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Olbia. Letter of Apatorios

Description: rectangular lead tablet folded three times, broken at the left corner (dimensions: h:8.5 w:15.8)

Layout: the text of the letter is quoted left to right in the interior face, while the address is engraved in the exterior face

Letters: archaic ionic alphabet

Origin: Olbia (North shore of the Black Sea)

Dating: late VI century BC

Findspot: Olbia, agora

Current location: unknown (somewhere in Russia or Ukraina)

Reference edition: Dana 2004

Other editions: Vinogradov 1981, 19; Santiago 2006; Dana 2007, 75-76, no. 3; Ceccarelli 2013, no. 5

Photographs: Dana 2004, 5 (facsimile); Dana 2007, 75 (facsimile)

Translations: Wilson 1997/1998, 38-40 (English); Dana 2004, 6 (French); Dana 2007, 76 (French); Ceccarelli 2013, no. 5 (English)

Bibliography: Bravo 1977, 58, no. 62; Jeffery, Johnston, LSAG2, 430, 479 no. H, 480; Vinogradov 1997, 84, note 84; Wilson 1997/1998, 38-40; Vinogradov 1999, 140; Faraguna 2002, 246 ff.; Gavriljuk 2003, 80; L. Dubois, BE 2005 366; Eidinow, Taylor 2010, no. E5; Ceccarelli 2013, 338

A (exterior of the tablet)
Ἀπατόριος
Λεάνακτι
B
Λήνακτι Ἀπατόριος τὰ χρήματα σισύλημαι ὐπ’ Ἡρακ-
λείδεω το͂ Ε[ὀ]θήριος κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν σὴν μὴ ἀπολέ-
σω τὰ χρήματα τὰ γὰρ χρ̣[ήμ]ατα σὰ ἐφάμην ἐ͂ναι καὶ Μένω-
ν ἔφατό σε ἐπ[ι]θε͂ναι ἐωυ̣τ̣ῶ̣ι καὶ τ[ἄ]<λ>λα ὄσα σὺ αὐτῶι ἐπέ-
5θηκας καὶ π[ρὸ]ς ἔφατο̣ {σ’} ἐμοὶ σὰ τὰ χρήματα ἐνῆν ἰὰν ἐπιθε-
ίης διφθέρια π[ρὸς] Ἡρακλείδην καὶ Θαθαίην τὰ χρήματα σ-
έο̣ Υ̣Σ̣ ὀπό[σο̄], [ἀποδ]ό̣σε̄· κε͂νοι γάρ φασιν ὄ τι σὸν ἔχοσιν ἀποδώ-
[σεν] τὸ συλη[θὲν ὄλ]ον ἐπτὰ καὶ εἴκοσιν στατῆρες· (vac. )
[τί(?) θε]λήσες; περὶ τῶν οἰκιητέων Θυμώλεω
10[. c. 10-11. Εὀ(?)]θυμίωι αὐτῶι μοι οὐκ οἶδα ἢν {Ε} γένηται εὀ͂ (vac. )



Bravo, B. (1977), ‘Remarques sur les assises sociales, les formes d’organisation et la terminologie du commerce maritime à l’époque archaïque’, DHA 3, 1-59
Ceccarelli, P. (2013), Ancient Greek Letter Writing. A Cultural History (600 BC–150 BC), Oxford
Dana, M. (2004), ‘Lettre sur plomb d’Apatorios à Léanax. Un document archaïque d’Olbia du Pont’, ZPE 148, 1-14
Dana, M. (2007), ‘Lettres grecques dialectales nord-pontiques (sauf IGDOP 23-26)’, REA 109, 67-97
Eidinow, E. and C. Taylor (2010), ‘Lead-Letter Days: Writing, Communication and Crisis in the Ancient Greek World’, CQ 60, 30-62
Faraguna, M. (2002), ‘Scrittura, commercio e pratiche giuridiche. Recenti studi sull’’emporía’ greca’, Dike 5, 237-254
Gavriljuk, N.A. (2003), ‘The Graeco-Scythian Slave-Trade in the 6th and 5th Centuries BC’, in P. Guldager Bilde, V.F. Stolba, J. Munk Højte (eds.), The Cauldron of Ariantas. Studies Presented to A.N. Sceglov on the Occasion of His 70th Birthday, Aarhus, 75-85
Santiago, R.A. and M. Gardeñes (2006), ‘Algunas observaciones a la ‘Lettre d’Apatorios à Léanax’’, ZPE 157, 57-69
Vinogradov, J.G. (1981), Olbia: Geschichte einer altgriechischen Stadt am Schwarzen Meer, Konstanz
Vinogradov, J.G. (1997), Pontische Studien, Mainz
Vinogradov, J.G. (1999), ‘Archaische und frühklassische Epigraphik im nördlichen Pontosraum’, in XI Congresso Internazionale di Epigrafia Greca e Latina (Roma 18-24 settembre 1997). Atti, I, Roma, 135-146
Wilson, J.P. (1997-1998), ‘The illiterate trader’, BICS 42, 29-53
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Greek Economic Inscriptions
Laboratorio di Storia Archeologia Epigrafia Tradizione dell’Antico (SAET)
Scuola Normale Superiore
Piazza dei Cavalieri, 8, Pisa, Italy
Mail: gei@sns.it
DOI https://doi.org/10.25429/sns.it/lettere/gei000
ISBN 978-88-7642-716-9