An Eventful Tenure: Aristomenes, Hierapolos of Telos, and Aglokritos, Rhodian Priest of Halios in 223/2 BC

This paper provides a contextual analysis of a fragmentary honorific decree from Telos—a Rhodian deme by the last quarter of the 3rd c. BC—for Aristomenes, the local hiera­polos (IG XII.3, 30). It is ascertained that the entirety of the preserved decree was issued in honour of Aristomenes’ outstanding conduct of the office. His tenure as hierapolos was quite challenging, since he faced unforeseen expenses (ll. 7–11) and embezzlement of sacred funds (ll. 12–17) in the aftermath of an earthquake that hit the island. Since Aristomenes’ office is dated after the eponym of the Rhodian State, Aglokritos, this inscription proves to be of paramount importance for Rhodian chronology. The identification of the earthquake has been an unresolved issue in scholarship, as two major, well-recorded earthquakes hit Rhodes and Karia within the span of a quarter of a century—in 223/2 BC and in 199/8 BC respectively. After a close analysis of the text and considering that the eponym of the earthquake of 199/8 BC was Theuphanes, this paper identifies the earthquake in question with the first earthquake (i.e. 223/2 BC). In doing so, Aglokritos, the priest of Halios, can now be identified with the eponym of the earthquake of 223/2 BC. Consequently, his priesthood should be moved from Period IIb (Finkielzstejn, 216 BC) or Period IIc (Castelli, 206 BC) to Period IIa in the amphoric sequence.