The tablet from Himera contains an early archaic law establishing the formation, in Himera, of two new tribes composed of citizens originating from the mother city of Zancle. Citizen recruitment took place through the tribes, while registration was the responsibility of the phratries. The reference to oikopeda at the beginning of the document may be linked to the allocation of urban plots to the new politai. Scholars have also debated whether the law implied a redistribution of extra-urban land.
[- – -]εντον hε̄μίσχοι[νον]
[…]εδε το̂ν οἰϙοπέδο̄ν [1-2]
λα δανκλαι̂α ποιε̂σαι α[.]-
αρε. hαι φρατρίαι ἀ[ν]έδειξα-
5 ν τὰ καταγεγραμ(μ)ένα. ἰ-
ὰν [δέ τι]ς πὰρ τὸ χάλϙο̄μα
ἐργάσδε̄ται ἒ̄ τὸ [χ]ά[λϙ]-
[ο̄μ]α [ἀφ]ανὲς ποιέ̄σει ἒ̄ θ[έλ]-
[ε̄ι λ]αθ[ε̂ν τ]ὶ περὶ το̂ χαλϙ-
10 [ό̄]ματο[ς], ε[.]ε[- -]ειε μ‹ο›ῖρ-
[α. .]ιε κακε̄[. .] ἀγαθε̄[. ἐ]-
ν το̂ι αὐτο̂‹ι› αὐτὸν ἔχε[σ]-
θαι ἐν hο̂ιπερ h[ὸ μὲ̄]λ-
[αχὸ̄]ν γέε̄ς ἀναδαιθμο̂.
15 μνέ̄σεται περὶ [δ]ὲ τ-
ο̂[ν] δεχο[μέν]ο̄ν κατὰ τ-
[ὸ] χά[λ]ϙο̄μα καρτ-
ερο[.]εντα[ – – – ].
… half a schoinos … of the plots … let Zanclean tribes be established. The phratries shall make known the rules that have been written. If, however, anyone acts against this bronze tablet, or seeks to erase the bronze tablet, or to conceal anything from the bronze tablet … [share due?] … bad … good … let that person be held in the same condition as one who has not taken part in the redistribution of land. A registration shall be made of those who, according to the bronze tablet, have received their share; let it be legally valid …
- A. Brugnone, Legge di Himera sulla ridistribuzione della terra, PP 52, 1997, 262-305
- A. Brugnone, Considerazioni sulla legge arcaica di Himera, RDE 1, 2011, 3-17
- O. Tribulato, La legge tardo-arcaica di Himera (SEG 47, no 1427; IGDS II no 15). Un riesame linguistico ed epigrafico, Pallas 109, 2019, 167-193