Eumenes I to Pergamon: praising the retiring generals for their financial administration

Eumenes I to Pergamon: praising the retiring generals for their financial administration — edition Εὐμένης Φιλεταίρου Περγαμηνῶν τῶι δήμωι χαίρειν Εὐμένης Φιλεταίρου Περγαμηνῶν τῶι δήμωι χαίρειν· Παλάμανδρος, Σκύμνος, Μητρόδωρος, Θεότιμος, Φιλίσκος, οἱ κατασταθέντες ἐφ’ ἱερέως — — — στρατηγοί, φαίνονται ἐν παντὶ καιρῶι καλῶς προεστηκότες τῆς ἀρχῆς· τῶν τε γὰρ — — — — — — — — — μὲν πεπολίτευνται δικαίως, καὶ τάς τε κοινὰς τῆς πόλεως καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς προσόδους οὐ μόνον ἐφ’ αὑτῶν ὠικονομήκασι συμφερόντως τῶι δήμωι, οὐ μόνον τοῖς θεοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ παραλελειμμένα ὑπὸ τῶν πρότερον ἀρχείων ἀναζητήσαντες καὶ οὐθενὸς τῶν κατεσχηκότων τι φεισάμενοι ἀποκατέστησαν τῆι πόλει· ἐπεμελήθησαν δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐπισκευῆς τῶν ἱερῶν ἀναθημάτων, ὥστε τούτων εἰς ἀποκατάστασιν ἀγηγοχότων τὰ προγεγραμμένα, καὶ τοὺς ἐπιγινομένους στρατηγοὺς ἐπακολουθοῦντας τῆι ὑφηγήσει εὐχερῶς δύνασθαι διοικεῖν τὰ κοινά. κρίνοντες οὖν δίκαιον εἶναι μὴ ὀλιγωρεῖν τῶν οὕτως ἐπιστατούντων, ἵνα καὶ οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα δεικνύμενοι πειρῶνται κατὰ τρόπον προΐστασθαι τοῦ δήμου, αὐτοί τε διεγνώκαμεν τοῖς Παναθηναίοις στεφανοῦν αὐτοὺς καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὤιμεθα δεῖν γράψαι περὶ τούτων, ὅπως ἐν τῶι μεταξὺ χρόνωι βουλευσάμενοι τιμήσητε αὐτοὺς καθότι ἂν ἀξίους ὑπολαμβάνητε εἶναι. ἔρρωσθε.

Eumenes I to Pergamon: praising the retiring generals for their financial administration — translation

'They restored to the city the dues their predecessors had withheld' — the five strategoi praised (ll. 1–16)

Eumenes son of Philetairos to the people of Pergamon, greeting. Palamandros, Skymnos, Metrodoros, Theotimos and Philiskos, the generals appointed in the priesthood of [—], are seen to have presided well over their office on every occasion. For they have administered the common and the sacred revenues of the city [not only] during their own term advantageously for the people, [and not only for the] gods, but they have also sought out what had been left unaccounted by the magistracies (archeia) before them and, sparing none of those who were holding it, restored it to the city;

and they have taken care also for the repair of the sacred dedications — so that, these matters having now been brought to restoration, the things recorded above, and the generals who succeed them, following their guidance, may readily administer the common affairs. Judging it right, therefore, not to neglect men who so administer their office, in order that those appointed hereafter too may likewise endeavour to preside over the people in a fitting manner,

'We have decided to crown them at the Panathenaia, and written to you to decree it' (ll. 17–20)

we have for our part resolved to crown them at the Panathenaia, and we thought it right to write to you about these things, so that in the intervening time you, having deliberated, may honour them in whatever way you judge them to deserve. Farewell.

Eumenes I to Pergamon: praising the retiring generals for their financial administration — commentary

Eumenes I writes as dynast to his own city, and the letter is a small audit-report turned into honour. The five retiring strategoi 'presided well over their office on every occasion': they governed justly, and managed honestly — advantageously for the people — both the public and the sacred revenues that fell in their year. The pointed praise follows: they 'sought out' (ἀναζητήσαντες) the dues their predecessors had left uncollected and, 'sparing none' who had held anything back, restored those sums to the city; they also repaired the sacred dedications, leaving the accounts in order for their successors to manage the public funds usefully. Honest fiscal stewardship and the recovery of lost public money — the corpus's one window onto the royal oversight of municipal finance (OGIS 267; Welles 1934, 110–116).

The reward is characteristically Attalid: not cash but honour, and not by royal fiat alone. Judging it right 'not to slight officials who so superintend the city' — so that those appointed hereafter may likewise become responsible presidents of the people — Eumenes resolves to crown the men at the Panathenaia (Pergamon's festival, modelled on Athens'), and asks the city to pass its own decree confirming the honour. The stele preserves that answering decree (OGIS 267 II) below: royal initiative met by civic consent. The whole monument is the gate-tower's advertisement of how Pergamene public money was kept honest.

Critical apparatus [Εὐμένης Φιλεταίρου] — the prescript's left edge lost to the diagonal break; 'Eumenes son of Philetairos' = Eumenes I, confirmed by the reign-context (OGIS 266, the Eumenes I mercenaries' oath, adjacent). Παλάμανδρος, Σκύμνος, Μετρόδωρος, Θεότιμος, Φιλίσκος — the five retiring strategoi named in the prescript; the fifth is Φιλίσκος (so both OGIS 267 and Welles RC 23). ll.3, 5, 7 — the broken left edge restored differently by Wilhelm (so Welles), Fränkel and Dittenberger — competing restorations, recorded not merged; the sense is secure from the preserved portions. τάς τε κοινὰς … καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς προσόδους — 'the public and the sacred revenues' — the two account-streams, civic and temple, both managed honestly. τὰ παραλελειμμένα ὑπὸ τῶν πρότερον ἀρχείων ἀναζητήσαντες … ἀποκατέστησαν — they audited and RECOVERED the dues their predecessors had left uncollected/withheld, and restored them to the city. τοῖς Παναθηναίοις στεφανοῦν — crowned at the Pergamene Panathenaia (modelled on Athens, Fränkel); the city ratifies by its answering decree (OGIS 267 II).

Editions and commentary W. Dittenberger, Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae I (Leipzig 1903), no. 267 (the base text; the letter = 267 I, the answering decree = 267 II). C. B. Welles, Royal Correspondence in the Hellenistic Period (New Haven 1934), no. 23 (text after A. Wilhelm, translation, commentary; the witness). M. Fränkel, Die Inschriften von Pergamon I (Berlin 1890), no. 18 (with Addenda p. XIX); C. Michel, Recueil 38. A. Wilhelm, restorations of the broken left edge (ll. 3, 5, 7), adopted by Welles.