1 Earliest Rome

10.5 Emperor-worship
of the god Augustus and of Julia Augusta and of Tiberius Caesar Augustus, also - for the
theatre — the platform for the chorus, four doors for stage performances, foots talis for the
orchestra. And they shall put up a stone column with this sacred law inscribed on it and
they shall deposit a copy of this sacred law in the public archives, so that this law may,
displayed for all to see in a public place and in the open air, prove the gratitude of the
People of Gytheum towards the rulers for all men [to see ... ]
1. The first five recipienrs are the recently dead and deified Augustus, the current emperor
Tiberius, and other members of the imperial family. The sixth was the commander who
had 'freed' rhe Greeks from the Macedonian King Philip rwo centuries earlier and who
had evidently been receiving honours ever since. Greek had no specific term to translate
the Latin divas-, hence rhe use of the word 'god' for these deified mortals.
2. Thymclic games were musical festivals, with dancing but not drama.
3. Gains Julius F.urycles and his son Gaius Julius Laco were both rich Spartans ol distin­
guished family, influential with the Romans.
4. See 10.3a n. 4.
5. A building in honour of the Caesars, the imperial family, often decorated with portraits
and patriotic reliefs.
6. Spartan magistrates.
7. Groups of citizens eating together at public messes were part of the Spartan tradition.
10.5b Singers of Rama and Augustus at Pergamum (A.D. 117—138)
This association, sponsored by the province of Asia, was established to sing
hymns at the temple of Roma and Augustus at Pergamum (in modern Turkey,
about 110 km. north of Izmir). The following text, inscribed on four sides of
an altar, lists: (A) the names of 36 members (omitted here), characteristic of
elite names of the period; (B-D) the responsibilities of the three officers, the
regulations for new members, and the regulations for members' funerals
(omitted here). The principal festivals of the association were on 21-3
September (23 September, Augustus' birthday, was the start of the year in the
province of Asia); 1 January; 24-6 May (the Rose Festival); 23-5 June (the
Mysteries). There were also meetings on the monthly birthday of Augustus and
on the annual birthdays of other emperors.
See further: Robert (1960a) 318, 321, 340-2; Price (19S4) 90, 105, 118,
129, 190-1, 209; 3.4 and 12.2 for calendar and rules for other imperial asso­
ciations.
Inschrifien von Pergamon II 374; IGRIV.353
(B) With good fortune. The president shall provide the following during his year of office:
Month of Caesar, Augustan day : for Augustus' birthday, 1 mna. 1
Month of Pereitios: for Kalends of January , 2
1 mna; 1 loaf.
Month of Panemos, Augustan day : for Rose Festival, 3
1 mna; 1 loaf.
Month of Loos, 3rd