{"id":12134,"date":"2023-01-09T09:33:04","date_gmt":"2023-01-09T14:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/?p=12134"},"modified":"2025-02-16T16:02:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T21:02:22","slug":"celts-galatians-thyatira-inscription-for-a-son-rescued-by-apollo-out-from-under-the-mob-of-galatians-276-bce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/2023\/01\/celts-galatians-thyatira-inscription-for-a-son-rescued-by-apollo-out-from-under-the-mob-of-galatians-276-bce\/","title":{"rendered":"Celts: Thyatira inscription for a son rescued from the Galatians by the god Apollo (276 BCE)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ancient authors:<\/i><\/b> Argeios from Thyatira (area of S\u00fcleymanl\u0131, Turkey), TAM <\/em>V 881 (link<\/a>) = ILydiaKP <\/em>II 19 (link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sketch of TAM V 881 = ILydiaKP II 19 by Keil and von Premerstein 1911, 14. Public domain.<\/p><\/div>\n

Comments: <\/i><\/b>As the important Priene inscription (link<\/a>) shows, Greek perceptions of Galatian or Celtic northerners were heavily influenced by the major invasion which began in Macedonia and Greece around 280-279 BCE and spread to western Asia Minor from about 278 to 275 BCE.\u00a0 First of all, Galatians are perceived as uncivilized and violent barbarians who plunder; on the other hand, violence perpetrated by Greeks is conceived as resistance or war. Bound up in the forming image of Galatians, however, is the perception that Galatians are “impious,” particularly since they (like other conquering powers) are not necessarily concerned with local cultural customs regarding local gods and they sometimes loot or destroy temples of those gods. The other side of the coin, of course, was the potential and realized Greek perception that their own gods would protect them (on which see also Herakles clubbing a barbarian or Galatian at this link<\/a>). Later on, a similar picture emerges with Greeks perceiving Zeus of Panamaros’ divine intervention to protect against Parthian incursions in the first century BCE (link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

This fascinating inscription from Thyatira in Lydia from the time of the initial invasion of Galatians gives us the personal side of the invasion, bringing us down to the family level of perceptions. The father of a son who was rescued from the Galatians pushing through the area sets up a monument thanking the local version of the god Apollo. The age of the son (perhaps even a child, but also perhaps engaged in the fighting itself) and the precise circumstances in which the son (but not the other family members) was caught are not specified, but the nature of the monument suggests the situation was dire and perhaps death was averted. There is also reference to the wife’s state of health as well. The fact that the father had made a vow in the context of the Galatian invasion \u2013 praying to the local god that if his family was protected he would set up this very monument as thanks \u2013 shows how the gods were imagined to play a role in this clash between peoples. Of course, the monument as a whole and the notion of Apollo saving a family member from danger or death implies that the family is pious and that the Galatians are, once again, “impious.”<\/p>\n

\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017<\/p>\n

To good fortune. When Antiochos and Seleukos son of Antiochos were ruling, in the thirty-seventh year [276\/275 BCE] in the month of Hyperberetaios [September], Argeios son of Phanokritas, having made a vow to Apollo Pityaenos [i.e. Apollo located at a place called Pityaia], set up this monument (stele) for himself, his healthy wife, and the rescue (or: salvation) of his son Phanokritas, who was rescued, having been captured by the Galatians. Therefore, may Apollo be gracious through every situation towards Argeios, his wife, his descendents, and his brothers.<\/p>\n

\u1f00\u03b3\u03b1\u03b8\u1fc6\u03b9 \u03c4\u1f7b\u03c7\u03b7\u03b9. | \u03b2\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03bb\u03b5\u03c5\u1f79\u03bd\u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u1f08\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9\u1f79\u03c7\u03bf\u03c5 | \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03a3\u03b5\u03bb\u03b5\u1f7b\u03ba\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f08\u03bd\u03c4\u03b9\u1f79\u03c7\u03bf\u03c5 | \u1f11\u03b2\u03b4\u1f79\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u1f14\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2, \u03bc\u03b7||\u03bd\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f59\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b2\u03b5\u03c1\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u1f77\u03bf\u03c5. \u1f08\u03c0\u1f79\u03bb\u03bb\u03c9\u03bd\u03b9 | \u03a0\u03b9\u03c4\u03c5\u03b1\u03b7\u03bd\u1ff6\u03b9 \u03b5\u1f50\u03be\u1f71\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u1f08\u03c1\u03b3\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bf\u03c2 | \u03a6\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03ba\u03c1\u1f77\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u1f00\u03bd\u1f73\u03b8\u03b7\u03ba\u03b5 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u03c3\u03c4\u1f75|\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd \u1f51\u03c0\u1f73\u03c1 \u03c4\u03b5 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 | \u03b3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9\u03ba\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f51\u03b3\u03b9\u03b5\u1f77\u03b1\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2 \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 || \u03c5\u1f31\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03a6\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u03ba\u03c1\u1f77\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c3\u03c9\u03c4\u03b7\u03c1\u1f77\u03b1\u03c2, \u1f45\u03c2 \u1f01|\u03bb\u03bf\u1f7a\u03c2 \u1f51\u03c0\u1f78 \u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u0393\u03b1\u03bb\u03b1\u03c4\u1ff6\u03bd \u1f10\u03c3\u1f7d\u03b8\u03b7. | \u03b5\u1f34\u03b7 \u03bf\u1f56\u03bd \u1f41 \u1f08\u03c0\u1f79\u03bb\u03bb\u03c9\u03bd \u1f35\u03bb\u03b5\u03c9\u03c2 \u03b4\u03b9\u1f70 | \u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f08\u03c1\u03b3\u03b5\u1f77\u03c9\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1fc6\u03b9 \u03b3\u03c5\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9|\u03ba\u1f76 \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f10\u03b3\u03b3\u1f79\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 || \u1f00\u03b4\u03b5\u03bb\u03c6\u03bf\u1fd6\u03c2.<\/p>\n

\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017<\/p>\n

Source of the translation:<\/i><\/b> Translation by Harland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ancient authors: Argeios from Thyatira (area of S\u00fcleymanl\u0131, Turkey), TAM V 881 (link) = ILydiaKP II 19 (link). Comments: As the important Priene inscription (link) shows, Greek perceptions of Galatian or Celtic northerners were heavily influenced by the major invasion which began in Macedonia and Greece around 280-279 BCE and spread to western Asia Minor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,352,299,76,296],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-02-greek-and-roman-ethnography-on-barbarians","category-b-inscriptions","category-ancient-ethnography-ethnographic-culture","category-celts-gauls","category-ethnicity-ancient-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12134"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22079,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12134\/revisions\/22079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}