Historia numorum : a manual of Greek numismatics / by Barclay V. Head.

  • Barclay Vincent Head
Date:
1887
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Historia numorum : a manual of Greek numismatics / by Barclay V. Head. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    80/908 page 76
    TTP.QTH. The precise signification of the title npdiTg has been a subject of nearly as much discussion among archaeologists as the claim to possess it was a matter of eager contention between rival cities in ancient times. Among the towns which claimed the irpcoTuov or primacy in their several districts were Nicaea and Nicomedia in Bithynia, Ephesus and Smyrna in Ionia, Pergamum in Mysia, and others. By Dio Chrysostom this strife was ridiculed as a contention about a mere empty title signifying nothing, as is evident from the following passage: gpeis 8e olopeOa, lav e7nypacf)£>pev nov npccroi, to 7Tpa>Tnov e£eiv' nolov, llvdpes Niropgdf is, irpcuTelov ■—ov rl to o<fi(X6s ccttlv ; ov rl to epyov J fif/j’ ov TroTepov TrXovoidiTepoi ycvgaoptda g pel£oves g dvvara)- Tfpot.; k.t.X. (Orat. xxxviii. 144.) In the words of an old Greek proverb he also says nepl ovov arias ftiacpepovTai, ‘ they quarrel about the shadow of an ass.’ The most probable explanation is that irpaTg, like eP86p.g rgs 'Aolas, applied to Magnesia, and rplrg raw ire I to Aspendus (Philostratus, V. Apoll. 1. 15), referred simply to the order of precedence of the various cities in the grand processions with which the public games were opened. Thus when Ephesus proudly styles herself g npoiTg naocov ica'i peylorg, pdvoi npoiroi ’Aolas, etc., and Smyrna irpwroi ’Aolas rdXXei sal peyedei, we may infer that the refer- ence is to the Kon/a 'Aolas celebrated sometimes at Ephesus and sometimes at Smyrna. Similarly when Mylilene is rrpwrg Aeofiov, Samos nptXrg Tvvlas, Tralles 7rpdorg ‘EXXados, etc. (for other examples see Index IV, s. v. npurg), it would appear that they were ‘ First ’ in the local Festivals called roiva Aeoftlcov, Koiva ’loiviov, and koivov rgs ’EXXados (C. I. Gh\, 5852). <hl AH ZYMMAXOZ PGM AIHN or THZTH (MAH'ZYMMAXOZ PG- MAIflN, Civitas foederata, a title to which those cities only had a right between whom and Borne a formal treaty existed by which it was stipulated ut eosdem, quos populus Romanus, amicos atque hostes habeant (Livy, 38. 8. 10). See Side (p. 587), and Sillyum (p. 588). chi AOPflM AIOZ, Arnica Romanorum (Carrhae, p. 688), has perhaps a similar signification. (/3) Empty Titles. APIZTH MEHZTH, Best and greatest. Nicaea, p. 443. r[NflPI MOZ (?)], Notable. Abila, p. 664; Gadara, p. 665. EN AOZOZ, Illustrious. Side, p. 587 ; Anazarbus, p. 598 ; Damascus, p. 662. ENAOZOTEPA, More illustrious. Syedrcc, p. 612. ENTIMOZ, Honourable. Lalassis, p. 604. ETTIZHMOZ, Distinguished. Neapolis Samariae, p. 678. EZTIA OEHN, Home of the Gods. Gei'manicojwlis, p. 433. EYZEBHZ, Holy. Zephyrium, p. 618. EYZEBHZ KAI EYTENHZ, Holy and noble. Nicaea, p. 443. OEIOZ, Divine. Carrhae, p. 688. AAMTTPOTATH, Most splendid. Side, p. 587. MATPOZ AFTOIKflN TTOAEGN, Mother of Colonies. Heraclcia Bith., p. 443. See also MHTPOTTOAIZ. MYZTIZ, Initiated. Side, p. 587. T7EI0Z (1), Pius, after Antoninus Pius(l). Ephesus, p. 498. ZEMNH, Venerable. Syedra, p. 612.
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