Erastus The Aedile -- By: David W. J. Gill

Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 40:2 (NA 1989)
Article: Erastus The Aedile
Author: David W. J. Gill


Erastus The Aedile

David W.J. Gill

1. The Inscribed Pavement

During excavation on the site of the Roman colony at Corinth three fragments of two inscribed paving stones were found.1 They form the centre and right slabs of three adjoining in- scribed slabs which were made of gray Acrocorinthian lime- stone. Each would have measured 0.66 (height) x 2.27 (width) x 0.15 m (thick), wing a total pavement width of 6.81 m; a shallow gutter run, along the top edge. The Latin inscription was originally of bronze, and apart from two punctuation marks, all that remains are the cuttings for the letters, 0.18 m high, which appear in two lines. The inscription reads:

[praenome nomen] Erastus for his aedileship
laid (the pavement) at his own expense

[praenom n nomen] Erastus pro aedilit[at]e
s(ua) p(ecunia) stravit2

The location of the pavement is provided by the one complete slab (except for its lower right corner) which was

found in 1929 in situ in the square east of the stage building of the theatre. Together they lay at the entrance to the square from the street which runs along the east side of the theatre. The left portion of the second slab had been found in the previous year in the east parados of the theatre, and the rest in the basement of a late vaulted building southwest of the theatre in 1947. The square (c. 19 x 19 m.) was itself paved in limestone blocks, and may be considered as an integral part of the gift.

II. Erastus The Aedile

What were the circumstances surrounding the gift of this pavement? Corinth was a Roman colony, established on the site of the ruined hellenistic city, and founded by Julius Caesar in 44 BC. As a result its government was Roman in character. The city was divided into tribes, and there was a council formed by decuriones. The chief magistrastes, elected each year, were the duoviri; every fifth year they were termed duoviri quinquennales when they took a census and revised the membership of the council. Below the duoviri was a pair of aediles, again elected annually. They were responsible for the maintenance of public streets and buildings, which included the market places, they managed the revenues derived from such places, and they served as judges. In most colonies the aediles were also responsible for the public games but not at Corinth. The colony took charge of the administration of the internationally important games at Isthmia, which it did through the appointment of an agonothetes or president; judging from the caree...

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