EPIKLESIS (OGIS 458): RENUNTIATIO OR APPELLATIO?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14795/jaha.12.4.2025.1439Keywords:
Roman municipal elections, epiklesis, appellatio, renuntiatio, OGIS 458Abstract
The inscription OGIS 458 contains a detailed account of the new calendar system introduced by the Greek cities of Asia Minor in honor of Augustus. In addition, the decree at the end of the inscription prescribes a deadline for the conduct of local elections. The word ἐπίκλησις appearing here has traditionally been interpreted as renuntiatio, that is, the proclamation of the election results, but the alternative interpretation as appellatio (appeal) has also been proposed in scholarship, without, however, any substantial arguments being advanced in favor of either. In the present study I argue in detail that the interpretation as appeal fits the context much better and is also supported by other relevant sources, both from the Republican period and from the later Empire.
Downloads
References
ABBOTT/JOHNSON 1926
Abbott, F. F./Johnson, A. Ch., Municipal Administration in the Roman Empire (Princeton: Princeton University Press).
BENNETT 2003
Bennett, Chr., The Early Augustan Calendars in Rome and Egypt, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 142, 221-240.
BENNETT 2004
Bennett, Chr., The Early Augustan Calendars in Rome and Egypt: Addenda et Corrigenda, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 147, 165-174.
BICKERMANN 1980
Bickermann, E. J., Chronology of the Ancient World (Ithaca: Cornell University Press).
BLUME n.d.
Blume, F. H., Annotated Justinian Code. 2nd edition. http://www.uwyo.edu/lawlib/blume-justinian/_files/docs/book%20-11pdf/book11-34.pdf, accessed 29.08.2013.
BORHY 1998
Borhy, L. (ed.), Római történelem. Szöveggyűjtemény [Roman History. A Sourcebook] (Budapest: Osiris Kiadó).
BORZSÁK 1963
Borzsák, I. (ed.), Római történeti chrestomathia [A Sourcebook on Roman History] (Budapest: Tankönyvkiadó]
BUXTON/HANNAH 2005
Buxton, B./Hannah, R., OGIS 458, the Augustan Calendar, and the Succession. In: Deroux, C. (ed.), Studies in Latin Literature and Roman History XII. (Bruxelles: Latomus), 290-306.
CARRIÉ 1995
Carrié, J.-M., Developments in Provincial and Local Administration, In: Bowman, A. K./Garsney, P./Cameron, A. (eds.), Cambridge Ancient History XII. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) 269-312.
CURCHIN 2014
Curchin, L. A., The end of local magistrates in the Roman Empire, Gerión 32, 271–287.
EHRENGERG/JONES 1949
Ehrenberg, V./Jones, A. H. M., Documents Illustrating the Reigns of Augustus & Tiberius (Oxford: Clarendon Press).
ESPINOZA-ESPINOZA/GONZÁLEZ-GARCÍA 2017
Espinoza-Espinoza, D./González-García, A. C., a. d. VIIII Kalendas Octobres, dies natalis Augusti. Some Considerations on the Astronomical Orientation of Roman Cologne and the Imperial Cult, Numen 64, 545-567.
HANNAH 2005
Hannah, R., Greek and Roman Calendars. Constructions of Time in the Classical World (London: Duckworth).
HANNAH 2015
Hannah, R., Ancient Greek Calendars. In: Nuggles, C. L. N. (ed.), Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy (New York: Springer), 1563-1571.
ILLÉS 2015
Illés, I. Á., Július 1. mint a városi tisztségviselők hivatalba lépésének időpontja: egy tudománytörténeti mítosz? [1 July: the Date of Municipal Magistrates’ Entry into Office: A Historiographical Myth?], Acta Antiqua et Archaeologica Supplementum XIV, 43-68.
ILLÉS 2022
Illés, I. Á., A helyi tisztviselők nominatiója a késő római kodifikációban [The nominatio of local magistrates in Late Roman codification] Acta Historica Universitatis Szegediensis 147.2, 29-37.
JACQUES 1984
Jacques, F., La privilege de la liberté. Politique imperiale et autonomie municipale dans les cités de l’Occidente romain (161-244) (Roma: École française de Rome).
JOHNSTON/COLEMAN-NORTON/BOURNE 1961
Johnston, A. Ch./Coleman-Norton, P. R./Bourne, F. C., Ancient Roman Statutes (Austin: University of Texas Press).
JONES 1955
Jones, A. H. M., Imperial and Senatorial Jurisdiction in the Early Principate, Historia 3, 464-488.
JONES 1964
Jones, A. H. M., The Later Roman Empire 284–602. A social, economic and administrative survey. Vol. I–II. (London: University of Oklahoma Press).
JONES 1970
Jones, A. H. M. (ed.), A History of Rome through the Fifth Century. Vol. II. The Empire (London: Palgrave MacMillan).
JONES 1971
Jones, A. H. M., The Criminal Courts of the Roman Republic and Principate (Totowa: Rowland and Littlefield Publishers).
KIPPENBERG/WEWERS 1979
Kippenberg, H. G./Wewers, G. A. (eds.), Textbuch zur neutestamentlichen Zeitgeschichte (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht).
KLINGMÜLLER 1914
Klingmüller, F., s.v. renuntiatio. RE I.A (Stuttgart: J. B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung), 600-601.
LAFFI 1967
Laffi, U., Le iscrizioni relative all’introduzione nel 9 A.C. del nuovo calendario della provincia d’Asia, Studi Classici e Orientali 16, 5-98.
