Apollo and Tower Inscriptions from the Don Frontier

These four Greek inscriptions come from Tanais, the trading city near the mouth of the Don. They belong to the second century AD, in the reigns of the Bosporan kings Tiberius Julius Eupator and Tiberius Julius Sauromates.

The texts are small but useful together. One records a vow to Apollo; the others preserve civic repair work on walls or towers, the emporion of Tanais, Greek civic offices, and names from the mixed frontier society around the Bosporan kingdom. Two records also note a Sarmatic sign beside the inscription.

The translation below is made from the inspected Ancient Greek inscription texts printed after the colophon. Damaged and restored portions are kept visible, and the royal names Eupator and Sauromates are treated as Bosporan royal evidence rather than simple ethnic labels.

Translation

1. Antimachos' Vow to Apollo

With good fortune.

When King Tiberius Julius Eupator, friend of Caesar and friend of the Romans, pious, was reigning, Antimachos son of Chariton, [envoy], having made a vow to the god Apollo, [set this up].

2. Tryphon Rebuilds the Damaged Works

[A Sarmatic sign.]

With good fortune.

When King Tiberius Julius Eupator, friend of Caesar and friend of the Romans, pious, was reigning, after [the walls?] had been damaged by time, Tryphon [son of so-and-so], envoy, built them up from the foundations and set them up, [...] in the 460th year, on the first day of Deios.

3. The Tower Restored for the Emporion

With good fortune.

When King Tiberius Julius Sauromates, son of the great king Rhoimetalkes, was reigning, Didymoxarthos son of Chodainos, archon of the Tanaeites, and Rhodon son of Phazinamos, hellenarch, rebuilt the tower that had been ruined by time and restored it for the emporion, through the supervisors Synekdemos son of Aristodemos, Maes son of Eudemos, Thaumastos son of Rhodon, Chrysos son of Psycharion, Polykarpos son of Menestratos, Ardarakes son of Tryphon, Siawakos son of Iramboustos, Ochoarzanos son of Pates, and Irbis son of Iramboustos, in the 485th year and in the month Panemos.

4. Hellenes and Tanaeites Restore the Tower

When King Sauromates, son of the great king Rhoimetalkes, was reigning, and when Julius Menestratos, the archikoitoneites, had served as envoy, the Hellenes and Tanaeites rebuilt the tower that had been damaged by time and restored it for the emporion, through the care of Rhodon son of Phazinamos, former hellenarch, Rhodon son of Chariton, Attas son of Herakleides, Euios son of Dadas son of Zenon, Myron son of Uaras, and Pannychos son of Pannychos, in the 489th year, on the first day of Loios.

Colophon

This Good Works Translation was prepared for the Scythian shelf by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Ancient Greek inscription texts printed below. The source records are PHI Greek Inscriptions PH183979, PH183981, PH183982, and PH183983, all from Tanais on the north Black Sea frontier.

The dossier is frontier civic evidence. It preserves Bosporan royal dating, Apollo devotion, Tanais wall and tower repair formulas, the emporion, local offices, and a mixture of Greek and non-Greek personal names. It should not be used as a simple ethnic claim about the population of Tanais.

Compiled and translated for the Good Works Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: Four Greek Inscriptions from Tanais

Ancient Greek source text from PHI Greek Inscriptions, records PH183979, PH183981, PH183982, and PH183983. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

1. CIRB 1239 / PH183979

ἀ<γ>αθῇ τύχῃ.

βασιλεύοντος βα-

σιλέως Τιβερίου

Ἰουλίου Εὐπάτο-

ρος φιλοκαίσαρος

καὶ φιλορω<μ>αίου,

εὐσεβοῦς θεῷ Ἀπόλ-

λωνι εὐ<ξ>άμενος Ἀν-

τίμαχος Χαρίτω-

[νος πρεσβε]υ̣τ̣<ὴ>ς [—]

[— — — — — — — — —]

2. CIRB 1241 / PH183981

{²signum Sarmaticum}²

ἀγαθῆι τύχηι.

