Seleucus I to Miletus: the gift of offerings to Apollo at Didyma magalia.wiki — Epigraphy Matrix Hub reading text and apparatus afterW. Dittenberger, Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae I (Leipzig 1903), no. 214 (the base text followed here). magalia.wiki — Epigraphy Matrix Hub magalia.wiki — Epigraphy Matrix Hub Beijing 2026 magalia.wiki welles-seleucus-didyma-offerings OGIS 214 (Welles, RC 5) 214 5 CC-BY 4.0 — EpiDoc TEI edition for study and reuse. see provenanceOGIS 214 (Welles, RC 5) 214 5 White marble stele from the sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma; the letter and inventory occupy one face, the top broken away. White marble stele, one inscribed face; top broken away 288/287 BCE Didyma Didyma (sanctuary of Apollo), near Miletus, Ionia — Upper part recovered from Cyriac of Ancona + Haussoullier/Rehm W. Dittenberger, Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae I (Leipzig 1903), no. 214 (the base text followed here). C. B. Welles, Royal Correspondence in the Hellenistic Period (New Haven 1934), no. 5 (text, translation, commentary; the facing-translation witness). B. Haussoullier, Revue de Philologie 22 (1898), 126–128. A. Rehm, in Milet I 3 (1914), no. 132 (Didyma readings). CIG 2854 (the older publication, after Cyriac of Ancona's copy). Linked data and external resources Pleiades 599593 magalia.wiki edition

Leiden conventions rendered as EpiDoc: restorations as supplied(reason=lost), gaps as gap, abbreviations as expan(abbr+ex), omitted letters as supplied(reason=omitted), surplus as surplus, corrections as corr. Critical apparatus as listApp. The facing translation is div type=translation; the historical commentary is div type=commentary.

