THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE REFOUNDATION OF THEBES: A NEW EPIGRAPHIC AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

In the context of our ongoing work on the new corpus of Theban inscriptions (IG VII2, 4), we had the opportunity to study the famous inscription that records the contributions for the refoundation of Thebes after 315 bc. The inscription consists of two fragments, the first of which has been known since the nineteenth century, whereas the second was published very recently by Professor Buraselis. Following Buraselis’ publication, the two fragments were physically joined in the Archaeological Museum of Thebes, where the inscription is currently on display. Our article provides the first ever full epigraphic edition of both fragments after autopsy. It is accompanied by detailed epigraphic notes, new supplements, apparatus criticus and a full historical analysis. By combining the study of abundant literary and epigraphic sources, we have attempted to place the inscription in its historical context, correcting certain earlier scholarly assumptions, making new suggestions about the motivations of the numerous contributors, and examining the modalities of the refoundation of Thebes.