DH.037 Inscription on Athenian Stoa in Sanctuary of Apollo

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Creator

Denis Baly

Creation Year

1978

Image ID

DH.037

Subcollection

DH: Delphi

Abstract

An inscription on the Athenian Stoa dedicating the stoa, along with the trophies taken in the Persian war, to the gods. The inscription is located on the base of the Stoa, known as the stylobate.

Description

Inscription on stylobate of the Athenian Stoa, one of the most prominent dedications at Delphi and thought to be the first stoa on the site. It was built around the same time as the Athenian treasury and was part of the same celebration of victory in the Persian Wars. The full inscription reads "AΘHNAIOI ANEΘΕΣAN TEN ΣTOAΝ KAI TA OΠΛA KAI TAKPOTEPIA EΛONTEΣ TON ΠOΛEMION : The Athenians dedicate this stoa, along with the weapons and peaks [of ships] (i.e. figureheads) having been captured in war." The 'weapons' refer to cables from the Persian pontoon bridge spanning the Hellespont, and 'peaks' refer to figureheads from captured Persian ships. After its construction it was made to include trophies from other naval battles won by Athens. In the image, we see the fragment [ΑΘΗΝ] ΑΙΟΙΑΝΕ⊕Ε [ΣΑΝ]. The inscription has no spaces, typical of greek inscriptions, and uses the archaic crossed form ⊕ for Θ, characteristic of the early 5th century BCE. In the background we see the polygonal retaining wall, which supports the platform on which the Temple of Apollo lies.

Image Notes

Creation date unknown. Photograph processed July 1978. Notes written on the slide or index: Athenian Stoa - Inscription. Ἀθεναῖοι ἀνέθεσαν τὲν στοὰν καί τὰ ὁπ(λά κ)αὶ τακροτέρια ℎελόντες τόν πολε(μίο)ν.

Curator Notes

Transcription of text on slide has "τὰ ℎόπα", while transcription on Delphi Website has "τὰ ℎόπλ̣α." This makes sense if it is his own transcription, since the dot under the λ indicates the letter is damaged or unclear in the inscription

Image Format

35 mm slide

Geographic Reference

Delfoi, Greece