A friend in high places : Demetrios, son of Diodotos, the Syracusan

Abstract

The title of this monograph refers to a man mentioned by name, father's name (patronymic), and place of origin (ethnicon) as many as four times in a single document, an inscribed bronze tablet reported to have been discovered in Rome in the 16th century together with a similar one originating from the city of Akragas (present Agrigento). Although discovered in Rome, the document is shown by internal evidence to have originated from Malta in pre-Imperial times. The inscription carries a decree issued by the legislative bodies of Malta conferring the status of proxenos (as well as that of euergetes) upon Demetrios, son of Diodotos, from Syracuse, and on his progeny, in recognition for services rendered. (Fig. 1)