Décrets inédits de Larissa (2)

Abstract

A large stele found at Larisa in 1990 is inscribed with three decrees passed by this city during the course of the same year, probably very shortly after the Third Macedonian War, and therefore in 171/0 BC or one of the following years. The first two honour an Athenian philosopher, Satyros son of Philinos, who had undoubtedly lived for several years in Larisa and had experienced times of war there: the people of Larisa recompensed him by awarding him proxenia and various honours, culminating in the right of citizenship, which is the object of a supplementary decree. The third decree was passed for a Mamertine from Sicily called Novius son of Ovius, who had paid the ransom of a Larisan captured by Roman soldiers during the same war, and given him his liberty. In the missing part of the inscription at the bottom of the stele, a fourth decree probably awarded Novius the right of citizenship, as in the case of the philosopher Satyros. These decrees are of great importance for the further reason that they contain formulae that are very explicit and complete, which is not common, and because they are drafted in a coherent, representative dialect, providing material for syntactical and stylistic observations that cannot always be made in the case of other Thessalian documents. Their value for the history of Larisa is equally great, since it is possible to assemble around them several more already known documents associated with to the Third Macedonian War, either with the few years preceding it or with 171-169 BC and the immediately following years.