5th-century Coan inscription

[ObsequiousNewt]

Retrieved from Abhandlungen der Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1928, issue 6:

Αἴ τίς κα τάμνῃ τὰς κυπαρίσσος τὰς ἐν τῷ τεμένει ἢ τὰς ἔξω τοῦ τεμένεος ἢ φέρῃ τὰ ξύλεα ἐκ τοῦ τεμένεος τὰ κυπαρίσσινα, χιλίας δραχμὰς ἀποτεισάτω καὶ τὸ ἱαρὸν ἀσεβείτω, αἴ κα μὴ ἐκκλησίᾳ δόξει ἐς δαμόσιον ἔργον. φαινόντω δὲ τοὶ ἐπιμεληταὶ τοῦ τεμένεος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁ χρῄζων ἐς τὰν ἐκκλησίαν κατὰ τὸν ἱαρὸν νόμον καὶ τὸν μαστρικόν.

(Normalised Attic, if it's easier: Εἰ ἄν τις τέμνῃ τὰς κυπαρίττους τὰς ἐν τῷ τεμένει ἢ τὰς ἔξω τοῦ τεμένεος ἢ φέρῃ τὰ ξύλα ἐκ τοῦ τεμένεος τὰ κυπαρίττινα, χιλίας δραχμὰς ἀποτεισάτω καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἀσεβείτω, εἰ ἂν μὴ ἐκκλησίᾳ δόξει εἰς δημόσιον ἔργον. φαινόντων δὲ οἱ ἐπιμεληταὶ τοῦ τεμένεος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁ χρῄζων εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν κατὰ τὸν ἱερὸν νόμον καὶ τὸν μαστρικόν.)

My translation: If anyone cuts the cypress trees in the τέμενος or outside of the τέμενος or carries the wood of the cypress out of the τέμενος, he shall pay a thousand drachmas and commit sacrilege against the temple, if it does not seem to the assembly a public matter; and the curators of the land and of the ἄλλος shall (if necessary) appear before the assembly according to the holy law and the μαστρικός.

Is there a good English translation for τέμενος? What does τῶν ἄλλων refer to? What is μαστρικός ("the official" was my best guess, but the official of what?) and does it belong to κατά or φαινόντω? Are there any errors in my translation?

[C. S. Bartholomew]

RE: translation for τέμενος?

Herod.
Book 9, section 25, line 16

ἀπικόμενοι δὲ ἐτάσσοντο κατὰ ἔθνεα πλησίον τῆς τε κρήνης
τῆς Γαργαφίης καὶ τοῦ τεμένεος τοῦ Ἀνδροκράτεος τοῦ
ἥρωος διὰ ὄχθων τε οὐκ ὑψηλῶν καὶ ἀπέδου χώρου.

and when they were there they arrayed themselves nation by nation near the Gargaphian spring and the precinct of the hero Androcrates, among low hills and in a level country. LCL 1920

Euripides Medea Line 1379
οὐ δῆτ᾿, ἐπεί σφας τῇδ᾿ ἐγὼ θάψω χερί,
φέρουσ᾿ ἐς Ἥρας τέμενος Ἀκραίας θεοῦ,
ὡς μή τις αὐτοὺς πολεμίων καθυβρίσῃ
τύμβους ἀνασπῶν·

Certainly not. I shall bury them with my own hand, taking them to the sanctuary of Hera Akraia, 22 so that none of my enemies may outrage them by tearing up their graves. LCL Kovacs 1994

LSJ

τέμεν-ος, εος, τό, Arc. nom. and acc. sg.
τέμενες IG5(2).432.31,42 (Megalop., ii B.C.); Aeol. gen. sg. τεμένηος Alc.152: (τέμνω):—a piece of land cut off and assigned as an official domain, esp. to kings and chiefs, καὶ μέν οἱ [Βελλεροφόντῃ] Αύκιοι τ. τάμον ἔξοχον ἄλλων καλὸν φυταλιῆς καὶ ἀρούρης, ὄφρα νέμοιτο Il.6.194, cf. 20.184,391; τ. περικαλλὲς . . πεντηκοντόγυον 9.578, cf. 12.313; τ. βασιλήϊον 18.550; δμῶες Ὀδυσσῆος τ. μέγα κοπρίσσοντες Od.17.299, cf. 6.293: in pl., τεμένεα 11.185; τεμένη, μέρος τιμῆς Arist.Rh.1361a35.
a piece of land marked off from common uses and dedicated to a god, precinct, ἔνθα τέ οἱ τ. βωμός τε θυήεις Il.8.48, cf. 2.696, al., Pi.N.10.19, IG12.94.29, etc.; τὸ τ. τῶν ἡρῴων Test.Epict.2.13; in it stood the temple or shrine, Hdt.2.112, 155, 3.142; Πρωτεσίλεω τάφος τε καὶ τ. περὶ αὐτόν Id.9.116: hence the Pythian race-course is called a τέμενος, Pi.P.5.33; Syracuse is the τ. Ἄρεος ib.2.2; the sacred valley of the Nile is the Νείλοιο πῖον τ. Κρονίδα ib. 4.56; the lake formed by the Cephisus is the τ. Καφισίδος ib.12.27; the Acropolis is the ἱερὸν τ. (of Pallas), Ar.Lys.483 (lyr.): poet. also, τέμενος αἰθέρος A.Pers.365; ἀνέμων Philet.13; Μαραθὼν σῆς ἀρετῆς τ. IG14.1185 (Rome); τρόπαια στησάμενοι Διὸς . . τέμενος to be a grove of Zeus, Tim.Pers.211; of sacred grones, h.Ven.267.
temple, ἄγαμαι τοῦ τ. τῆς ὀροφῆς Chor.p.88 B., cf. p.116 B.

