Support: White marble stele slightly tapering; on top, a triangular pediment with acroteria; below, a plain moulding (inscribed face w: 0.34-0.39 × h: 1.33 × d: 0.068-0.102).

Layout: Inscribed between the pediment and the moulding; excellent state of preservation.

Letters: 0.01-0.013; very carefully cut, although with some corrections; slightly apicated, rather later than the historical date.

Date: 155 or 154 BC

(see commentary)

Findspot: Found on August 24th, 1929 at Cyrene ➚: Sanctuary of Apollo, on the retaining wall between two terraces, West of Strategeion.

Place of origin: Findspot.

Last recorded location: Cyrene Museum, 80. Seen by C. Dobias-Lalou on June 10th, 2010 in Shahat: Cyrene Museum.

Text constituted from: Transcription from stone (CDL).

French translation

L'an quinze, mois Lôios. A la bonne fortune! Voici les dispositions du roi Ptolémée le Jeune, fils du roi Ptolémée et de la reine Cléopatre, Dieux Epiphanes, dispositions dont une copie a été expédiée à Rome. Qu'il me soit donné, avec la faveur divine, de poursuivre ceux qui ont tramé le complot impie contre ma personne et se sont proposé de me priver (10) non seulement de la royauté, mais aussi de la vie. Toutefois si vient à se produire une des vicissitudes de la condition humaine avant que je ne laisse des successeurs à la royauté, je lègue le royaume que je possède aux Romains, dont j'ai gagné dès l'origine et préservé avec sincérité l'amitié et l'alliance. C'est à eux que je lègue le soin de préserver l'Etat, en les conjurant, au nom de tous les dieux et de leur propre gloire: puissent-ils, si (20) les cités ou le territoire viennent à être attaqués, leur porter secours de toutes leurs forces, conformément à l'amitié et à l'alliance établies entre nous et en accord avec la justice. J'en prends à témoins Zeus Capitolin, les Grand Dieux, Hélios et Apollon Archégète, auprès de qui la présente inscription a été consacrée. A la bonne fortune!

English translation

Year fifteen, month Loios. To the good fortune! This is the will of king Ptolemy the Younger, son of king Ptolemy and of queen Cleopatra, Gods Epiphaneis, of which will a copy has been sent to Rome. Should it be given to me, with divine help, to worthy pursue those who plotted the impious conspiracy and intended to deprive me (10) not only of kingship but also of life. However, if one of the human vicissitudes should happen before I would leave successors for kingship, I bequeath the kingdom that I own to the Romans, whose friendship and alliance I gained from the beginning and preserved genuinely. To them I bequeath the duty of preserving the state, while conjuring them in the name of all gods and of their own glory: should they, if (20) the cities or the territory should be assaulted, help them with full might in observance of the friendship and alliance existing between us and in accordance with justice. Of this I call as witnesses Zeus Capitolinus, the Great Gods, Helios and Apollo Archegetes, near whom the present inscription has been dedicated. To the good fortune!

Italian translation

Anno quindici, mese di Loios. Alla buona fortuna! Così ha fatto testamento il re Tolemeo il Giovane, figlio del re Tolemeo e della regina Cleopatra, Dèi Epifani, la cui copia è stata inviata a Roma. Possa io, con l'aiuto divino, perseguire degnamente quanti hanno tramato il complotto empio contro di me e si sono proposti di privarmi non solo del regno, ma anche della vita. Se, comunque, si verifica una delle vicissitudini della condizione umana prima che io possa lasciare successori al regno, lascio il regno che possiedo ai Romani, la cui amicizia e alleanza ho guadagnato dall'inizio e conservato con sincerità. È a loro che lascio il compito di preservare lo Stato, implorandoli, in nome di tutti gli dèi e della loro gloria: se le città o il territorio dovessero essere attaccati, portino soccorso con tutte le loro forze in conformità con l'amicizia e l'alleanza esistente tra noi e in accordo con la giustizia. Testimoni di questo nomino Zeus Capitolino, gli Dèi Grandi, Helios e Apollo Archegetes, presso il quale la presente iscrizione è stata consacrata. Alla buona fortuna!

Arabic translation

السنة الخامسة عشرة ، شهر لوس (يوليو). للحظ الجيد! هذه هي وصية الملك بطليموس الأصغر، ابن الملك بطليموس والملكة كليوباترا، الآلهة الظاهرون (المشهورون) ، والتي كانت قد أرسلت نسخة منها إلى روما. أينبغي أن تُمنح لي، بمساعدة إلهية، الجدارة لأُطارد أولئك الذين خططوا لمؤامرة دنيئة وكانوا يعتزمون حرماني ليس فقط من الملكية ولكن أيضًا من الحياة؟ لكن، إذا حدثت إحدى التقلبات البشرية (تغير للأحداث بتدخل من البشر) قبل أن أترك خلفاء للمملكة، فإني أترك المملكة التي أمتلكها للرومان، الذين اكتسبت الصداقة والتحالف معهم منذ البداية وحافظت عليهما بأمانة. أترك إليهم واجب الحفاظ على الدولة، في الوقت الذي أستحضرهم (أتوسل إليهم) باسم جميع الآلهة (المؤلهين) وباسم أمجادهم الخاصة، أن يساعدوهم بكل ما يملكون، في حال هُجمت المدن أو الإقليم، أخذين بعين الاعتبار الصداقة والتحالف القائم بيننا بموجب للعدالة. وأُشهد زيوس الكابيتولني والآلهة (المؤلهين) العُظمى وهيليوس (إله الشمس) وأبولو آرخيقيتيس على هذه الوصية الذين وضعت إلى جانبهم النقش الحالي. للحظ الجيد!

Commentary

Criscuolo 2011 shows that the formulation of the will and the titles of the king have not the usual form and suspects this document to have been engraved as a justification of Roman power over Cyrenaica. The lettering is not contrary to that hypothesis.

Additional commentary for the second edition: Grzybek 2017, on his part, insists on the inclusion of the will into a political declaration justifying Cyrenaica passing under Roman power and, taking line 1 as belonging to the will, shows that it is labelled in the Macedonian calender and corresponds to the early spring of 154 BC.

Anyhow, it was chosen to maintain this inscription in this collection, as belonging to the Hellenistic period, instead of tranferring it to IRCyr because of the supposed date of its content.

Details about the exact placement against the retaining wall are given by Parisi Presicce 2007, pp. 498-500.

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Deed Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

All citation, reuse or distribution of this work must contain a link back to DOI: https://doi.org/10.60760/unibo/igcyrgvcyr2 and the filename (IGCyr000000 or GVCyr000), as well as the year of consultation.

Images

Fig. 1. Face of igcyr011200 Will of Ptolemy VIII

Maps