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S.Ju. Saprykin (Moscow) – Epigraphica Pontica III: Dedication of Pharnaces II from Artezian Settlement

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Abstract

The article is a critical essay, devoted to the publication of a newly discovered inscription from the Artezian settlement in the East Crimea – dedication of Pharnaces on the architrave or other kind of order building for sacral using. It was firstly published by N.I. Vinokurov and V.P. Yailenko in PIFK 4 (2024). The author of this article gives his arguments for correcting the restoration and explaining the sense of this inscription, based on deep analysis of other sources, concerning Pharnaces II as the ruler of Bosporus. The authors of its first scholarly publication have read out the place-name of Artezian settlement Кοιράνε(ι)ον or Кράνειον while its inhabitants, to their mind, could bear the ethnicity [Кοι]ρανε(ί)ονοι, gen. pl. [Кοι] ρανεόνων. Basing on this conclusion, Vinokurov and Yailenko restore the dropped text in line 1 as Pharnaces … κρατή[σας Σκύθας̦ e.g. ὑπὲρ τῶν Кοι]ρανεóνων, and made a dedication (ἀνέθηκε) to Zeus Genarkhei and Soter. The author of the article argues: there is no mention about the Scythians, it is only a restoration; if this site was originally called so, then its residents should have been named Кοιρανε(ι)οί, gen. pl. Кοιρανεῶν, either Кοιρανε(ι)ώται, gen. pl. -των. The more so that the construction ὑπὲρ + with the inhabitants needs the indication of the place (place-name of village, fort of townlike settlement). The author gives his possible reading of the damaged line under argue: Фαρνάκης κρατή[σας….κρατε]ρὰν ἐὼν ὦν ἀνέθηκεν – “Pharnaces, having captured something by force… showing by this way his own power ( e.g. took in his own possessing by a right of spear). The author’s mind is that the gift to Zeus as patron of Pharnaces was arranged after his return from Asia Minor in 47/46 BC and in course of the war with Asander who had usurped the throne at Bosporus. By Caesar’s order Pharnaces landed in Theodosia and while moving to Panticapaeum which he finally caught, he was suppressing the sites, peeled off during the Asander rebellion. The dedication at Artezian could have been set in 46 BC during Pharnaces’ staying in Panticapaeum when he was ruling only at the European Bosporus as Asander was on the Asiatic side of the state, collecting forces for a new fight with Pharnaces. That is why we propose to restore …φιλόκαισα]ρ in Pharnaces titleture, because the Bosporan king was searching for Caesar’s friendship and could actually got it, having concluded a peace with him after Zela which helped him to return to Bosporus from Sinope and fight with usurpator Asander on behalf of Caesar, Asander’s enemy.

Keywords

Pharnaces, Artezian settlement, Cimmerian Bosporus, Mithridates Eupator, Zeus Genarkhes, Caesar, Asander, Pompeus, Soter – the Saviour.

Sergey Ju. Saprykin

Moscow Lomonosov State University, Moscow, Russia;

Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

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