[βασι]λεύο[ν]τος βασιλέως Τ(ιβερίου) Ἰουλίου

[Εὐπά]τορος φιλοκαίσαρος καὶ φιλορω-

[μαίου, ε]ὐσεβοῦς, χρόνῳ <δ>ιαφθαρέντα τ[ὰ]

[τείχη? ἐκ] θ̣εμελίων οἰκοδομ[ή]σας Τρύφων

[τοῦ δεῖνος πρ]εσβευτὴς ἀνεστήσατο, χα

[— — — — — —] ἐν τῶι ξυʹ ἔτει, Δείου αʹ.

3. CIRB 1242 / PH183982

[ἀγα]θ̣ῇ τύχῃ.

βασιλεύοντος βασιλέως

Τιβερίου Ἰουλίου Σαυρο-

μάτου, υἱοῦ μεγάλου

βασιλέως Ῥοιμητάλκου, Δι-

δυμόξαρθος Χοδαίνου

ἄρχων Ταναειτῶν καὶ Ῥόδων

Φαζινάμου ἑλληνάρχης

χρόνου καταφθαρέντα τὸν

πύργον ἀνοικ̣οδομήσαντες

ἀπεκατέστησαν τῷ ἐνπορίῳ

διὰ ἐπιμελητῶν Συνεκδήμου Ἀ-

ριστοδήμου̣ καὶ Μάη Εὐδήμω-

νος καὶ̣ Θ̣αυμαστοῦ Ῥόδω-

νος κα[ὶ] Χ̣ρύσου Ψυχαρίω-

νος καὶ Πολυκάρπου Μενε-

στράτου καὶ Ἀρδαράκου

Τρύφωνος καὶ Σιαυά̣κου Ἰραμ-

βούστου καὶ Ὀχοα̣ρζάνου

[Π]άτει, Ἴρβιδος Ἰραμβούσ̣[του].

[ἐ]ν̣ τῷ ∙ επυʹ ∙ καὶ μ̣[ηνὸς]

[Π]α̣νήμου.

4. CIRB 1243 / PH183983

βασιλ̣εύοντος βα[σιλέ]-

ως Σαυ̣ρομάτου [υἱοῦ]

[μ]εγάλου βασιλέως

Ῥ̣οιμητάλκου, καὶ πρεσ-

βεύ̣σαντος Ἰουλίου

Μενεστράτου ἀρχικοι-

τ<ω>νείτω Ἕλληνες καὶ Τα-

ναεῖται χρόνῳ κα̣ταφθα-

ρέντα τὸν πύργον ἀνοι-

κοδομήσαντες ἀπεκατέ-

στησαν τῷ ἐμπορίῳ διὰ̣

ἐπιμελείας Ῥόδωνος Φα-

ζινάμου πρὶν ἑλληνάρ-

χου̣ καὶ Ῥόδωνος Χαρίτω-

νος καὶ Ἄτ̣τα Ἡρακλείδου

καὶ Εὔιος Δάδα τοῦ Ζήνων<ος>?

καὶ Μύ[ρω]νος Οὐάρα καὶ

Παν[νύ]χου Παννύχου.

ἐν τῷ̣ θ̣πυʹ,

Λῴου αʹ.

Source Colophon

PH183979 is described by PHI as CIRB 1239 from Tanais, dated 154-173 AD and cross-referenced as IosPE II 422. PH183981 is CIRB 1241 from Tanais, dated 163 AD and cross-referenced as IosPE IV 447. PH183982 is CIRB 1242 from Tanais, dated 188 AD and cross-referenced as IosPE II 427. PH183983 is CIRB 1243 from Tanais, dated 192 AD and cross-referenced as IosPE II 428.

The Ancient Greek inscription texts were inspected from PHI Greek Inscriptions before translation. The ancient source words are presented for verification; modern apparatus and database presentation are not reproduced as the translated body.

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