] decree be set up [on a support] in [the most conspicuous] place of the city, [so that everyone may learn] the virtue of such men [...] every [...] the expense that arises [...]

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Scythian shelf by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Ancient Greek inscription text printed below. The source text was inspected on disk from PHI Greek Inscriptions, PH184244, IosPE I² 51.

The translation is a new Good Works rendering from the inspected Greek source text. The restored phrase involving the Scythian kings is kept visibly bracketed and should be read as a damaged epigraphic reading, not as a smooth political formula.

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: IosPE I² 51

Ancient Greek source text from PHI Greek Inscriptions, PH184244, IosPE I² 51. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

[— — — — — — —]․ς, ὑπαν̣[τιάσας]

[καὶ τοὺς Σκυθῶ]ν βασιλεῖς ἀόκνως κα[ὶ]

[ἐν πᾶσι τὰ συ]μφέροντα τῇ πατρίδι

[διαπράξας, σ]τρατηγήσας τε καὶ ἄρξας

[τὰς λαμπρο]τάτας ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἄλλας

[λειτουργίας] π̣άσας ἐπιφανῶς καὶ δικαί-

[ως ἐκτελέσα]ς, ὡς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἅπασιν

[ἐπαινεῖσθ]αι καὶ θαυμάζεσθαι αὐτόν,

[καὶ ἀεὶ] πλείονας ὑπεχόμενος

[ἐλπίδας, ὑ]πὸ τοῦ ἀπαραιτήτου δαί<μ>ο-

[νος ἀφηρπά]γ̣η· δι’ ἃ ἔδοξε τῇ βουλῇ καὶ

[τῷ δήμῳ ἐπ]ῃνῆσθαι μὲν αὐτὸν ἐ-

[πὶ τῇ ἀνυπερβλή]τῳ εἰς τὴν πατρίδα καλο-

[καγαθίᾳ, τὸν δὲ] κήρυκα ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκομι-

[δῆς αὐτοῦ ἀναγο]ρ̣εῦσαι, ὅτι ὁ δῆμος στε-

[φανοῖ χρυσῷ στε]φάνῳ Ποσειδῆν Σατύ-

[ρου, ἄνδρα καλὸν] καὶ ἀγαθὸν τῇ πατρί-

[δι ἀεὶ γεγενημέ]νον, ἀρετῆς ἕνεκ-

[εν καὶ εὐνοίας· ἀνα]τεθῆναί τε τὸ ψή-

[φισμα τοῦτο ἐ]π̣ὶ τελαμῶνι ἐν

[τῷ ἐπισημοτάτῳ τῆς] π̣όλεως τόπῳ

[εἰς τὸ μαθεῖν τὴν τοιούτων ἀ]νδρῶν ἀρε-

[τὴν πάντας — — — — — — — — —]․ παντὸς

[— — — — — — — — — — — — — τὸ γ]ι̣νόμε-

[νον ἀνάλωμα? — — — — — — — — —] vacat

Source Colophon

The Greek source text was inspected from PHI Greek Inscriptions, https://epigraphy.packhum.org/text/184244. PHI identifies the inscription as IosPE I² 51, North Shore of the Black Sea, Olbia, second century CE uncertain, also IosPE I 25.

This edition keeps the restored Scythian-kings phrase visible as restoration. The source is useful for Olbian diplomacy and honorific practice precisely because the political phrase survives as a damaged, argued reading.

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