Getty Museum

Tablet ("Tabula Iliaca") Inscribed with a Historical Text

Date

A.D. 16–20

Medium

Limestone

Culture

Roman

Department

Texts

Institution

Getty Museum

Aside from the lower edge and what appear to be the remains of a tenon, no original edge is preserved. The front has a scene in low relief, with three figures on an undulating groundline - a kneeling male holding an object in his left hand and looking into what may have been a grotto; one horse and part of a second with the yoke and part of the wheel of a cart; and the head of a standing male, perhaps a servant holding the horses in the background. Below the groundline, a smooth beveled area with portions of a four line inscription that is broken at both ends (identified by Burstein 1989 as including fragments of three nonconsecutive sentences from a letter of Darius to Alexander, found in the Alexander Romance (2.17)). Translation from Greek, after Burstein 1984/1989: [-?-a]nd for Xerxes, the one who gave me the light, became arrogant [-?-] [-?-] not having perceived and of the thought [-?-] [-?-the] treasures to point out, the ones in [the land] of Minyas [-?-] [-?-] and [th]is letter having come [-?-] The reverse has the remains of an inscription in three columns containing excerpts from a brief chronicle of European and Asian history (the so-called Chronicon Romanum, in which events were dated retrospectively from the date of its composition in AD 15/16). Lengths of the lines vary, the spacing is irregular and there are several spelling errors. The conclusion of the chronicle deals with the invasion of Europe by Darius I. Translation from Greek, after Burstein 1984: IIA: [---years until the present,] 825. 810/9 [From the time------] [----years until the present,] 760. 745/4 [From the time-----] began to [reign over-------] [----years until the present,] 716. 701/0 [From the time-------] [---------began to] reign [over---, years until the present,]705 690/89 IIB: From the time Phalaris [became tyrant], years until the present. [From the time the Wise Men a]nd Chilon v[..]. From the time [Pisistratus] became tyrant in Athens, [and] Aesop was hurled down a precipice by the Delphians, years until the present. From the time Croesus, having surrendered [...] the acropolis of Sardis, (and) having been taken prisoner by Cyrus, lost his realm; and there was also born Simonides, the lyric poet, and Anaximander, the natural philosopher, was 60 years old, years until the present, 561. 546/5 From the time Cyrus died, Cambyses succeeded to the throne, and also Anacreon, the lyric poet, flourished and Ibycus of Regium, years, 540. 525/4 From the time Cyrus died, and Cambyses, having succeeded, conquered Egypt; and Pythagoras was captured, and studied with the Magi, (and) having completed his studies, came to Italy; and Cambyses died; and Darius began to reign; and Xenophanes, the natural philosopher. From which time the total number of years, 50. From the time Harmodius and Aristogiton killed Hipparchus, the tyrant, years. From the time Darius campaigned against the Scythians, years, 20."

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