 Ancient Greek English Seleucus I NicatorThe writer (Seleucid king, 305–281 BCE; founder of the dynasty)Sends the gold and silver plate and the great lampstand to Apollo at Didyma as offerings to the Savior Gods — an act of royal benefaction toward the Milesian sanctuary. PolianthesThe envoyEscorts the offerings to Miletus and carries the king's written instructions for the dedication and the sacrifice; the city is to assist him. Apollo of DidymaThe recipient deityThe Didymaean Apollo, whose sanctuary near Miletus receives the dedicated plate. The Theoi SoteresThe Savior Gods (dedicatees)The 'Savior Gods' to whom the offerings are consecrated — the Seleucid dynastic saviour-cult. the council and people (boulē kai dēmos)issuing / addressee body
Seleucus I to Miletus: the gift of offerings to Apollo at Didyma — edition Βασιλεὺς Σέλευκος Μιλησίων τῆι βουλῆι καὶ τῶι δήμωι χαίρειν Βασιλεὺς Σέλευκος Μιλησίων τῆι βουλῆι καὶ τῶι δήμωι χαίρειν· ἀπεστάλκαμεν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τοῦ ἐν Διδύμοις τήν τε λυχνίαν τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ποτήρια χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ εἰς ἀνάθεσιν τοῖς θεοῖς τοῖς Σωτῆρσιν, κομίζοντος Πολιάνθου, ἐπι- γραφὰς ἔχοντα. ὑμεῖς οὖν ὅταν παραγί- νηται, λαβόντες αὐτὰ ἀγαθῆι τύχηι ἀπόθετε εἰς τὸ ἱερόν, ἵνα ἔχητε σπένδειν καὶ χρᾶσθαι, ὑγιαινόντων ἡμῶν καὶ εὐτυχούν- των καὶ τῆς πόλεως διαμενούσης σώας, ὧν ἐγὼ βούλομαι καὶ ὑμεῖς εὔχεσθε. κατὰ τὰ ἐντεταλμένα δὲ Πολιάνθηι καὶ τὴν ἀνάθεσιν ποιησάμενοι τῶν ἀπεσταλμένων συντελέσατε τὴν θυσίαν ἣν συντετάχαμεν αὐτῶι. συνεπιλήφθητε δ’ οὖν ἵνα γένηται κατὰ τρόπον. τῶν δὲ ἀπεσταλμένων χρυσωμάτων καὶ ἀργυρωμάτων εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ὑπογέγραφα ὑμῖν τὴν γραφήν, ἵνα εἰδῆτε καὶ τὰ γένη καὶ τὸν σταθμὸν ἑκάστου. ἔρρωσθε. Γραφὴ χρυσωμάτων τῶν ἀπεσταλμένων. φιάλη καρυωτὴ Ἀγαθῆς Τύχης μία, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ διακόσιαι τεσσαράκοντα ἑπτά. ἄλλη καρυωτὴ Ὀσίριδος μία, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ ἑκατὸν ἐνενήκοντα. ἄλλη καρυωτὴ Λητοῦς μία, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ ἑκατὸν ἐνενήκοντα ὀκτώ, τρεῖς ὀβολοί. ἄλλη ἀκτινωτὴ Ἑκάτης μία, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ ἑκατὸν δεκατρεῖς. παλιμπότων καὶ ἐλάφων προτομῶν ἐπιγεγραμμένων Ἀπόλλωνος ζεῦγος ἕν, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ τρια- κόσιαι δεκαοκτώ, τρεῖς ὀβολοί. ἄλλο παλίμποτον καὶ ἐλάφου προτομὴ ἐπιγεγραμμένη Ἀρτέμιδος ἕν, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ ἑκατὸν ἑξήκοντα. κέρας ἐπιγεγραμμένον Διὶ Σωτῆρι ἕν, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ ἑκατὸν ἑβδομήκοντα τρεῖς, τρεῖς ὀβολοί. οἰνοχόη Θεῶν Σωτήρων μία, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ πεντακόσιαι ὀγδοήκοντα ἕξ. ψυκτὴρ βαρβαρικὸς λιθόκολλος ἐπιγεγραμμένος Σωτείρας εἷς, ἔχων ἀποπεπτωκότας κάρπας ἑπτά, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ τριακόσιαι ἑβδομήκοντα δύο. μαζονόμον χρυσοῦν, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ χίλιαι ὀγδοήκοντα ὀκτώ. εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ τὸ χρυσωμάτων δραχμαὶ τρισχίλιαι διακόσιαι τεσσαράκοντα ὀκτώ, ὀβολοὶ τρεῖς· σκύφος ἀργυροῦς τορευτὸς ζωιωτός, ἔχων σχοινίον, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ τριακόσιαι ὀγδοήκοντα· ψυκτὴρ ἀργυροῦς μέγας δίωτος, ὁλκὴ δραχμαὶ ἐνακισχίλιαι· λιβανωτοῦ τάλαντα δέκα, σμύρνης τάλαντον ἕν, κασίας μναῖ δύο, κινναμώ- μου μναῖ δύο, κόστου μναῖ δύο. λυχνία χαλκῆ μεγάλη. προσήγαγεν δὲ καὶ θυσίαν τῶι θεῶι, ἱερεῖα χίλια καὶ βοῦς δώδεκα.
Seleucus I to Miletus: the gift of offerings to Apollo at Didyma — translation
Greeting and the gift to the Savior Gods at Didyma (ll. 1–8)

King Seleucus to the council and the people of Miletus, greeting. We have sent to the sanctuary of Didymaean Apollo, as offerings to the Savior Gods, the great lamp-stand and cups of gold and silver bearing inscriptions; they are under the escort of Polianthes. When he comes, then, do you take them, with good fortune, and deposit them in the sanctuary, so that you may use them for libations and other uses on behalf of our health and fortune and the safety of the city, for which I wish and you pray. Carry out the written instructions of Polianthes and dedicate the objects sent you and perform the sacrifice which we have enjoined on him. Aid him in seeing that things are done properly. I have written below the list of the gold and silver vessels sent to the sanctuary so that you may know the type and the weight of each one. Farewell.