LANGHAMMER 1973
Langhammer, W., Die rechtliche und soziale Stellung der Magistratus Municipales und der Decuriones in der übergangsphase der Städte von sich selbstverwaltenden Gemeinden zu Vollzugsorganen der spätantiken Zwangstaates (2.-4. Jahrhundert der römischen Kaiserzeit) (Wiesbaden: Steiner).
LATTE 1927
Latte, K. (ed.), Die Religion der Römer und der Snykretismus der Kaiserzeit (Tübingen: Mohr)
LEIPOLDT/GRUNDMANN 1967
Leipoldt, J./Grundmann, W. (eds.), Umwelt des Urchristentums II. Texte zum neutestamentlichen Zeitalter (Berlin: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt).
LESCHHORN 1993
Leschhorn, W., Antike Ären. Zeitrechnung, Politik und Geschichte im Schwarzmeerraum und in Kleinasien nördlich des Tauros (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag).
LEWIS 1969
Lewis, N., The Limited Role of the Epistrategos in Liturgic Appointments, Chronique d’Égypte 44, 339–344.
LEWIS/REINHOLD 1955
Lewis, N. – Reinhold, M. (eds.), Roman Civilization. Sourcebook II: The Empire (New York: Harper & Row).
LIEBENAM 1900
Liebenam, W., Städtewervaltung im römischen Kaiserreiche (Leipzig: Verlag von Duncker & Humblot).
LIEBENAM 1905
Liebenam, W., s.v. duoviri. RE V.B (Stuttgart: J. B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung), 1798-1842.
LIEBESCHUETZ 2001
Liebeschuetz, J. H. W. G., Decline and Fall of the Roman City (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
LIDDELL/SCOTT/JONES 1996
Liddell, H. G./Scott, R./Jones, H. S. (eds.), A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press).
MADSEN 2016
Madsen, J. M., Who introduced the Imperial Cult in Asia and Bithynia? The Koinon’s Role in the Early Worship of Augustus. In: Kolb, A./Vitale, M. (eds.), Kaiserkult in den Provinzen des Römischen Reiches. Organisation, Kommunikation und Repräsentation (Berlin/Boston: Welter de Gruyter GmbH), 21-35.
MAGIE 1950
Magie, D., Roman Rule in Asia Minor to the End of the Third Century after Christ vol. I-II. (Princeton: Princeton University Press).
MAREK 2010
Marek, Chr., In the Land of a Thousand Gods. A History in Asia Minor in the Ancient World (Princeton/Oxford: Princeton University Press).
MASON 1974
Mason, H. J., Greek Terms for Roman Institutions. A Lexicon and Analysis (Toronto: A. M. Hakkert Ltd.).
MOMMSEN 1883
Mommsen, Th. (ed.), Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum. Vol. X. pars prior (Berolini: apud Georgium Reimerum).
MOMMSEN 18872
Mommsen, Th., Römisches Staatsrecht vol. III.1 (Leipzig: Verlag von S. Hirzel).
MOMMSEN/WILAMOWITZ-MOELLENDORF 1899
Mommsen, Th./Wilamowitz-Moellendorf, U. von, Die Einführung des asianischen Kalenders, Mittheilungen des kaiserlich Deutschen Archaeologischen Instituts. Athenische Abtheilung 24, 275-293.
SOUTER/WYLLIE/BRINK/PARKER/BAILEY/ALFORD/CHADWICK/SLATER/BROWNING 1968
Souter, A./Wyllie, J.M./Brink, C.O./Parker, E.A./Bailey, C./Alford, M./Chadwick, J./Slater, B.V./Browning, D.C. (eds.), Oxford Latin Dictionary (Oxford: Clarendon Press).
PRICE 1984
Price, S. R. F., Rituals and Power. The Roman Imperial Cult in Asia Minor (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
RODRÍGUEZ NEILA 2021
Rodríguez Neila, J. F., Política y elecciones municipales en el Imperio Romano: Una visión desde la provincia Hispania Vlterior Baetica (Sevilla: Editorial Universidad de Sevilla).
SAMUEL 1972
Samuel, A. E., Greek and Roman Chronology. Calendars and Years in Classical Antiquity (München: C. H. Beck).
SHERK 1969
Sherk, R. K. (ed.), Roman Documents from the Greek East. Senatus Consulta and Epistulae to the Age of Augustus (Baltimore: The John Hopkins Press).
SHERK 1984
Sherk, R. K. (ed.), Rome and the Greek East to the Death of Augustus (Translated Documents of Greece and Rome vol. 4) (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
STAVELEY 1972
Staveley, E. S., Greek and Roman Voting and Elections (London: Thames and Hudson).
STERN 2012
Stern, S., Calendary in Antiquity. Empires, States, and Societies (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
THOMAS 1982
Thomas, J. D., The epistrategos in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt. Part 2. The Roman epistrategos (Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag).
WEGENER 1956
Wegener, E. P., The entolai of Mettius Rufus (P. Vindob. G. inv. 25824 V-VI 7) Eos 48.1, 331–353.
WITULSKI 2000
Witulski, Th., Die Adressaten des Galaterbriefes. Untersuchungen zur Gemeinde von Antiochia ad Pisidiam (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht).
WITULSKI 2007
Witulski, Th., Kaiserkult in Kleinasien. Die Entwicklung der kultisch-religiösen Kaiserverehrung (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal, we use CC BY-NC-ND license (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs) wich only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