[mwh]

“sacred precinct” or just “precinct” usually works well enough for τέμενος.

τῶν ἄλλων refers to those besides the επιμεληται. τῶν ἄλλων ὁ χρῄζων basically amounts to “anyone else who wants.” In Attic ὁ χρηζων would be ὁ βουλομενος, a common legal formula, and των αλλων is partitive genitive. So anyone who chooses, not just the epimeletai, is to appear before the ekklesia. It’s a blanket provision.

τον μαστρικον sc. νομον I presume. This should be a law regarding pimping—which would also be a violation of the official sacredness of the precinct. Temple grounds were a favored locale for prositution, as they still are. I don't know how these laws would apply to cypress-cutting; I imagine they were laws governing any form of sacrilege or indecent behavior. — Cypresses suggest death, cemeteries. Was this a heroon, perhaps, rather than a major god temple precinct? Is there a site connected with the inscription?
κατα “in accordance with,” just as you have it.

“he is to pay a penalty of 10K dr. and (be deemed) to be guilty of asebeia (impiety) unless the Assembly determine it to be a public [as distinct from sacred] deed”? But I don’t properly understand ἐς δαμόσιον ἔργον. What is the ες doing?

αἴ κα μὴ ἐκκλησίᾳ δόξει = not εἰ ἂν μὴ ἐκκλησίᾳ δόξει but εαν μη ,,, δοξῃ? τεμενεος > τεμενους.

Don't take these off-the-cuff answers as in any way definitive. I rarely read laws, in any language.

EDIT. This is a VERY bad post. Please ignore it.

[jeidsath]

Nobody likes the trees on their preserve poached.

εἰ ἂν μὴ ἐκκλησίᾳ δόξει εἰς δημόσιον ἔργον

"If it shall not seem to the assembly that it was for a public work." ?

[Paul Derouda]

Mwh, how do you know μαστρικον refers to pimping? I couldn't find that sort of meaning in LSJ. Are they just being euphemistic to the point of being obscure?

[jeidsath]

μαστρικόν is related to μαστήρ here, right?

μαστῆρες, οἱ, officers appointed to ascertain and get possession of the assets of public debtors and exiles at Athens, Hyp.Fr.133; at Amorgos, IG 12(7).62.54.

Maybe mwh is suggesting that it's some noun form of μαστίζω? Is that where the Latin term that English speakers use to describe self-pleasure comes from?

[ObsequiousNewt]

τῶν ἄλλων refers to those besides the επιμεληται. τῶν ἄλλων ὁ χρῄζων basically amounts to “anyone else who wants.” In Attic ὁ χρηζων would be ὁ βουλομενος, a common legal formula, and των αλλων is partitive genitive. So anyone who chooses, not just the epimeletai, is to appear before the ekklesia. It’s a blanket provision.

Ah, thanks, that makes more sense.

εἰ ἂν μὴ ἐκκλησίᾳ δόξει εἰς δημόσιον ἔργον

"If it shall not seem to the assembly that it was for a public work." ?

That too. So, better translation:

If anyone cuts the cypress trees in the precinct or outside of the precinct, or carries the wood of the cypress out of the precinct, he shall pay a thousand drachmas and commit sacrilege against the temple, unless it seems to the assembly to be for a public work; and the curators of the land and anyone else who wishes shall appear before the assembly according to the holy law and the μαστρικός.

Maybe mwh is suggesting that it's some noun form of μαστίζω? Is that where the Latin term that English speakers use to describe self-pleasure comes from?

I was under the impression it was ma(ni)-sturbō?

Is there a site connected with the inscription?

Ah, yes, it's the Asclepion at Epidaurus. Sorry for not saying so earlier.

[bedwere]

Maybe mwh is suggesting that it's some noun form of μαστίζω? Is that where the Latin term that English speakers use to describe self-pleasure comes from?

I was under the impression it was ma(ni)-sturbō?

No,
mas = ἄρσην
turbo = ταράσσω

[mwh]

That will teach me to dash off a post without looking anything up. I was talking through my hat.
I had not μαστρ- but μαστροπ- in mind. Very bad. μαστρικος (νομος) is in LSJ, cf. μαστρός, μαστρεία; derived from μασσασθαι.
“for a public work” Yes, obviously. How could I have missed that, I’ve seen it hundreds of times.
1K not 10, of course.
And yes, cutting down sanctuary trees is serious stuff. Think of poor Erysichthon.
I’ll now go stand in the corner, hanging my head in shame.

PS Really Epidaurus not Cos?

[ObsequiousNewt]

PS Really Epidaurus not Cos?

...Yes. I derped quite badly.