The gold vessels: phialai, rhyta, horn, oinochoe, psyktēr, platter (ll. 21–42)

List of the gold vessels which were sent. A phialē of date-pattern, inscribed “of Good Luck,” weight 247 drachmae. Another of date-pattern, “of Osiris,” 190 dr. Another, “of Leto,” 198 dr 3 ob. Another of ray-pattern, “of Hecate,” 113 dr. A pair of deer-head rhyta, inscribed “of Apollo,” 318 dr 3 ob. Another deer-head rhyton, “of Artemis,” 160 dr. A horn, inscribed “to Zeus the Savior,” 173 dr 3 ob. A wine-pitcher, “of the Savior Gods,” 586 dr. A ‘barbarian’ (Persian) gem-set wine-cooler, inscribed “of Sotira,” with seven ‘dates’ fallen out, 372 dr. A gold platter (mazonomon), 1088 dr.

Gold total; the silver, the spices, and the sacrifice (ll. 42–52)

Total of the gold, 3248 dr 3 ob. A chased silver cup with figures and a cord, 380 dr. A great two-handled silver wine-cooler, 9000 dr. Ten talents of frankincense, one talent of myrrh, two minae of cassia, two of cinnamon, two of kostos. A great bronze lampstand. He (Polianthes) also brought a sacrifice for the god, a thousand victims and twelve oxen.

Seleucus I to Miletus: the gift of offerings to Apollo at Didyma — commentary

Seleucus I Nicator — founder of the dynasty and, after Ipsus (301) and Corupedium (281), master of Asia Minor — addresses Miletus as a benefactor of its great oracular sanctuary at Didyma. The offerings go to the Theoi Soteres, the 'Savior Gods', and are escorted by Polianthes, who carries written instructions for the dedication and an accompanying sacrifice; the city is asked only to receive, deposit, dedicate and assist. The letter is a model of the chancery's courteous register (Welles 1934, 33–37).

The appended graphē is an early and precise temple-treasure inventory: each vessel is named by type and relief-pattern, by the deity inscribed on it, and by its weight in drachmae and obols. The gold plate totals 3248 dr 3 ob; the silver includes a great two-handled wine-cooler of 9000 dr; spices (frankincense, myrrh, cassia, cinnamon, kostos) and a hecatomb-scale sacrifice (a thousand victims, twelve oxen) close the gift. The weights here are cross-verified item-by-item against Welles's translation (Welles 1934, 35–40).

Critical apparatus κατὰ τὰ ἐντεταλμένα — so Dittenberger (OGIS 214); Welles read εὐχαῖσι…; Haussoullier εὐθαρρῶς. Ὀσίριδος — OGIS reading (the phialē inscribed 'of Osiris'); corrects a by-eye misreading Ὀσίριμμος. οἰνοχόη Θεῶν Σωτήρων — OGIS reading ('wine-pitcher of the Savior Gods'). μαζονόμον χρυσοῦν … χίλιαι ὀγδοήκοντα ὀκτώ — weight 1088 dr (OGIS 214); Welles's translation rounds to 1000. ἱερεῖα χίλια καὶ βοῦς δώδεκα — a thousand sacrificial victims and twelve oxen (OGIS); Welles transl. 'sheep'.
Editions and commentary W. Dittenberger, Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae I (Leipzig 1903), no. 214 (the base text followed here). C. B. Welles, Royal Correspondence in the Hellenistic Period (New Haven 1934), no. 5 (text, translation, commentary; the facing-translation witness). B. Haussoullier, Revue de Philologie 22 (1898), 126–128. A. Rehm, in Milet I 3 (1914), no. 132 (Didyma readings). CIG 2854 (the older publication, after Cyriac of Ancona's copy).