Inventory number
ΕΜ 6596
Artist
Attic workshop
Category
Inscription
Period
Classical Period
Date
430/29, 426/5, 424/3 BC
Dimensions
Height: 1.04 m
Length: 0.55 m
Width: 0.12 m
Relief dimensions: 0.21 x 0.41 m
Relief depth: 0.015 m
Material
Marble from Penteli
Location
First Floor, North
The stele was discovered in the Theatre of Dionysos. It contains four decrees from which only two are preserved intact. With these resolutions the Athenians bestowed economic, commercial and military privileges on their ally Methoni. Methoni was a strategically important ally of Athens located in the Thermaic Gulf, from which Athens could promote its commercial activities and resupply its ships.
The first resolution was carved in 430/29 BC, at the beginning of the Peloponnesian war. Under this agreement the people of Methoni will have to pay the Athenians, as an annual tax, one sixtieth of the previous year’s profits, while older debts will be re-evaluated with lighter terms. The resolution also states that Athens will demand that Perdiccas II, king of Macedonia will refrain from sending his army through land owned by Methoni and that he will allow the Methonians free passage at land and sea.
With the second decree, which dates in 426/5 BC, Methoni is given the privilege to import from the city Byzantium a yearly amount of grain while they are exempted from military service. From the third decree, issued in 424/3 BC, only part of the prytaneous tribe's name and the name of the epistates are preserved, while from the last resolution of 423 BC only the first lines with the name Phainippos who was the secretary of the Council and the Citizens' Assembly has survived.
In the relief decorating the upper part of the stele, Athena, sitting on a rock, extends her hand to Artemis, who is accompanied by a hunting dog.
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site
The use of your data is described in the privacy settings