The stele, which is preserved in its entirety, contains a decree passed by the Athenian people during the archonship of Aristophon (330/29 BCE) in honor of a Plataian citizen, who was probably a metic residing in Athens. This man became a benefactor of the city by initially promising a donation of money for a war that did not take place, and then offering 1,000 pairs of oxen for the construction of the Panathenaic stadium (i.e., 1,000 days of work by pairs of oxen, probably worth the same sum as the initial donation). In return, he was honored with public praise and a foliage crown, and his name and that of his descendants were recorded among the benefactors of the Athenian people. In addition, he was granted the right to own land and a house (enktesis ges kai oikias) in Attica, to serve in the army alongside Athenian citizens (rather than in the contingents reserved for metics) and to pay the extraordinary property tax (eisphora) on the same basis as Athenian citizens (rather than paying the tax quota assigned to metics). These were all privileges that brought individuals closer to the status of citizens without actually granting them citizenship.
[Εὐδήμ]ου Πλαται[έως]· vacat 0,012 [ἐπὶ Ἀρισ]τ̣οφῶντος ἄρχοντο[ς], [ἐ]π[ὶ τῆς] Λεωντίδος ἐνάτη[ς] π[ρυ]- ταν[εία]ς, ἧι Ἀντίδωρος Ἀντ̣ίν[ου] 5 Παι[ανι]εὺς ἐγραμμάτευεν ∶ ἑ[ν]- [δ]εκά[τ]ηι Θαργηλιῶνος· ἐνάτη[ι] [κ]αὶ δ[ε]κάτηι τῆς πρυτανείας· [τ]ῶν π[ρ]οέδρων ἐπεψήφιζεν Ἀν̣τ̣[ι]- φάνη[ς] Εὐωνυμεύς· ἔδοξεν τῶι 10 [δήμωι]· Λυκοῦργος Λυκόφρονος [Βουτά]δης εἶπεν· ἐπειδὴ vac. [Εὔδημ]ος πρότερόν τε ἐπηγγ[εί]- [λατο τ]ῶι δήμωι ἐπιδώσειν [εἰ]ς [τὸν π]όλεμον, εἴ τ[ι] δέ[οι]το, [ΧΧΧ]Χ 15 [δ]ραχμὰς καὶ νῦν [ἐπ]ι[δέδ]ωκ̣[εν] εἰς τὴν ποίησιν τοῦ σταδ[ί]ου καὶ τοῦ θεάτρου τοῦ Παναθην[αϊ]- κοῦ χίλια ζεύγη καὶ ταῦτα vac. πέπομφεν ἅπαντα π[ρὸ Π]αναθη- 20 ναίων, καθὰ ὑπέσ[χετο, δ]εδόχθ[αι] τῶι δήμωι· ἐπαι[νέσαι Ε]ὔδημ[ον] [Φι]λούργου Πλατα[ιέα] καὶ στ[ε]- φανῶσαι αὐτὸν θαλλο͂ στεφ[άνωι] εὐνοίας ἕνεκα τῆς εἰς τὸν vac. 25 δῆμον τὸν Ἀθηναίων· καὶ εἶνα[ι] αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς εὐεργέταις το[ῦ] δήμου τοῦ Ἀθηναίων, [α]ὐτὸν κα[ὶ] ἐκγόνους, καὶ εἶ[ν]α[ι] αὐτῶι vac. ἔνκτησιν γῆς καὶ ο̣ἰ̣κ̣ί̣ας, καὶ 30 στρατεύεσθαι αὐτὸν τὰς vac. στρατιὰς καὶ τὰς εἰσφορὰς vac. εἰσφέρειν μετὰ Ἀθηναίων· vac. ἀναγράψαι δὲ τόδε τὸ ψήφισμα τὸν γραμματέα τῆς βουλῆς καὶ 35 στῆσαι ἐν ἀκρ[ο]πόλει· εἰ[ς] δ̣[ὲ] τὴν ἀναγραφὴν τῆς στήλη[ς δοῦ]ναι τὸν ταμίαν τοῦ δήμ[ο]υ̣ [ΔΔΔ] δραχμὰς ἐκ τῶν εἰς τὰ κα[τὰ ψη]- φίσματα ἀναλισκομέν[ων τῶ]ι 40 δήμωι. vacat vacat 0,40
Of Eudemos of Plataia. In the arconship of Aristophon, in the ninth prytany of the tribe Leontis, for which Antidoros son of Antinous of Paiania was secretary. On the eleventh of the month Thargelion, the nineteenth of the prytany. Of the proedroi Antiphanes of Euonymon was putting to the vote. The people decided. Lykourgos son of Lykophron of Boutadai proposed: since Eudemos both announced previously to the people that he would donate for the war, should it be needed, 4,000 drachmas, and now has donated for the construction of the Panathenaic stadium and the seating a thousand yoke of oxen and has sent all of this before tha Panathenaia, as he promised, the people shall decide: to praise Eudemos son of Philourgos of Plataia and crown him with a foliage crown for his good will towards the Athenian people; and he shall be among the benefactors of the Athenian people, himself and his descendants. And he shall have right of ownership of land a house, and he shall perform military service and pay the eisphorai with the Athenians. And the secretary of the council shall inscribe this decree and stand it on the acropolis; and for inscribing the stele the treasurer of the people shall give 30 drachmas from the people’s fund for expenditure on decrees.
- M. Adak, Metöken als Wohltäter Athens, München 2003
- M. Faraguna, Atene nell’età di Alessandro, Roma 1992 [MemLinc2, s. IX, 167-445]
- S.D. Lambert, Inscribed Athenian Laws and Decrees 352/1-322/1 BC. Epigraphical Essays, Leiden-Boston 2012
- D. Whitehead, The Ideology of the Athenian Metic, Cambridge 1977