A Catalogue of the Athenian Akropolis InscriptionsA Catalogue of the Athenian Akropolis Inscriptions

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This is a note to make publicly known that a Check-List of the inscriptions kept on the Akropolis (and the new Akropolis Museum) was uploaded recently on the Website of the Greek Epigraphic Society. In 1989 A. P. Matthaiou undertook the task of creating a detailed Catalogue of the Akropolis inscriptions. This project was authorized by the Committee for the Preservation of the Monuments of the Akropolis (ESMA). The work was carried out in collaboration with Matthaiou’s former students Georgia E. Malouchou and Ath. A. Themos. The Catalogue was submitted to the Committee (ESMA) when it was completed in February 1992.


Phot. 1. ΜΑ 13259 (ΙG Ι³ 506). The statue base of Athena Hygeia. It was found in 1839 in situ and it remains in its original place (east of the Propylaia).
Phot. 2. ΜΑ 13262 (ΙG Ι³ 666). Τhe dedication of Alkibios. East of the Propylaia at the time (1992).
Phot. 3. The storeroom of inscriptions in the area southeast of the Akropolis Museum.

The Catalogue included 388 inscriptions located on the Akropolis (see phot. 1-2) or displayed in the (old) Akropolis Museum, or kept in the storerooms (see phot. 3). This Catalogue is the main inventory of inscriptions of the 1st Ephorate of Antiquities; it is used by its staff to identify the stones, to access the content of the ancient texts, to know the relevant bibliography and to facilitate the work of responding efficiently to the various requests of both Greek and foreign scholars.

The Catalogue was accompanied by an electronic data-base which included the entries of 2,514 inscriptions which were found on the Akropolis but are no longer there. The work was carried out by Ath. A. Themos and Maria Diakoumakou. Phot. 4. A new fragment of the Hekatompedon Inscription (IG I3 4), found by the emerita Ephor of Antiquities, Mrs Evi Touloupa in the Akropolis (1986).


Phot. 5. The new fragment glued to ΙG Ι³ 4; see A. P. Matthaiou, HOΡΟΣ 14-16 (2000-2003) 19-20, ἀρ. 1.
Phot. 6. A new fragment of the Athenian treaty with Argos (IG I3 86); see Matthaiou, Studies 137-142, no. 7.
Phot. 7. The Akropolis fr. ΜΑ 13794 (now EM 13522) joined to frs. c (EM 7732) and e (Ag I 5825) of the decree IG II2 1195; see A. P. Matthaiou in Μικρὸς Ἱερομνήμων, 87-102.
Phot. 8. The Akropolis fr. ΜΑ 18096 (now EM 13518) joined to the decree IG II2 243 (ΕΜ 7065); see Ath. Al. Themos, ΗΟΡΟΣ 14-16 (2000-2003) 51-54.
Phot. 9. The Akropolis fr. ΜΑ 13785 (now EM 13507) joined to the decree IG II2 735 (EM 7504); see G. E. Malouchou, in Ἀττικαὶ ἐπιγραφαὶ 185-198.
Phot. 10. ΜΑ 681 (ΙG Ι³ 628). The inscription has been transferred to the New Akropolis Museum. (Phot. Κirchner, Ιmagines² n. 10, Τaf. 5).

Major changes have taken place since 1992 when the Catalogue of the Akropolis inscriptions was completed. Due to the efforts of the Greek Epigraphic Society and other scholars, many of the inscriptions, unpublished at the time, were published; –Appendix II of the Check List includes the publications of the Akropolis inscriptions after the editions of IG II2 and IG I3 respectively–. Some of the latter were joined with or attributed to already known inscriptions; a few were of major importance, e.g. the Salamis decree (IG I3 1), the Hekatompedon Inscription (IG I3 4, see phot. 4-5), the Athenian treaty with Argos (IG I3 86, see phot. 6), the Reassessment Decree (IG I3 71), the Lapis Primus (IG I3 259-272; esp. 270), etc. Subsequently most of these small fragments were transferred to the Epigraphical Museum (see phot. 7-9). Furthermore, after the opening of the new Akropolis Museum some of the inscriptions included in the Catalogue were moved to the new Museum (see phot. 10).

The Check List presently uploaded on the web page of the Greek Epigraphic Society (under the heading Research Projects/Cataloguing Greek Inscriptions) reflects the current situation. All published inscriptions which are still located on the Akropolis or kept in the storerooms are listed according to their publication. For reasons related to keeping track of the history of research, inscriptions which are no longer kept on the Acropolis (i.e. those that they were transferred to the Epigraphical Museum and the new Akropolis Museum after 1992) are included in the Check List.
In Appendix I of the Check List all the inscriptions that are exhibited in the new Akropolis Museum are listed.

A. P. MATTHAIOU – G. E. MALOUCHOU