The Status of City Officials

The revenues that city offices brought in were used to finance office functions. Any money left over could be spent in various ways, often for the embellishment of the city, together with the display of political loyalty. In Thyatira, Apollodotos, son of Menodotos, performed the generalship and supervised the building of a triple entrance and stoas and dwelling places therein, using the money left over from his office. The people of Metropolis dedicated two stoas to Emperor Tiberius using the money left over from the games of Augustus Caesar during the agonothesia of Philiskos, son of Philoxenos. Enaugelion, son of Metrodoros, the gymnasiarch “at his own expense” as well as the prytanis and agonothetes in Pergamum, dedicated a statue of Augustus using the money left over from a festival. Performing an office at one’s own expense and/or in such a way that money could be left over also characterized sacral offices. The priest Pausanias, from Tralles, dedicated an image of himself using the money that he had saved from expenses. Artemidoros, son ofDionysios, and Antigonos, son of Apollonios, made two fountains, either in Hierocaesarea or in Thyatira, using the money left over from the hieronomia. Non-archontes,such as secretaries and logistai, also had the right to dispose of revenues according to their own wishes.

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