43.
The deme Eitea honours Hippokles
Demokleous
SEG
28.102 Athens, EM 13461 332/31 Plate 22
Three joining fragments found in October 1961 at southern
end of Attic village of Grammatiko. Top, both edges preserved, back rough-picked. Stele terminates above in plain
palmette-shaped crown. Below it, recessed relief panel, upper
corners rounded, with plain flat border on top and sides.
Inscribed on border above relief:
ΘΕΟΙ Surface worn, corroded. Deep horizontal cut, perhaps ancient attempt to separate relief and inscription, extends width of stele just below
relief (cf. no. 38). Grey-white, medium-grained marble. p.h.
0.67, h. of relief panel 0.178, h. of palmette 0.195, w. of
relief panel 0.17, w. of stele 0.265 (top), 0.275 (bottom), th.
0.047, relief h. very low, h. of letters 0.005-0.006.
The decree of the deme Eitea honours Hippokles
Demokleous for his services to the deme; he is
awarded a 500-drachmai gold wreath. Whether the
deme is Eitea of Akamantis or of Antiochis is not
specified. Kaloyeropoulou suggested that Hippokles
was the father of Samakion Hippokleous Eiteaiou,
whose grave stele was found in the Kerameikos (
IG
II2 6007: A. Conze,
Die attischen Grabreliefs III.1
(1906), no. 1430, pl. 295). The inscription is dated by
reference to the treasurer of the deme as an officer
serving in the archonship of Ni[ketes], 332/31 (lines
16-18). The treasurer was to have published it at the
deme's expense, and it was to have been set up in the
sanctuary of Basile (lines 15-20).
The relief depicts the small, bearded figure of
Hippokles being crowned by a larger female figure
who must be Basile, since the stele was to have been
erected in her sanctuary. Hippokles stands opposite
her on the left and raises his right hand in a gesture
of adoration. Basile is about to place the crown on
his head with her right hand. She wears a belted chiton
and himation; her hair is pulled back in a short, high
top knot.
There is little evidence for the character of Basile,
often confused with Basileia. (For her cult in Athens
and elsewhere in Attica, see no. 4 and Shapiro,
ZPE.)
Her role in the inscription and relief from Grammatiko suggests that hers was the major cult in the deme of Eitea at this time.
Kaloyeropoulou noted that the palmette was
normally used as a terminus of grave stelai rather than
official documents and that the stone was probably
originally intended for funerary use. The figures appear hastily cut, superficially resembling the types and style of the relief of the Athenian anti-tyranny decree (no. 38).
A. Kaloyeropoulou,
ArchDelt 25 A (1970) 204-14, pls. 70,
71; E. Vanderpool,
ArchDelt 25 A (1970) 215-16; P. J.
Bicknell,
Historia 27 (1978) 369-74; Schwenk, 205-212 no.
42; H. A. Shapiro,
ZPE 63 (1986) 134-36;
SEG 35.239;
Meyer, 295 A 104.